A hypothesis is presented in this paper that states that expansive cement concrete produces a stronger bond between the concrete in a drilled shaft (bored pile) and the surrounding soil than does normal cement; this results in an increase in the frictional component of capacity and a reduction in the settlement of the shaft at working load levels.Four types of expansive cement, type "K" cement (the expansive cement available commercially) and three made from commercially available materials, were tested for their expansion characteristics; two of them were selected to be used in two instrumented drilled shafts in stiff clay. Normal (type 1) cement was used in a third shaft to serve as a reference. The three shafts were tested to failure after essentially all the expansion was deemed to have taken place in the two expansive concrete shafts. Lateral and longitudinal expansion of the shafts were monitored during the curing period. Load–settlement behaviour and load transfer between shafts and soil during the tests were studied.The test results permitted the preliminary conclusion that expansive cement concrete can increase the frictional capacity of drilled shafts in stiff clay by as much as 50% and reduce the settlement by about 50%. The results are valid for short-term behaviour of drilled shafts made of expansive cement. The long-term behaviour of such shafts remains to be studied. Key words: base bearing capacity, bored pile, cement (expansive), concrete (structural), drilled shaft, ettringite, expansion, frictional capacity, settlement, stress path.
