Side Resistance In Piles and Drilled Shafts

More than 20 years have passed since a Terzaghi Lecture focused on the topic of deep foundations. However, considerable research has been performed, and experience gained, in this subject area in the intervening period. The objective of this paper is to update the earlier references on deep foundations by summarizing results of important recent research on a few aspects of the topic of side resistance, most notably (1) driven piles in saturated clay, (2) driven piles in siliceous sand loaded in compression and uplift, (3) drilled shafts in clay, and (4) drilled shafts in soft rock. It is concluded that, while simple design relations are available for topic (1), much is still to be learned. Under topic (2), the case is made that loading the pile in compression and uplift produces different values of unit side-shearing resistance. Regarding topics (3) and (4), the effects of details related to construction—such as stress relief, moisture migration from the concrete to the geomaterial, borehole roughness, and borehole smear—are shown to be significant. The final point made is that the design of deep foundations is a complex matter that should be addressed in a design context by engineers who are experienced in the observation of pile behavior, theoretical modeling, and the appropriate use of design methods.