Time-Dependent Axial Capacity of Piles Driven in Clays and Sands

This paper considers the time-dependent axial capacity of piles at clay and sand sites, focusing on the open steel piles employed for offshore, nearshore and bridge works. It reports and interprets field observations that offer crucial checks for design hypotheses and benchmarks for numerical modelling. It also emphasises the strengths of combining field experiments and full-scale monitoring with high-quality in-situ and laboratory testing with representative numerical analysis. The cases considered identify the key ageing mechanisms at work and the circumstances under which they may affect design capacities, service use or the choices made for final decommissioning.