Comparison of the Bidirectional Load Test with the Top-Down Load Test

For the past decade, the Osterberg testing method (O-cell test) has been proved advantageous over the conventional pile load testing method in many aspects. However, because the O-cell test uses a loading mechanism entirely different from that of the conventional pile loading testing method, many investigators and practicing engineers have been concerned that the O-cell test would give inaccurate results, especially about the pile head settlement behavior. Therefore, a bidirectional load test using the Osterberg method and the conventional top-down load test were executed on 1.5-m diameter cast-in-place concrete piles at the same time and site. Strain gauges were placed on the piles. The two tests gave similar load transfer curves at various depth of piles. However, the top-down equivalent curve constructed from the bidirectional load test results predicted the pile head settlement under the pile design load to be approximately one half of that predicted by the conventional top-down load test. To improve the prediction accuracy of the top-down equivalent curve, a simple method that accounts for the pile compression was proposed. It was also shown that the strain gauge measurement data from the bidirectional load test could reproduce almost the same top-down curve.