INTERNATIONAL ISO

STANDARD 22477-10
First edition
2016-09-15

Geotechnical investigation and

testing — Testing of geotechnical
structures —
Part 10:
Testing of piles: rapid load testing
Reconnaissance et essais géotechniques — Essais de structures
géotechniques —
Partie 10: Essai des pieux: essai de charge rapide

Reference number
ISO 22477-10:2016(E)

© ISO 2016
ISO 22477-10:2016(E)

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ii © ISO 2016 – All rights reserved

 ISO 22477-10:2016(E)

Contents Page
Foreword ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ iv
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. v
1 Scope ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1
2 Normative references ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
3 Terms, definitions and symbols ............................................................................................................................................................ 2
3 .1 Terms and definitio ns ....................................................................................................................................................................... 2
3 .2 ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Symb o ls

4 Testing equipment .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 4

4.1 General ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
4.2 Loading .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
4.3 Measurements ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
5 Test procedure ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 7
5.1 Preparation for testing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7
f
5 .2 S a ety and integrity requirements ......................................................................................................................................... 8
5.2.1 People and equipment in the surrounding area ................................................................................... 8
5.2.2 Test pile .................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
5.3 Preparation of the pile ...................................................................................................................................................................... 8
5.4 General preparation for testing ................................................................................................................................................ 9
5 .5 Wo rking p ile integrity a ter tes ting f ....................................................................................................................................... 9
6 Test results .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 9
7 Test reporting ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Annex A (informative) Analysis o f rapid load test results ........................................................................................................... 12
Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 23

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ISO 22477-10:2016(E)

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work o f preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters o f
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
di fferent types o f ISO documents should be noted. This document was dra fted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some o f the elements o f this document may be the subject o f
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identi fying any or all such patent rights. Details o f
any patent rights identified during the development o f the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is in formation given for the convenience o f users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the meaning o f ISO specific terms and expressions related to con formity assessment,
as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the
Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
ISO 22477-10 was prepared by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) in collaboration
with ISO Technical Committee TC 182, Geotechnics, in accordance with the Agreement on technical
cooperation between ISO and CEN (Vienna Agreement).
A list of all parts in the ISO 22477 series, published under the general title Geotechnical investigation and
testing — Testing of geotechnical structures, can be found on the ISO website.

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 ISO 22477-10:2016(E)

Introduction
T h i s p a r t o f I S O 2 2 47 7 outl i ne s how a rapid lo ad pi le te s t i s defi ne d and s p e ci fie s the e quipment a nd

te s ti ng pro ce du re s re qu i re d . I n formative, non-pre s crip tive gu idance i s i nclude d on the ana lys i s o f rapid

load pile test results required to determine mobilised or ultimate compressive resistance of a pile.

© ISO 2016 – All rights reserved v

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 22477-10:2016(E)

Geotechnical investigation and testing — Testing of

geotechnical structures —
Part 10:
Testing of piles: rapid load testing
1 Scope
This part o f ISO 22477 establishes the specifications for the execution o f rapid load pile tests in which
a single pile is subject to an axial load in compression to measure its load-displacement behaviour
under rapid loading and to allow an assessment of its measured compressive resistance (Rc, m) and
corresponding load-displacement behaviour.
This part o f ISO 22477 is applicable to piles loaded axially in compression.
All pile types mentioned in EN 1536, EN 12699 and EN 14199 are covered by this part o f ISO 22477.
The tests in this part o f ISO 22477 are limited to rapid load pile tests only.
NOTE 1 This part o f ISO 22477 can be used in conjunction with EN 1997–1. Numerical values o f partial factors
for limit states from pile load tests to be taken into account in design are provided in EN 1997–1. For design to
EN 1997–1, the results from rapid load pile testing will be considered equivalent to the measured compressive
resistance, Rc,m , a fter being subject to appropriate analysis.
NOTE 2 Guidance on analysis o f the rapid load testing results to determine measured compressive resistance
and corresponding load-displacement behaviour is given in Annex A.
This part o f ISO 22477 provides specifications for the following:
a) investigation tests, whereby a sacrificial test pile is loaded up to ultimate limit state;
b) control tests, whereby the pile is loaded up to a specified load in excess o f the serviceability
limit state.
NOTE 3 Generally, an investigation test focuses on general knowledge o f a pile type; a control test focuses on
one specific application o f a pile.

2 Normative references
The following documents are re ferred to in the text in such a way that some or all o f their content
constitutes requirements o f this document. For dated re ferences, only the edition cited applies. For
undated re ferences, the latest edition o f the re ferenced document (including any amendments) applies.
There are no normative references in this document.

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ISO 22477-10:2016(E)

3 Terms, definitions and symbols

3.1 Terms and definitions

For the purposes o f this document, the terms and definitions given in EN 1997-1 and the following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp
3.1.1
trial pile
pile installed be fore the commencement o f the main piling works or a specific part o f the works for
the purpose o f investigating the suitability o f the chosen type o f pile and for confirming its design,
dimensions and bearing resistance
Note 1 to entry: The trial pile might be sacrificed to achieve ultimate limit state.
3.1.2
working pile
pile that will form part of the foundation of the structure
3.1.3
test pile
pile to which loads are applied to determine the resistance deformation characteristics of the pile and
the surrounding ground
Note 1 to entry: A test pile can be a trial pile (3.1.1), or a working pile (3.1.2).
3.1.4
pile load
axial compressive load (or force) applied to the head of the pile during the test
3.1.5
rapid load
force applied to the pile in a continuously increasing and then decreasing manner o f a suitable duration
(typically less than 1 s) relative to the natural period o f the pile which causes the pile to compress over
the full length and translate approximately as a unit during the full loading period
3.1.6
maximum compressive load
maximum axial compressive load (or force) applied to the pile during the test, generally defined prior
to the test
3.1.7
rapid load test
pile loading test where a pile is subjected to chosen axial rapid load (3.1.5) at the pile head for the
analysis o f its capacity
3.1.8
ultimate measured compressive resistance of a pile
corresponding state in which the pile foundation displaces significantly with negligible increase o f
resistance
Note 1 to entry: Where it is di fficult to define an ultimate limit state from a load settlement plot showing a
continuous slight increase, a settlement of the pile top equal to 10 % of the pile base diameter should be adopted
as the “failure” criterion.

