LATERAL LOAD TESTS ON PILES - ARKANSAS RIVER PROJECT

FIELD LATERAL LOAD TESTS WERE MADE ON A VARIETY OF PILES DRIVEN WITH DIFFERENT HAMMERS TO DEVELOP CRITERIA FOR THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF PILE FOUNDATIONS IN SAND FOR LOCKS AND DAMS OF THE LOWER ARKANSAS RIVER. THE INVESTIGATION INCLUDED DETERMINATION OF THE EFFECTS OF PILE BATTER, REPETITIVE LOAD, JETTING AND PREJETTING, AND DENSIFICATION OF THE FOUNDATION SOILS ON THE FLEXURAL AND LATERAL LOAD-DEFORMATION BEHAVIOR OF INDIVIDUAL PILES. THE PILE TESTS SHOWED THAT: (1) TRIANGULAR DISTRIBUTION OF MODULUS OF HORIZONTAL SUBGRADE REACTION NH WITH RESPECT TO DEPTH IS A GOOD APPROXIMATION; (2) COEFFICIENT NH IS DEPENDENT ON THE PILE DEFLECTION; (3) REPETITIVE LOADING INCREASES TOTAL DEFLECTION AT A GIVEN LOAD LEVEL BY ABOUT 100%; (4) FOR A GIVEN LATERAL LOAD, FULLY JETTED PILES DEFLECT 20% TO 50% MORE THAN UNJETTED PILES; (5) DENSIFICATION OF THE FOUNDATION SANDS INCREASES NH VALUE BY ABOUT 100%; AND (6) THE LATERAL LOAD CAPACITY OF A PILE IS ESSENTIALLY INDEPENDENT OF THE HAMMER USED TO DRIVE THE PILE. /ASCE/