Estimation of load capacity of pipe piles in sand based on cone penetration test results

Pipe piles can be classified as either closed- or open-ended piles. In the present paper, the load capacity of both closed- and open-ended piles is related to cone penetration resistance q_c through an experimental program using calibration chamber model pile load tests and field pile load tests. A total of 36 calibration chamber pile load tests and two full-scale field pile load tests were analyzed. All the test piles were instrumented for separate measurement of each component of pile load capacity. Based on the test results, the normalized base resistance q_b 1 q_c was obtained as a function of the relative density D_R for closed-ended piles, and of both the relative density D_R and the incremental filling ratio (IFR) for open-ended piles. A relationship between the IFR and the relative density D_R is proposed as a function of the pile diameter and driving depth. The relationship between IFR and D_R allows the estimation of IFR and thus of the pile load capacity of open-ended piles at the design stage, before pile driving operations.