Lateral STATNAMIC load testing: a new method for evaluating lateral load capacity

摘要

The Statnamic test method was originally developed as a method for evaluating axial capacity; however, in the last 3 years a new application for the device has been developed. In October 1994, the North Carolina Department of Transportation became the first to perform lateral Statnamic load testing of drilled shafts. Brigham Young University, the Utah DOT and the FHWA followed in 1996 with lateral load tests performed on a group of pipe piles. This testing was done to evaluate foundations under ship impact and earthquake type loading since the force-time pulse generated by the Statnamic device is on the same order of magnitude and frequency. Since that time, the lateral Statnamic test and associated data acquisition systems have been refined and improved. These improvements allow the collection of data in zones of influence while maintaining cost savings over more traditional methods. Tests using these improvements have been most recently performed in Pascagoula, Mississippi as part of a design phase load test program for the Mississippi Department of Transportation. The paper will describe the test method, describe the equipment utilized to generate the lateral load, describe the data acquisition equipment and present an overview of the results from the most recent test site.