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 ISO 22477-10:2016(E)

rapid load test (3.1.7

N o te 2 to entr y: T he ma xi mu m compre s s ive re s i s ta nce me a s u re d du r i ng a ) i s no t ne ce s s a r i l y

equal to the ultimate measured compressive resistance of a pile. The measured resistance obtained from rapid
ff f
lo ad te s ti ng mu s t b e a n a l ys e d to remove the e e c ts o f
i ner ti a a nd s o i l dep endent b eh aviou r b e o re it c a n b e

considered equivalent to the ultimate measured compressive resistance as outlined in Annex A.

3.1.9
design compressive static resistance of a pile
ultimate compressive static resistance of a pile that shall be determined prior to load testing to allow
f
s p e ci fic ation o rapid load test (3.1.7
appropriate magn itude ) c ycle s

3.1.10
equivalent diameter
diameter of an equivalent circle of which the area equals the area of the relevant pile section
N o te 1 to entr y: T he e qu i va lent d i a me ter fo r a c i rc u l a r p i le i s the o uter d i a me ter o f the pi le , for a s qu a re p i le the

diameter which gives the same area as the square pile (as long as the longest side is smaller than 1,5 times the
shortest side) is the equivalent diameter.
3.1.11
minimum reference separation distance
d i s tance wh ich s ep arate s a s tationar y re ference p oi nt from a p oi nt that wi l l b e s ign i fic antly d i s pl ace d

b y the te s ti ng me tho d

N o te 1 to entr y: O n l y s tation a r y p oi nts c a n b e u s e d for re ference o f displacement (3.1.12) measurement devices.

D i s p l acement me a s u r i n g s ys tem s c a n b e p l ace d on the s oi l o uts ide the re ference d i s ta nce without i s ol ati ng

(displacement compensating) measures.

3.1.12
displacement
axial displacement of the pile head measured during testing
3.2 Symbols

a pile acceleration
cp velo city o f the s tre s s wave i n the te s t pi le

cs velo city o f the s he a r wave i n the ground

D diameter or equivalent diameter of the test pile

Fc pile load in compression
Fc,max maximum compressive load
g acceleration due to gravity

L total length of the test pile

Rc,m measured ultimate resistance of the ground in the test, or measured geotechnical resistance of
the pile
rref minimum reference separation distance
t time
tf duration of the rapid load application
tg duration of the falling of the mass for a falling mass equipment
w pile displacement

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ISO 22477-10:2016(E)

4 Testing equipment
4.1 General
T he e qu ipment s hou ld generate a rapid lo ad at the pi le he ad where the du ration o f the lo ad fu l fi l s
Formula (1):

10 <
( tf × cp ) ≤ 1 000 (1)
L

If information on the ultimate compressive resistance of the pile is one of the aims of the test, the
e qu ipment sha l l h ave enough c ap ac ity to re ach the u lti mate compre s s ive re s i s tance u nder rapid lo ad i ng.

The force applied to the pile head during a rapid load test for measuring the ultimate compressive
re s i s ta nce m ight exce e d the de s ign compre s s ive s tatic re s i s tance o f a pi le by a fac tor o f two to th re e

due to s oi l s p e c i fic rate e ffe c ts . T he ne e d to apply s uch h igh lo ad s s ha l l b e con s idere d when s p e ci fyi ng

equipment and pile materials.

If for a rapid load test one or more of the requirements mentioned in this part of ISO 22477 is not met,
f
it s hou ld b e proven th at thi s s hor tcom i ng ha s no i n fluence on the ach ievement o f the obj e c tive s o the

test, before the results can be interpreted as a rapid load test.

For long piles where the criteria in Formula (1) is exceeded or where rock sockets result in non-uniform
s trai n s with i n the pi le, emb e dde d pi le i n s tr u mentation and s p e ci a l i z e d ana lys i s wi l l be re qu i re d .

Additional instrumentation should conform to 4.3.

Rapid lo ad te s ti ng s ys tem s rely on a mas s to apply lo ad to a pi le . T h i s i s either th rough lau nch i ng a mas s

upward s , re ferre d to as a l au nche d ma s s s ys tem, or b y d roppi ng a mas s , re ferre d to as a d rop ma s s

s ys tem . I n b o th c as e s , the upward or the downward movement o f the mas s i s control le d to pro duce the

required load duration in 4.1 f f

. To avoid e ccentric lo ad i ng o pi le s and add itiona l s a e ty con s ideration s ,

the movement of the mass should be guided during launched mass testing and drop mass testing.
4.2 Loading
The selection of the loading equipment shall take into account the following:
— ai m o f the te s t;

— grou nd cond ition s;

— maximum pile load (Fc,max );

— s treng th o f the pi le (materia l) ;

— e xe c ution o f the te s t;

— s a fe ty con s ideration s .

