Load Tests on Drilled Shafts for Highway Bridges

Most of the highway bridges arc supported on deep foundations. Safe and economical design and construction of deep foundations requires the use of rational procedures to determine the load capacity of the foundation. A static load test may be conducted to measure the response of a pile under applied load. Conventional static tests include axial compressive, axial tensile and lateral load testing. The purpose and advantages of load testing are explained in the light of large-scale construction of deep foundations for highways for the new millennia. This paper presents a case history of load tests on high capacity drilled shafts. An adequate foundation design can be made with detailed subsurface exploration and soil testing, subsurface profile development through in situ tests, and static analysis. The results are compared with available solutions. Based on the results of the testing program, load transfer curves are provided for analysis. The focus of the paper is to give some useful information on load tests on drilled shafts along with a case history