Performance of Laterally Loaded Drilled Sockets Founded in Weathered Quartzite

摘要

The design of drilled shafts for lateral loading poses one of the greatest uncertainties for design engineers. The magnitude of the reaction of the soil or rock surrounding a laterally loaded drilled shaft is a function of the lateral deflection of the shaft, and yet the lateral deflection is dependent on the soil reaction. Thus, calculating the behavior of a shaft under lateral load involves the solution of a soil-structural interaction problem. There are four objectives to this research program. There is a need for additional data from full-scale load tests performed in weathered, heavily fractured rock. A primary objective of this program will be to perform a series of full scale static and statnamic tests on drilled shafts founded in heavily weathered, fractured quartzite. The data from the load tests performed in this research program can be used to verify available design methods. A goal of the research project will involve the investigation of field tests that can be used to determine the material properties of weak rock. The final goal of the research project will be to evaluate the ability of the relatively new lateral Osterberg test to accurately calculate p-y curves usable in widely available lateral analysis software such as LPILE and COM624.