T he lo ad i ng e qu ipment s ha l l generate a force wh ich fu l fi l s the re qu i rements in 4.1 and is able to

apply the re qu i re d ma xi mu m compre s s ive force to mobi l i z e a s p e ci fie d compre s s ive re s i s tance or the

ultimate compressive resistance of a pile.

I f a te s t pi le i s te s te d b y s evera l c ycle s b egi n ni ng with a low magn itude force c ycle, the ma xi mu m

force o f e ach pro ce e d i ng c ycle shou ld b e la rger than the ma xi mum force o f the pre ce d i ng c ycle . Where

c ycle s o f lo ad i ng are appl ie d, th i s s hou ld b e u nder ta ken i n a man ner that remove s the p o tentia l for
uncontrolled reloading of the pile. This will require the device to have a mass catching mechanism.
T he e qu ipment s ha l l lo ad the pi le acc u rately a long the d i re c tion o f the pi le a xi s . T he e ccentricity o f the

lo ad s ha l l b e le s s th an 10 % o f the e qu iva lent d i ame ter. T he deviation or e ccentric ity o f the a l ignment

of the force to the axis of the pile shall be less than 20 mm/m. Eccentric loading of the pile is allowed
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 ISO 22477-10:2016(E)

where this has been specifically allowed for during pile design and it has been verified that this will not
unduly e ffect the per formance o f the testing equipment.
The stress in the pile under the maximum applied load shall not exceed the permissible stress of the
pile material.
4.3 Measurements
Prior to a rapid load test, two variables shall be directly measured where the reaction mass comes into
contact with the pile head prior to testing (not required for all equipment types):
— the force applied to the pile head;
— the displacement o f the pile head;
During a rapid load test, a minimum o f three variables shall be directly measured relative to time (t):
— the force applied to the pile head (Fc);
— the displacement of the pile head (w);
— the acceleration of the pile head (a).
The transducers and signal processing shall satis fy the requirements from Table 1, Table 2, Table 3 and
Table 4. Sampling shall commence a minimum of 50 ms before loading commences and continue for a
minimum duration of 500 ms. Where duration of the loading event means that the duration of sampling
exceeds 500 ms, the duration of sampling shall be increased to capture the entire event and allow for
the required post event sampling. All transducer sampling shall be synchronised. The transducers shall
have su fficient measuring range, in order to avoid re-adjustment during testing. All instrumentation
must be able to withstand pile installation and testing procedures.
Table 1 — Rapid load test transducer and signal processing general requirements
Parameter Requirement
Sampling rate ≥4 000 samples per second
Duration of pre-event sampling ≥50 ms
Duration of post-event sampling ≥300 ms
Cut o ff frequency low pass filter ≥1 kHz

Table 2 — Rapid load test load transducer and signal processing load requirements
Parameter Requirement
Maximum load >maximum test load
Linearity <2 % of maximum value reached
Hysteresis <2 % of maximum value reached
Response time <0,1 ms
Table 3 — Rapid load test acceleration transducer and signal processing requirements
Parameter Requirement
number of transducers ≥1
resonant frequency >5 kHz
linearity up to 50 g

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ISO 22477-10:2016(E)

T a b l e 4 — R a p i d l o a d t e s t t r a n s d u c e r a n d s i g n a l p r o c e s s i n g d i s p l a c e m e n t r e q u i r e m e n t s

Parameter Requirement
Range >50 mm or D/10, whichever is greater
Accuracy ±0,25 mm
Response time <0,1 ms
Be fore and a fter each load cycle, the level o f the pile head shall be determined relative to a point outside
o f the minimum re ference separation distance by optical levelling. The optical levelling measurements
shall be controlled by re ference to one or more fixed re ference points and should be undertaken to an
accuracy o f ±1 mm.
The base o f a test displacement measuring system (where this is placed on the ground sur face) should
not be placed closer than the minimum reference separation distance from the pile. This shall be
verified at the test site. I f the minimum re ference separation distance for a test displacement measuring
system cannot be reached or vibration- free measurement cannot be undertaken, the test displacement
measuring system should be placed on or fixed to a vibration- free sur face such as an adjacent pile.
The minimum reference separation distance shall be measured from
— the pile, when the test is undertaken with a launched mass, or
— supporting component of the equipment which is nearest the pile, when the test is undertaken with
a falling mass.
The value of the minimum reference separation distance should be a minimum of 15 m and
— equal to or greater than the distance which the shear waves in the soil travel during the duration of
the loading (tf), when the test is undertaken with a launched mass, thus rref = cs × tf, or
— equal to or greater than the distance which the shear waves in the soil travel during the duration of
the falling of the mass (tg) and the subsequent loading (tf), when the test is undertaken with a falling
mass, thus rref = cs × ( tg + tf ).
The load applied to the pile shall be determined directly by a purpose built calibrated load cell which
does not form part o f the pile. The use o f pile mounted strain gauges to derive externally applied loads
for steel or precast concrete piles shall only be considered in special circumstances where a load cell
is unavailable and the sti ffness o f the pile material is known from manu facturer’s certification or has
been verified directly through material element testing for the piles under test. For cast insitu concrete
piles, a purpose built calibrated load cell should be used or where pile mounted strain gauges to derive
externally applied loads are used, these should be calibrated against load cell readings for the specific
piles under test.
Sur face mounted strain gauges should be mounted in diametrically opposed pairs. Where embedded
strain gauges are used to compliment test results or where the criteria exceeds in Formula (1), strain
gauges or strain gauge devices should be fixed to the rein forcement bars or embedded in the concrete
o f concrete piles or attached to the walls o f steel piles at least in diametrically opposed pairs at each
depth to be considered. Where strain gauge devices are cast in concrete, it is advised that a minimum
of three devices should be used at each depth to be considered. To determine load from strain, the cross
section and the pile material modulus o f elasticity shall be assessed. All the materials present in the pile
shall be considered in this determination.
NOTE 1 Strain-transducers based upon vibrating wire technology are generally not suitable for rapid load test
monitoring and strain gauge based instruments are preferred.
All loading and settlement (as a result o f loading larger than 1 % o f the expected static bearing capacity
o f the pile) a fter installation o f the pile shall be measured. This includes all types o f static preloading o f
the pile. In addition, any additional equipment or component parts o f the loading system connected to
or in contact with the pile during the application of load that can to contribute the inertial resistance

