Offshore Steel Pile Capacity Evaluation Using Static and High-Strain Dynamic Tests

In view of the marine steel tubular pile foundation design verification for Duroob Island, offshore of the Abu Dhabi mainland, a program of pile load tests using the static load test (SLT) and high-strain dynamic pile testing (HSDPT)/Pile Driving Analyzer (PDA) tests was initiated in the Gravelly, weak Calcarenite, and Mudstone formations. Despite the fact that the SLT is more expensive and time-consuming than the PDA test, most designers use the PDA test as a frequent alternate method for predicting pile capacity. This paper presents the ultimate capacity evaluation of 20.60 mm thick offshore steel tubular pile P03, 31.05 m long, and 1118 mm outer diameter, interpreted from both methods. The SLT result shows a deflection of around 4.30 mm and that of 4.00 mm from PDA at a load of 1650 kN. The ultimate capacity predicated using the Chin and Van der method exhibits good agreement with the PDA result. The findings revealed a higher limit of ultimate pile capacity of 6458 kN, which is reached by pile settlement rather than soil failure. The ultimate capacity calculated from pile driving using CAPWAP shows a value of 6460 kN, indicating that both methods are accurate enough to estimate the pile capacity and can be adopted in similar offshore conditions.