COMPARISONS OF PDA WITH MLT

HOW GOOD IS PDA?

Ong Yin Hoe, Chee Sai Kim, C. T. Toh

(Dr. C. T. Toh Consultant)
 INTRODUCTION
The authors have collated all their data on
PDA and MLT carried out on the same pile
over the country in different soil
conditions.
These include data on driven piles (driven to
set and also of prescribed length), jack in
piles (jacked to refusal) and bored-cast-in
place piles.
The data presented is all in the authors
possession i.e. there was no selection of
data for presentation
 INTRODUCTION
These data enables a direct
comparison between static load tests
and predictions by MLT.

By so doing the reliability of the PDA

i.e. the ability of PDA to predict
correctly pile behaviour may be
assessed
TEST SITES
where PDA and MLT were conducted on the same pile

APMM, KUANTAN (DRIVEN PILES)

TAR COLLEGE, KL (JACK IN PILES)
GERBANG PERDANA, JB (INSTRUMENTED DRIVEN PILES)
KUCHING TOWER, KUCHING (INSTRUMENTED DRIVEN PILES)
ONE MENURUNG, BANGSAR (INSTRUMENTED BORED PILES)
TAMAN MELAWATI, SELANGOR (INSTRUMENTED BORED
PILES)
GLOMAC DAMANSARA, KL (BORED PILE)
COMPARISON OF LOAD-SETTLEMENT CURVE
AT PILE TOP FROM
MLT AND PDA
APMM KUANTAN DRIVEN PILE

ultimate capacity
APMM KUANTAN DRIVEN PILE

ultimate capacity
TAR COLLEGE-JACKED PILE

ultimate capacity
GERBANG PERDANA-DRIVEN SPUN
PILE-TP1

ultimate capacity
GERBANG PERDANA-DRIVEN PILE-
TP2

ultimate capacity
GERBANG PERDANA-DRIVEN PILE-
TP3

ultimate capacity
GERBANG PERDANA-DRIVEN PILE-
TP4

ultimate capacity
KUCHING TOWER
DRIVEN SPUN PILE

Max. mobilized capacity

ONE MENURUNG PTP1-
BORED PILE

Max. mobilized capacity

?
ONE MENURUNG PTP2
BORED PILE

Max. mobilized capacity

?
TMN MELAWATI, LOT14606 - BORED
PILE

ultimate capacity

ultimate capacity
GLOMAC DAMANSARA BORED
PILE

Max. mobilized capacity

?
COMPARISON OF ULTIMATE BEARING CAPACITY FROM

MLT AND PDA

ULTIMATE STATIC CAPACITY

KUCHING TOWER
Ultimate not reached

Ultimate capacity

Ultimate capacity

APMM 23.5M SPUN PILE

Ultimate not reached

Ultimate capacity

Legend
APMM 9M RC PILE
Ultimate capacity MLT
+ 19%
Ultimate capacity PDA
ULTIMATE STATIC CAPACITY - CONT

GLOMAC DAMANSARA
Ultimate not reached
Ultimate not reached

TMN MELAWATI
Ultimate capacity
Ultimate capacity - 47%

ONE MERUNUNG TP1

Ultimate not reached
Ultimate not reached
Ultimate not reached

ONE MERUNUNG TP2 Legend

Ultimate not reached
Ultimate not reached MLT
Ultimate not reached PDA
ULTIMATE STATIC CAPACITY - CONT

GERBANG PERDANA TP1

Ultimate capacity

Ultimate capacity

+ 26%

TAR COLLEGE
Ultimate Legend
not reached
Ultimate capacity MLT
Ultimate capacity PDA
ULTIMATE STATIC CAPACITY - CONT

GERBANG PERDANA TP4

Ultimate capacity

Ultimate capacity

+ 26%
GERBANG PERDANA TP3
Ultimate capacity

Ultimate capacity

+ 21%
GERBANG PERDANA TP2
Ultimate capacity

Ultimate capacity

+ 26%
 COMPARISON OF
PILE AXIAL LOAD FROM
MLT AND PDA
 KUCHING TOWER

MLT
BASE/TOTAL=41%

PDA
BASE/TOTAL=66%
 ONE MENURUNG PTP1 -BP

MLT
BASE/TOTAL=14%

PDA
WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE OF MLT
BASE/TOTAL=28%
WITH KNOWLEDGE OF MLT
 ONE MENURUNG PTP2 -BP

MLT
BASE/TOTAL=9%

PDA
BASE/TOTAL=44%
WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE OF MLT
WITH KNOWLEDGE OF MLT
 TMN MELAWATI, LOT14606..- BP