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 ISO 22477-10:2016(E)

of the pile shall be of known mass. The mass of this additional equipment or component parts must be
recorded as part of the pile testing results.
All equipment used for measuring load, displacement and acceleration in the test shall be calibrated.
The equipment shall be checked on a regular basis. The results of these checks shall be registered and
kept with the most recent calibration. This data shall be made available prior to commencement of the
test. Where applicable, the load measurement device should be calibrated against a suitable master
device givi ng fu l l trace abi l ity.

NOTE 2 Calibration of the load measurement device can be done according to a National Standard or ISO 7500.
T he ti me b e twe en the che cks a nd c a l ibration s i s no t pre s c rib e d, s i nce the duration o f va l id ity o f a

c a l ibration c a n dep end on the typ e o f me a s u rement device and manu fac tu rers ’ re com mendation s .

H owever, che cks s hou ld b e s u fficiently de ta i le d th at it c an b e veri fie d that a l l me as u rement device s

are op erati ng corre c tly du ri ng the te s t. I t i s pre ferre d th at a l l che cks are ca rrie d out d i re c tly b e fore

the te s t to avoid i n fluence o f tran s p or t a nd ti me . I n s ome c i rc u m s ta nce s , e . g. fre quent u s e or ch ange o f

components or presumed damage, additional calibration and checking might be required.

5 Test procedure

5.1 Preparation for testing

I n adva nce o f the te s t, an e xe c ution p lan s ha l l b e formu late d th at i s con s i s tent with the pla n ne d fi na l

report shown in Clause 7. The plan shall include the following:

— te s t obj e c tive s;

— the grou nd and grou ndwater cond ition s with re ference to the relevant s ite i nve s tigation rep or ts;

— s che du le d te s ti ng date;

— top o graph ic lo c ation s , typ e s and s p e ci fic ation s o f the te s t pi le s;

— a l lowable ma xi mu m va lue s o f lo ad a nd d i s placement o f the pi le(s) ;

— re qu i re d pi le d i s placement a nd appl ie d lo ad;

— s p e c i fic ation o f the lo ad i ng device;

— s p e c i fic ation s o f the me a s urement device s and c a l ibration cer ti fic ate s , i f appl ic able;

— s p e c i fic ation s o f add itiona l me a s urement- device s;

— numb er o f lo ad i ng s tep s and targe t ma xi mu m lo ad p er s tep;

— veri fic ation o f the accep tabi l ity o f the re qu i re d pi le d i s placement a nd appl ie d lo ad with re s p e c t to

the a l lowable ma xi mu m va lue s;

— duration o f te s t c ycle me a s urement and s a mpl i ng fre quenc y;

— pl an o f the te s t s ite;

— te s ti ng pro gram me;

— l i s t o f key p ers on nel, s howi ng who is re s p on s ible for s up er vi s ion, s a fe ty, te s t e xe c ution, data

re cord i ng and o ther tas ks;

— s a fe ty re qu i rements;

— lega l ly re qu i re d l icence s for e qu ipment hand l i ng , where releva nt;

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ISO 22477-10:2016(E)

— lo gi s tic a l re qu i rements on s ite (for example, fl at grou nd, veh icle re qu i rements a nd l i m itation s ,

lifting plan, working space around the pile, etc.) .

I t i s re com mende d th at the exe c ution pl an i s made avai lable at le a s t s even d ays prior to com mencement

of testing.
5 . 2 S a f
e ty a n d i n te g r i ty re q u i re m e n ts

5.2.1 People and equipment in the surrounding area

S a fe ty o f p ers on nel and e qu ipment i n the s u rrou nd i ng a re a s ha l l b e given due con s ideration du ri ng

execution of the test. The distance between the nearest person and the test equipment shall be at least
twice the height of the test equipment measured from ground level.
Pe ople i n neighb ou ri ng bu i ld i ngs that are l i kely to b e a ffe c te d b y te s ti ng s ha l l b e i n forme d o f the natu re

of testing and the programme of tests to be undertaken.

Disturbance to vibration sensitive processes in neighbouring buildings should be prevented where
possible. Where testing is undertaken close to existing buildings, consideration should be given to the
age, i ntegrity and s en s itivity o f the s truc tu re .

5.2.2 Test pile

The test pile should be designed, manufactured and installed such that the test pile should not be
damage d b y the ma xi mu m lo ad that wi l l b e appl ie d duri ng the te s t pi le .

