Evaluation of a minimum base resistance for driven pipe piles in siliceous sand

This paper provides a rational method for evaluating a realistic lower bound for the base resistance of pipe piles in siliceous sand. Separate expressions are developed to represent the response to load of the pile plug, the sand below the pile base, and the sand below the pile annulus. These expressions are combined to give the overall base response of a pipe pile. Predicted responses are compared with databases compiled on the ultimate capacities of pipe piles and with base pressure-displacement characteristics observed in static load tests. The estimations are shown to match observed base resistances of large diameter piles for which the coring mode of penetration during driving dominates.