Results of field tests of piles in permanently frozen ground

Conclusions

1. To estimate the bearing capacity of piles and to determine the deformation characteristics of soils it is necessary to conduct comprehensive pile tests on plots with the same frozen-ground conditions.

2. Pile tests should be conducted before the appearance of the second region of continuous deformations. For structures allowing considerable deformations this will permit increasing the bearing capacity, taking it to be equal to the value at which the jog of the soil consolidation under the pile point ends.

3. Calculation of pile foundations with respect to the second limiting state permits a substantial increase of the design bearing capacity of piles, which ultimately leads to a reduction of construction costs.

4. The use of the accelerated test method with the obtainment of the experimental values of the conversion factor to long-time strength permits a considerable reduction of the test period.

5. The data obtained in pile tests permits developing more economical designs.