During a rapid load test, the test pile can be loaded with a force which might exceed the static equivalent
f
te s t lo ad s b y a f ac tor o two or more . Te s t pi le s s hou ld b e de s igne d to with s ta nd the re s u lti ng h igher

compressive stresses.
For working piles, the maximum displacement of the pile head shall be agreed before commencement
of the test. The displacement of the pile head shall not exceed 10 % of the (equivalent) diameter under
normal circumstances without prior approval from all parties concerned.
5.3 Preparation of the pile
T he pi le he ad s ha l l b e flat, p lane and p erp end ic u l ar to the pi le a xi s .

T he i nte grity and c ap acity o f the pi le s ha l l b e s u ffic ient to c arr y the p lan ne d te s t lo ad . I f i n s ta l lation o f

the pi le h as ra i s e d doub ts ab out pi le i nte grity, the pi le sh a l l b e te s te d acou s tic a l ly or b y o ther me a n s , or

the rapid lo ad te s t sha l l b e c arrie d out b y mu ltiple s tep s with i ncre as i ng pi le lo ad .

NO TE C oncer n s ab out the i nte grity o f a p i le c a n b e due to u ne xp e c te d b eh avio u r du r i n g con s tr uc tion ,

s uch a s de viation away fro m a ntic ip ate d b eh avio u r i n ter m s o f d r ivi n g re s i s ta nce , a mo u nt o f conc re te u s e d a nd

pro gre s s du ri n g d r i l l i ng. T he de vi ation co u ld b e a de viation from e xp e c te d va lue s or a de vi atio n o f a s p e c i fic p i le

from other piles constructed at the construction site or similar site.

The test pile shall have enough length above the ground surface to attach the measurement devices. All
acceleration tran s ducers sha l l b e i n s ta l le d fi rm ly agai n s t or on the pi le he ad a nd cle arly vi s ib le .

Between the installation of the test pile and the beginning of the test, adequate time shall be allowed to
f
en s u re that the re qui re d s treng th o f the pi le materi a l i s ach ieve d a nd the grou nd ha s s u ficient ti me to

recover from the process of pile installation and dissipation of pore-water pressures and other aspects,
such as mechanical heat from boring or hardening concrete. During this period, the pile shall not be
d i s tu rb e d by lo ad , i mp ac t or vibration, or o ther ex terna l i n fluence .

Time periods between installation and testing of a pile should be taken from Table 5. Alternative time
p erio d s c a n b e s p e ci fie d with appropriate j u s ti fic ation .

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 ISO 22477-10:2016(E)

T a b l e 5 — T i m e p e r i o d s b e t we e n i n s t a l l a t i o n a n d t e s t i n g o f
a p i l e

Minimum time
Te s t p i l e t y p e S o i l t y p e P i l e t y p e

(days)
Non-cohesive All 7
Trial Cohesive Bored 21
Driven 35
Non-cohesive All 5
Working Cohesive Bored 14
Driven 21
NOTE Alternative time periods can be specified with appropriate justification.

5.4 General preparation for testing

Sensitive parts of the test equipment shall be protected from weather (rain, wind, direct sunlight) and
other disturbance.
All components o f the system shall be protected against damage during all stages o f construction and
testing. Special attention shall be paid to cables.
Any other site activities that might influence the measurements, e.g. vibrations by nearby tra ffic or
ongoing pile driving, should be avoided where possible. Alternatively, testing should be timed to avoid
periods o f significant site operations.

5 . 5 Wo r ki n g p i l e i n te g r i ty a f
te r te s ti n g

The pile shall be tested acoustically i f the pile integrity is questioned as a result o f the pile load test.
NOTE Concerns about the integrity o f a pile can be due to unexpected behaviour during rapid load testing.
Concern could arise due to a deviation from expected values or a deviation o f a specific pile from other piles
tested at the construction site or similar site.

6 Test results
The test results shall record the following time-based measurements, where a common base to all time
measurements shall be applied:
— force applied by the loading system at the pile head as a function o f time;
— displacement o f the pile head as a function o f time;
— acceleration of the pile head as a function of time.
All measured test results shall be available in hard copy charts and digitally in a readable text-based
format immediately a fter testing. All results shall be corrected for calibration factors and presented in
engineering units. Calibration corrections applied to the measured signals shall be recorded in writing
and within the digital data records. Measured results in engineering units should be made available in
open access format, such as ASCII, prior to any further analysis.
The measurements o f pile levels by independent optical measurement be fore and a fter each cycle shall
be reported. All other readings, such as local site temperature, tests on concrete samples, opitical level
readings, pile geometry, adjacent static tests on the site, when relevant, shall also be recorded in the
test report.
The rapid load force-settlement diagram shall be drawn. This diagram shows the measured pile head
displacement against the measured pile head force, without correction. Where multiple cycles o f loading
are applied to a single pile, individual force-settlement diagrams for each cycle should be presented. In
addition, a single diagram should be produced which combines all of the individual force-settlement
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ISO 22477-10:2016(E)

diagrams without correction, with the initial displacement for each cycle calculated based upon the
elevation o f the pile head prior to application o f the individual load cycle.
NOTE More information on interpretation is outlined in Annex A. Effects such as rate effects (including
creep), excess pore water pressures and inertia e ffects (due to acceleration) can be introduced by the rapid load
test and can be different from what is expected from an equivalent static load test.
A copy o f all results shall be recorded in the test report and stored on a back-up medium in an open
access format such as ASCII.
Where required, the velocity o f the pile head shall be calculated by integration o f the measured
accelerations with respect to time. The velocity and acceleration o f the pile head shall be calculated by
di fferentiation o f the measured displacements with respect to time only where accelerometer-based
measurements do not give satis factory results. Derivation o f pile velocity from direct acceleration
measurements shall be the pre ferred option. Calculation o f the displacement o f the pile head by double
integration o f the measured accelerations with respect to time is allowed only i f the final set is checked
by a direct optical measurement o f the displacement.

