Development of a Laterally Loaded Pile Database: FindAPile.com DFI COMMITTEE PROJECT FUND The DFI Seismic and Lateral Load Committee, along with the DFI Drilled Shaft Committee and the International Association of Foundation Drilling (ADSC), are jointly working under the leadership of Professor Anne Lemnitzer of the University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine) on developing an online database for laterally loaded piles. The site, FindAPile.com, was developed as a resource with the purpose of better equipping geotechnical designers, researchers and deep foundation contractors with the knowledge to perform more reliable analysis, design and construction of deep foundations subject to lateral loading. The project forms one of the first online initiatives to make a wide range of experimental data stemming from research projects and industry testing programs publically available. It collects pile data with various boundary conditions, soil types, pile materials and loading types, and presents the back-calculated p-y curves for most of the tests conducted. Lemnitzer works together with Professor Armin Stuedlein from Oregon State University and Dr. John Turner from Dan Brown and Associates as well as a group of graduate and undergraduate research students at UC Irvine. Load Test Database The database currently contains more than 50 full-scale lateral load tests on piles and experimentally derived p-y curves from academic, governmental and industrial testing programs over the last 40 years. The ultimate goal is to provide and maintain a complete and centralized storage of information, supported by DFI and ADSC, which has not yet been available to the public. Aside from collecting load test data, FindAPile.com provides educational information about the general behavior of piles subjected to lateral loading and a brief insight into analytical methods, including the most commonly used p-y method and a review of the state of practice in the U.S. It also contains a convenient reservoir of references for the deep foundations industry. Whether you are a researcher trying to find references for a literature review and comparison of data or a design engineer looking for load test results for piles in similar soil conditions, Findapile.com offers an accumulation of information gathered through a detailed and ongoing literature review by the project team. Each test profile contains the following information: • Subsurface data: Soil profiles, soil classifications and data from in-situ investigations. • Pile test data: Location, reference, pile material, dimensions, head boundary conditions, installation technique and test layout. • Experimental data: Load test description and load test results (e.g., load-deflection curves, p-y curves). • Analytical data: Analytical approaches, finite element models, software, predicted results, comparisons with experimental results and major outcomes. • Reference: Complete references to the published results are provided to facilitate contacting the authors of the testing program individually, or to download additional material (e.g., journal papers/reports). AUTHORS Camilla Favaretti and Professor Anne Lemnitzer, University of California Irvine DEEP FOUNDATIONS • JULY/AUG 2015 • 97