MLT
BASE/TOTAL=52%

PDA
BASE/TOTAL=76%
 GERBANG PERDANA-JACKED PILE-
TP1

MLT
BASE/TOTAL=18%

PDATB
BASE/TOTAL=1%

PDA APTS
BASE/TOTAL=11%

PDAT
BASE/TOTAL=25%

PDASD
BASE/TOTAL=5%
PDATRWJ
BASE/TOTAL=25%
 GERBANG PERDANA-JACKED PILE-
TP2

MLT
BASE/TOTAL=3%

PDATB
BASE/TOTAL=12%
PDAT
BASE/TOTAL=22%
PDASD
BASE/TOTAL=8%
PDATRWJ
BASE/TOTAL=20%
 GERBANG PERDANA-JACKED PILE-
TP3

MLT
BASE/TOTAL=10%

PDATB
BASE/TOTAL=3%
PDAGPV
BASE/TOTAL=10%
PDAAPTS
BASE/TOTAL=5%
PDAT
BASE/TOTAL=15%
COMPARISON OF SETTLEMENT AT WORKING LOAD
AT PILE TOP FROM
MLT AND PDA
 SETTLEMENT AT WORKING LOAD

APMM 9M RC PILE
- 41%
APMM 23.5M SPUN PILE
+ 8%
TAR COLLEGE

+36% ~ +100%
KUCHING TOWER
+24% ~ +53%
ONE MERUNUNG TP1 Legend

- 17% ~ 0% MLT
ONE MERUNUNG TP2 PDA

- 41% ~ 12%
TMN MELAWATI
- 32%
GLOMAC DAMANSARA
- 6%
SETTLEMENT AT WORKING LOAD - CONT

GERBANG PERDANA TP1

- 21% ~ +18%

GERBANG PERDANA TP2

Legend
MLT
- 14% ~ +37%
PDA
SETTLEMENT AT WORKING LOAD - CONT

GERBANG PERDANA TP3

- 16% ~ +36%

GERBANG PERDANA TP4

Legend
- 47% ~ + 14% MLT

PDA
CONCLUSIONS

FROM NUMEROUS DIRECT COMPARISONS OF PDA WITH

MLT ON THE SAME PILE:

(1) THE ABILITY OF PDA TO CORRECTLY PREDICT THE

ULTIMATE PILE CAPACITY IS GENERALLY NOT
ENCOURAGING. THIS INABILITY TO ACCURATELY
PREDICT THE ULTIMATE CAPACITY HAS OFTEN
RESULTED IN SERIOUS DIFFCULTIES AND
CONTENTIONS

(2) THE ABILITY OF PDA TO CORRECTLY PREDICT

SETTLEMENT IS ALSO NOT ENCOURAGING
 CONCLUSIONS
(3) THE LOAD TRANSFER CURVES BY PDA
COMPARES POORLY WITH LOAD TRANSFER
CURVES FROM INSTRUMENTED PILES

(4) PDA GENERALLY PREDICTS LOWER

ULTIMATE SHAFT RESISTANCE AND
MUCH HIGHER BASE RESISTANCE EVEN
FOR ELASTIC CONDITIONS. THIS
CONTRADICTS INSTRUMENTATION
RESULTS AND WELL ESTABLISHED
THEORIES
 CONCLUSIONS
(5) PDA HAS BEEN USED EXTENSIVELY
FOR LOAD TESTING PILES IN MALAYSIA

(6) THE AUTHORS OF THIS PRESENTATION

CONTENDS THAT THERE SHOULD BE FAR
LESS RELIANCE ON THE USE OF PDA
FOR PREDICTION OF PILE LOAD
SETTLEMENT BEHAVIOUR AND ULTIMATE
CAPACITIES UNTIL THE RELIABILITY CAN
BE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED.
 RECOMMENDATION
(1)THE AUTHORS RECOMMEND THAT AT EACH
PILING SITE PDA AND MLT BE CARRIED OUT ON
THE PRIMINARY TEST PILE TO ASSESS THE PDAS
ABILITY FOR REASONABLE PREDICTION BEFORE
PDA TESTS ARE USED FOR THE REMAINDER OF
THE PROJECT
(2) IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT SEVERAL TESTERS
BE INVITED TO PREDICT THE PRELIMINARY PILE
BEHAVIOR. THE AWARD OF THE PROJECT PDA
TESTING BE GIVEN TO THE ONE WHO PROVIDES
THE BEST PREDICTION (PROVIDED THE BEST
PREDICTION IS WITHIN 10%).