7 Test reporting
A factual report shall be written for all load tests. Where appropriate, this report shall include the
following:
a) re ference to all relevant standards;
b) general information concerning the test site and the test programme:
— topographic location o f the test including definition o f the level datum that is used as a re ference
for elevation measurements;

— general description o f the site;

— purpose o f the test;
— test date;
— the intended and realized testing programme;
— name o f the organization which carried out the test;
— name o f the organization which supervised the test;
c) information concerning the ground conditions:
— the ground and groundwater conditions with reference to the relevant site investigation
reports;
— description o f the ground conditions, in the particular the vicinity o f the test pile;
d) specification o f the test pile(s):
— the pile type, reason for testing and its re ference number;
— the topographic position and level o f the test pile re ferenced to a local datum;
— pile data, such as geometry (including as a minimum the total pile length, L , and diameter, D, or
equivalent diameter), level o f the pile top and base, pile material (including material density i f
known) and rein forcement arrangement;
— date o f installation;
— description o f the pile installation and o f any problems encountered during the works;

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 I SO 2 2 47 7 - 1 0 : 2 0 1 6 (E)

— i n s ta l lation re cord s , s uch a s d rivi ng lo gs , concre te con s u mp tion, d ri l l i ng pro gre s s;

— te s t rep or ts on pi le materia l qua l ity or s p e ci fic ation (where appl ic ab le) ;

— rep or t for i ntegrity i nve s tigation i f u nder ta ken prior to te s ti ng;

e) s p e c i fic ation o f the te s t:

— the p o s tu late d ma xi mu m te s t lo ad;

— the nu mb er o f lo ad c ycle s a nd the fore s e en lo ad i ng level s;

— pi le cap de ta i l s;

— a de s crip tion o f the lo ad i ng and me a s u ri ng app aratu s and re ac tion or ma s s s ys tem;

— i n formation on the p o tenti a l energ y p o tentia l for e ach c ycle (d rop height, ma s s , a mou nt o f fuel) ;

— c a l ibration do c uments for the lo ad cel l s , accelerome ters and d i s placement me as u ri ng device s;

— the d i s ta nce b e twe en the pi le and the d i s placement me as u rement device;

— de ta i l s o f the i n s ta l l ation o f the pi le te s ti ng e quipment b y d rawi ngs and/or pho to graph s;

f) test results:
— a s defi ne d i n Clause 6 , i nclud i ng the d igita l data i n nu meric a l form and engi ne eri ng u n its;

— the rapid lo ad- d i s placement d i agram for e ach c ycle from the me a s ure d s igna l s a nd d i agram s

re qui re d for mu lti c ycle te s ti ng on a s i ngle pi le i f under ta ken;

— the d i s placement o f e ach c ycle a s a re s u lt o f rapid lo ad i ng;

— the re s u lts o f the h igh pre ci s ion op tic a l level l i ng;

— rep or t for i ntegrity i nve s tigation i f u nder ta ken a fter te s ti ng;

g) re as on s for a ny dep ar tu re from th i s p ar t o f I S O 2 2 47 7.

If the report includes an interpretation of the measured tests results, the following information
shall also be added to the test report:
— the me tho d u s e d for the i nter pre tation;

— the derive d s tatic lo ad- d i s pl acement d iagram;

— de ta i l s o f the tre atment o f rate e ffe c ts or s oi l dep endant corre c tion s;

— de ta i l s o f the tre atment o f i ner ti a l e ffe c ts;

— details of the treatment of effects due to excess pore water pressure (where considered).

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ISO 22477-10:2016(E)

Annex A
(informative)
A n a l ys i s o f ra p i d l o a d te s t re s u l ts

A.1 General
Annex A gives in formative guidance on one method for analysing rapid load test results (see
Reference [5 ]). This in formative guidance is not meant to be prescriptive or limit the type of analysis
technique which may be adopted. Further guidance on appropriate analysis techniques should be
sought from the specialist pile testing contractor undertaking the testing as alternative methods such
as signal matching have been applied but experience may be limited (see Re ferences [5],[6] and [7]).
Inclusion o f the in formative guidance on the analysis o f rapid load testing should not discourage or
inhibit the use, adoption or development o f alternative analysis techniques.
The measured results obtained from a rapid load pile test should not be considered equivalent to the
measured compressive resistance, Rc,m , without appropriate correction for the effects of increased pile
acceleration and velocity in excess o f those induced in a static pile test.

