Finite element simulation of the high-strain dynamic test and the static load test performed on the test pile of the George Massey Tunnel Replacement project

High-strain dynamic and static loading tests were performed on a 2.0 m diameter, 67 m embedment, open-toe, steel pipe pile driven in a deltaic deposit comprised of compact sand and stiff clayey silt. Dynamic tests were carried out at 1 day, 7 days, and 29 days after pile installation, and a static test at 80 days after pile installation. Axisymmetric finite element analyses were performed with PLAXIS2D to determine the soil properties that control the shaft and the toe resistance of the pile using both dynamic and static load testing data. The geotechnical properties of the PLAXIS model were obtained by matching the work time history in the time interval of maximum energy transfer with that obtained from the dynamic test. The analysis indicates that the estimation of the pile resistance using high-strain dynamic testing is mainly associated with the shaft resistance due to the very small mobilization of the toe displacement during the dynamic test. The ultimate geotechnical resistance is obtained by simulating a static load test with the calibrated PLAXIS model with a pile head displacement equal to 200 mm, which is equivalent to 10% of the pile diameter