Prediction of Smear Effect on the Bearing Capacity of Driven Piles

This paper deals with prediction the effect of soil remoulding (smear) on the ultimate bearing capacity of driven piles. The proposed method based on detecting the decrease in ultimate bearing capacity of the pile shaft (excluding the share of pile tip) after sliding downward. This was done via conducting an experimental study on three installed R.C piles in a sandy clayey silt soil. The piles were installed so that a gap space is left between its tip and the base of borehole. The piles were tested for ultimate bearing capacity according to ASTM D1143 in three stages. Between each two stages the pile was jacked inside the borehole until a sliding of about 200mm is achieved to simulate the soil remoulding due to actual pile driving. The results of the tests exhibited that the pile might loss 14% of its ultimate capacity when it is loaded immediately after installation. Also, it was concluded that the pile may regain of about 9% of its original capacity after 30days of its installation.