A.2 Unloading Point Method (UPM) for determination of the compressive pile
b e h avi o u r

A.2.1 General
Rapid load test results can be analysed using the Unloading Point Method (UPM) to derive the measured
compressive resistance, Rc,m , and the corresponding load deflection behaviour. The approach can be
used for either a single load cycle or multiple load cycles (undertaken on a single pile) as required. The
analysis technique to determine the measured compressive resistance, Rc,m , and the corresponding
load deflection behaviour is based upon that outlined in Re ference [5].
A . 2 . 2 A n a l ys i s o f
a s i n g l e l o a d c yc l e

Rapid load testing may proceed by the application o f a single cycle o f loading or by multiple cycles o f
loading. This subclause covers the analysis o f a single cycle o f loading.
The process o f analysis o f a single load cycle is outlined in Figure A.1 to Figure A.3 included to clari fy
the steps o f the analysis process. The process is as follows.
a) Obtain the measured signals from the rapid load test.
b) Calculation of the inertia corrected mobilised pile resistance at the unloading point.
— Obtain the pile properties required to calculate the mass of the pile, m (pile cross sectional area,
pile length, density o f the pile material, records o f the concrete volume used to form the pile)
and the mass o f any other components contributing to the inertial resistance o f the pile.
— Obtain the variation of force (F), velocity (v), displacement (w) and acceleration (a) with time (t)
or a single load cycle.
f

— Determine the time (tw-max) during the test where the measured pile velocity becomes 0 m/s or
a value close to this. Referred to as the unloading point.
— Determine the magnitude of the force measured at tw-max, Fc, tw-max.
— Determine the magnitude of the acceleration at tw-max, atw-max.
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 I SO 2 2 47 7 - 1 0 : 2 0 1 6 (E)

— Solve Formula (A.1) to determine the inertia corrected pile resistance at tw-max.
R
− max = F
c , ic , tw − max − ( m × a − max )
c , tw tw
(A.1)
where
atw-max is the acceleration measured during the test at tw-max ;

Fc, tw-max is the magnitude of the force measured during the test at tw-max ;

m i s the mas s o f the pi le a nd any o ther comp onents contributi ng to i ner tia l re s i s tance

o f the pi le;

Rc, ic, tw-maxis the inertia corrected pile resistance at tw-max ;

tw-max the time some time after the commencement and before the end of the load appli-
f
c ation ph as e o ff
the te s t where the pi le velo city e e c tively b e come s 0 m/s or a va lue

close to this.
c) Correction of the inertia corrected pile resistance for the soil dependant empirical parameter.
— Determine the soil dependent empirical parameter based upon Table A.1 recommendations and
calculate the corrected derived static pile resistance, Rc,corrected as per Formula (A.2).
— Determine the magnitude of the displacement at tw-max, wtw-max.
R
corrected = η × ( R
c, − max )
c , ic , tw
(A.2)
where
Rc, corrected is the corrected mobilised resistance at wtw-max ;

wtw-max magnitude of the pile displacement at tw-max ;

η soil dependant empirical parameter.

tw-max can be shown to correspond to the
Where the mobi l i s e d pi le lo ad defle c tion b ehaviour at

ultimate resistance of the pile, then Rc, corrected may b e con s idere d e qu iva lent to the me as u re d

compressive pile resistance Rc,m .

The parameters shown in Table A.1 s hou ld on ly b e adop te d where it c a n b e demon s trate d that

f f
rapid lo ad te s ti ng was under ta ken on the s ame typ e o pi le , o s i m i lar leng th and i n comp arable s oi l

conditions as those that were used to determine the parameters as outlined in Reference [5].

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ISO 22477-10:2016(E)

T a b l e A . 1 — S e l e c t i o n o f
s o i l d e p e n d a n t e m p i r i c a l p a r a m e t e r η
S o i l t y p e C l a y Sand
Empirical factor, η 0,66 0,94
Standard deviation 0,32 0,15
Coe fficient o f variation 0,49 0,15
Number of cases 12 22
Number of sites 6 10
NOTE 1 The values shown in this table are based upon data presented in Reference [5]
Table C.2 for clay soild and Table C.3 for sand.
NOTE 2 Only cases with pile head displacements greater than 5 % o f the equivalent pile
diameter are considered in this table.
NOTE 3 The variation o f values in this table is significant for clay soils particularly. An
alternative suggestion for a selection method for empirical factor for clay based upon
measured soil properties can be found in Reference [6 ]. The majority o f the values presented in
this table are derived from pile tests on driven piles.
NOTE 4 Guidance on analysis in clays and layered soils is also given in Re ference [8].

d) Determination of initial pile stiffness.

If an approximation of the complete corrected load-displacement behaviour during the test is
required, then further analysis steps are necessary to construct a hyperbolic based approximation
of the load displacement behaviour (see Figure A.3 ). Firstly, it is necessary to determine the initial
pile stiffness at low displacement levels.
The hyperbola is described by F = w/( p + q × w) where p is the inverse value of the initial pile
stiffness kc and q is the inverse value of the hyperbola asymptote. In a hyperbola diagram with
coordinates w/F and w, a pure hyperbola will be represented by a straight line. Background
information on this technique can be found in Reference [9]. The required steps are as follows.
— Plot the displacement of the pile (w) divided by the inertia corrected pile resistance (Rc,ic) for
the complete test versus the pile displacement up to wFc-max where Fc-max is the maximum
measured force.
— Determine the magnitude of the w/Rc,ic axis intersection with a best fit linear line to determine
the value for the hyperbola parameter, p, which represents the inverse of the initial pile
stiffness, kc.
e) Determination of the inertia corrected load displacement curve.
The procedure for determination of inertia corrected load displacement curve is as follows.
— Determine the initial stiffness parameter as outlined above.
— Calculate the remaining the hyperbola formula parameter q as given in Formula (A.3):
q =1 0 R ,
− max − p w − max
c , ic , tw tw
(A.3)
— Draw the resulting hyperbola load displacement curve using Formula (A.4):
R
c , ic
= w p +
 ( q × w )  (A.4)
f) Determination of the corrected compressive load displacement curve.
The procedure for determination of the corrected compressive load displacement curve is as
follows.

