Estimation of Screw Displacement Pile-Bearing Capacity Based on Drilling Resistances

Abstract This article presents an engineering, empirical method of estimating the bearing capacity and settlement characteristics Q-s of screw displacement piles and columns, based on soil resistance encountered during the drilling to form piles/columns in the ground. The method was developed on the basis of correlation analyses of the test results of 24 piles made during the “DPDT-Auger” research project (Krasiński et al., 2022a). In the proposed method, the load capacity of a screw displacement pile is estimated using two main parameters of auger screwing resistance: torque M T and the number of auger rotations per depth unit n R . The method applies to piles and columns made with a standard screw displacement pile (SDP) auger and with the proprietary, prototype DPDT ( displacement pile drilling tool ) aguer, patented in Poland (2020). Based on the estimated ultimate capacities of the pile shaft and base, an approximate method of predicting the pile settlement characteristics Q-s was also proposed, using the transfer function method. This article describes a correlation procedure of field test results together with their statistical analysis and presents a method of estimating the pile-bearing capacity based on correlation results. A calculation example is also provided. The conclusion looks at the useful practical applications that could be found for the proposed method.