OTCD-ROM DOCUMENT REPORT

OTC 4205
Evaluating Pile Drivability for Hard Clay, Very Dense Sand, and
Rock
Robert S. Stevens, McClelland Engineers, Inc.; Edward A. Wiltsie,
Arabian American Oi1 Co.; and Thomas H. Turton,
McClelland-Suhaimi, Ltd.

Copyright 1982, Offshore Technology Conference

The paper was presented at the 14th Annual OTC in Houston, Tex.,
May 3-6, 1982. The material is subject to correction by the
author. Permission to copy is restricted to an abstract of not
more than 300 words.

ABSTRACT

This paper presents case histories of 36 and 42-in.-diameter

piles driven in the Arabian Gulf by hammers with rated energies
ranging from 120,000 to 325,000 ft-lbs. Results of hindcast pile
drivability studies are presented for sites where hammer
performance was monitored using weldable strain gauges to record
force-time histories. Procedures for computing the soil
resistance during pile driving were determined by correlating
field and predicted blow counts. Soil quake and damping
parameters for the side and tip of the pile are recommended.

INTRODUCTION

Wave equation analysis of pile driving is based on the discrete

element idealization of the hammer-pile-soil system formulated by
Smith. One of the two major uncertainties in a wave equation
analysis is the energy transmitted by the hammer to the pile-soil
system. Field measurements have shown that the hammer efficiency
is often significantly less than conventionally assumed. Cushion
properties may vary significantly during the service life of the
cushion. Bongossi hardwood cushions soften with use, as opposed
to the stiffening tendency of wire rope. Hammer efficiency, and
the stiffness and coefficient of restitution of the cushion were
monitored during driving for the case histories presented in this
paper. Monitoring hammer performance greatly enhances the value
of a correlation study.

The soil-pile interaction during driving as described by the

load-deformation behavior of the soil at the pile-soil interface
and pile point is the other major uncertainty in a wave equation
analysis. Smith defined soil-pile interaction in terms of soil
quake and damping coefficients. These parameters are not
intrinsic soil properties, but rather correlation coefficients
that incorporate all that is not clearly understood about the
process of driving a pile. Some of the data on which previous
correlation studies have been based are for small diameter (12 to
18-in.) close end piles, and may not be applicable to the large
diameter open-end piles used offshore. Other studies performed
for each driving may not be appropriate for hard driving because