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— C a lc u late the hyp erb ola p ara me ter qcorrected as per Formula (A.3) with Rc,ic,tw-max replace d b y
Rc, corrected ;
— Draw the resulting corrected compressed load displacement curve using Formula (A.4) with
parameters determined for Rc,corrected .

F i g u r e A . 1 — F l o w c h a r t s h o w i n g t h e a n a l y s i s p r o c e s s f
o r a s i n g l e c yc l e o f
r a p i d l o a d t e s t i n g

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I SO 2 2 47 7 - 1 0 : 2 0 1 6 (E )

F i g u r e A . 2 — A n a l y s i s p r o c e s s f
o r a s i n g l e c yc l e u s i n g e x a m p l e d a t a a n d c a l c u l a t i o n o f Rc, m

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 I SO 2 2 47 7 - 1 0 : 2 0 1 6 (E)

Displacement/Load [mm/MN]

Figure A.3 — Single cycle load displacement calculation using example data

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I SO 2 2 47 7 - 1 0 : 2 0 1 6 (E )

A.2.3 Analysis o f multiple load cycles

The analysis for multi cycle testing where multiple load cycles are applied consecutively to the same
pile follows the principals as outlined above. The overall process and differences between the single
and multi-cycle analysis are highlighted below.
The process o f analysis o f multiple load cycles is outlined below with Figure A.4 to Figure A.6 included
to clari fy the steps o f the analysis process.
a) Obtain the measured signals from the rapid load test with multiple load cycles.
b) Plot the load displacement behaviour for each successive load cycle with each new load cycle
starting at the final displacement o f the previous load cycle.
c) Analyse all o f the load cycles individually and determine Rc,ic,tw-max and corresponding wtw-max for
each load cycle and plot these points in a load displacement diagram.
d) The measured compressive resistance Rc,m corresponds with Rc, corrected from the last cycle.
e) Trans fer the points into a hyperbola diagram and determine a best fit linear line through these
points and determine the p and q parameters for the hyperbola.
f ) Draw the hyperbola in the load displacement diagram.
g) Draw the corrected derived load displacement curve with p and qcorrected .

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 I SO 2 2 47 7 - 1 0 : 2 0 1 6 (E)

co rre s p o n d i n g

F i g u r e A . 4 — F l o w c h a r t s h o w i n g t h e a n a l y s i s p r o c e s s f
o r m u l t i p l e c yc l e s o f
r a p i d l o a d t e s t i n g

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ISO 22477-10:2016(E)

F i g u r e A . 5 — A n a l y s i s p r o c e s s o f
t h e l a s t c yc l e (4) a n d c a l c u l a t i o n o f Rc,m
using example data

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F i g u r e A . 6 — M u l t i p l e c yc l e l o a d d i s p l a c e m e n t c a l c u l a t i o n u s i n g e x a m p l e d a t a

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ISO 22477-10:2016(E)

A.3 Correlations for pile foundations

For the veri fic ation o f Struc tura l (S T R) a nd G e o te ch n ic a l (GE O) l i m it s tate s , correlation and mo del

factors should be applied to the Rc, m determined from Rapid Load testing to derive the characteristic
re s i s tance o f a xia l ly lo ade d pi le s . T he s e shou ld b e de term i ne d b as e d up on appropri ate e xp erience

o f comp ari s on o f Rapid L o ad te s ti ng ana lys i s re s u lts with s tatic pi le te s ts for s i m i lar pi le typ e s and

ground cond ition s . M o del fac tors s hou ld b e u s e d that refle c t the p er formance o f the p ar tic u lar ana lys i s

technique used.

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Bibliography

[1] ISO 22476 (all parts), Geotechnical investigation and testing — Field testing
[2] ISO 22477-1, Geotechnical investigation and testing — Testing of geotechnical structures — Part 1:
Pile load test by static axially loaded compression

[3] EN 1997-1, Eurocode 7: Geotechnical design —Part 1: General rules

[4] EN 1997-2, Eurocode 7: Geotechnical design —Part 2: Ground investigation and testing
[5] Hölscher P., BRASSINGA H., BROWN M.J., MIDDENDORP P., PROFITTLICH M., van TOL F.A
2011) Rapid load testing on piles: Interpretation guideline. CUR Building and Infrastructure.
CUR Guideline 230. The Netherlands, CRC Press/Balkema. ISBN: 978-0-415-69520-6 (Hbk),
ISBN: 978-0-203-14588-3 (eBook).
[6] B rown M.J., & Powell J.J.M. Comparison of rapid load test analysis techniques in clay soils. J.
Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 2013, 139(1) pp. 152–161
[7] M i yasaka T., Kuwab ara F., Likins G., R ausche F. 2008) Rapid load test on high bearing
capacity piles. Santos, J.A. (eds), 8th Int. Con f. on the Application o f Stress Wave Theory to Piles,
Lisbon, Portugal 8-10 September 2008, IOS Press, Netherlands, pp. 501-506.
[8] We aver T.J., & Rollins K.M. Reduction factor for the unloading point method at clay soil sites.
J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 2010, 13 6(4) pp. 643–646
[9] C hin F.K. 1972) The inverse slope as a prediction of ultimate bearing capacity of piles. Lumb,
P.L. (eds) Proc. of the 3rd Southeast Asian Conf. on Soil Engineering, Hong Kong.
[10] Rollberg D. Die kraft-setzungslinie von pfahlen. Bauingenieur. 1978, (5) pp. 309–313
53

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ICS  93.020
Price based on 23 pages
© ISO 2016 – All rights reserved