Load–settlement curve combining base and shaft resistance considering curing of cement paste

Embedded piles, which are typically used in Korea, are precast piles inserted into prebored ground with cement paste. Dynamic pile tests tend to underestimate the bearing capacity of embedded piles because of the undeveloped shaft resistance prior to the curing of the cement paste and the insufficient energy transferred after the curing. In this study, a resistance combination method using the base resistance before the cement paste is cured and the shaft resistance after the cement paste is cured is proposed to obtain a combined load–settlement curve from dynamic pile tests. Two pairs of embedded piles with diameters of 600 and 500 mm are installed. Each pair comprises one pile for the dynamic pile test and another pile for the static load test. The shape of the load–settlement curve obtained using the proposed method is similar to that obtained from the static load test. Thus, the resistances evaluated using the proposed method at selected settlements are similar to those obtained from the static load test. This study shows that the resistance combination method may be used effectively in dynamic pile tests to accurately evaluate the bearing capacity of embedded piles.