920-C-03 Rev.

: 1
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION FOR PILE LOAD
TESTING Date : 03-12-2019

Doc. No. : 920-C-03

Rev. No. :1

Title : Pile load testing Methodology

Date : 03-12-2019

Prepared by Reviewed by Approved by

Sathish Kumar Harish Kumar Sreenivasa Raju

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Unit No. 601, 6th Floor, Eastern Wing,
HM Towers, No. 58, Brigade Road, Bengaluru – 560 001
 920-C-03 Rev. : 1
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION FOR PILE LOAD
TESTING Date : 03-12-2019

1. GENERAL
Conducting Initial Pile load tests for our ground installed solar power plant to
determine the load bearing capacities of the pile.

2. MAPPING AREA
Project Name : 1.25MWp Solar PV Installation
Location: : Kallam Textiles, Kunkupadu Village, Andhra Pradesh
Available Land area : Approx. 6 Acres
Land Type : Barren

3. SCOPE OF WORK
Scope of work include the following:

1. The work consists of Pile construction and conducting pile load tests as
specified in the schedule of activities.
2. Perform Pile load tests- Tensile and lateral tests on the test piles. Test
procedure should be in line with the IS-2911 part 4 & other relevant BIS
standards.
3. To ascertain the pull-out capacity & safe uplift loads of piles.
4. To ascertain the displacement of pile under lateral load.
5. Measure and tabulate the readings and test results.
6. Prepare & submit the detailed report indicating the observed values of
deformation/ settlement / Pile load capacities.
7. Load tests shall be conducted in dry and water saturated conditions
8. Load shall be applied by hydraulic jacks with dial gauges
9. Mobilization of necessary equipment, technical supervisors, skilled &
unskilled labour etc. for successful execution of work
10. Carrying out all necessary arrangement for Pile Load Tests like fixing
Hydraulic jack according to direction for loading, fixing displacement Meters
for measurement of displacement of Pile due to applied load as per IS Code,
applying load using hydraulic pump and measure displacement at different
load

Office: Page 2 of 5
Unit No. 601, 6th Floor, Eastern Wing,
HM Towers, No. 58, Brigade Road, Bengaluru – 560 001
 920-C-03 Rev. : 1
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION FOR PILE LOAD
TESTING Date : 03-12-2019

11. Test shall be conducted by authorized laboratory. Test report shall indicate
test locations/co-ordinate, test procedure, load verses displacement chart,
graphs, test photographs, calibration certificate of instruments used in the
load test etc.
12. Each test type shall be conducted on separate foundation and load tested
foundations shall not be utilized for mounting structure
13. Submission of report containing all field data, calculations, results etc.
complete with all respect.
14. Test procedure to be followed as explained in Annexure-1

4. PILE LOAD TEST PROCEDURE DOCUMENT

1. VERTICAL LOAD TEST (COMPRESSION) (IS 2911-2013 Part 4 Clause 7)
The pile head to be chipped off till sound concrete is met. The reinforcement to
be cut and head levelled with Plaster of Paris. A bearing plate with a hole to be placed
on the head for the jack to rest. Kent ledge is suitably designed to get the desired
reaction on the piles. Three dial gauges for a single pile with 0.01 mm sensitivity should
be used. They shall be positioned at equal distance around the piles on datum bars
resting on immovable supports at minimum 3D (min. of 1.5 m) where D is the diameter
of pile. Each load is maintained till the rate of displacement of the pile top is either 0.1
mm in the first 30 minutes or 0.2 mm in the first one hour or 2 hours whichever occurs
first. The next increment in the load shall be applied on achieving the aforesaid
criterion. Safe load shall be considered as least of the following.
a) Two-thirds of the final load at which the total displacement attains a value of 12mm
unless otherwise required in a given case on the basis of nature and type of structure in
which case,
the safe load should be corresponding to the stated total displacement permissible.
b) 50% of the final load at which the total displacement equal 10 percent of the pile
diameter in case of uniform diameter piles and 7·5 percent of bulb diameter in case of
under-reamed piles.

2. LATERAL LOAD TEST ON PILES (IS 2911-2013 Part 4 Clause 8)

The test is carried out by introducing a hydraulic jack between two piles under
test, the load imposed by the jack will be considered as the lateral resistance of each
pile. The loading is applied in increments of about 0.25kN and corresponding
displacement is read by using at least two dial gauges of 0.01mm sensitivity kept
horizontally. The next increment is applied after the rate of displacement is nearer to
0.1mm per 30 minutes and corresponding displacement measured. The lateral load on
Office: Page 3 of 5
Unit No. 601, 6th Floor, Eastern Wing,
HM Towers, No. 58, Brigade Road, Bengaluru – 560 001
 920-C-03 Rev. : 1
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION FOR PILE LOAD
TESTING Date : 03-12-2019

the piles is taken as the least of fifty percent of final load at which the total
displacement increases to 12mm, final load at which the total load corresponds to
5mm and load corresponding to any other specified displacement as per performance
requirement. Safe load shall be considered as least of the following.
a) 50% of the final load at which the total displacement increases to 12mm
b) Final load at which the total displacement corresponds to 5mm and
c) Load corresponding to any other specified displacement as per performance
requirements
3. PULL-OUT TEST ON THE PILES (IS 2911-1985 Part 4 Clause 9)
The hydraulic jack is made to rest on steel girder resting on two supports on the
ground. The jack reacts against a frame attached to the top of the test pile such that
when the jack is operated the pile gets pulled up and the reaction is transferred to the
ground through the supports which are at least 2.5D (Diameter of the pile) away from
the test pile periphery. The framework is attached to the pile top with the
reinforcement bars fixed to it. The pullout load increments and consequent
displacement readings are recorded. The safe load is taken as the least of two-thirds of
the load at which the total displacement is 12mm or the load corresponding to the
specified permissible uplift and half of the load at which the load-displacement curve
shows a clear break. Safe load shall be considered as least of the following.

a) Two-third of the load at which the total displacement is 12 mm or the load

corresponding to a specified permissible uplift and
b) Half of the load at which the load-displacement curve shows a clear break (downward
trend).

TYPICAL ILLUSTRATION BELOW

Office: Page 4 of 5
Unit No. 601, 6th Floor, Eastern Wing,
HM Towers, No. 58, Brigade Road, Bengaluru – 560 001
 920-C-03 Rev. : 1
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION FOR PILE LOAD
TESTING Date : 03-12-2019

FOR ANY FURTHER CLARIFICATION OR DETAILS PLEASE REFER TO IS

2911:PART4-2013

Office: Page 5 of 5
Unit No. 601, 6th Floor, Eastern Wing,
HM Towers, No. 58, Brigade Road, Bengaluru – 560 001