A Rational Procedure for Evaluating the Behavior of Impact-Driven Piles

A numerical solution has been developed using a finite difference formulation to simulate the one-dimensional impact wave propagation behavior and subsequent static load test performance. Based on this solution, the importance of residual driving stresses in properly interpreting pile behavior under axial loads is examined. This paper (1) briefly describes the analytical procedure developed by the authors to incorporate residual stresses explicitly, (2) applies the procedure to a documented pile load test to demonstrate the concepts developed, (3) examines the consequences of ignoring residual driving stresses in interpreting/predicting pile behavior under axial loads, and (4) demonstrates the influence of various parameters on the predicted pile performance.