Reliability-based pile design in sandy soils by CPT measurements

Field tests, such as static cone penetration tests (CPT), are widely used in granular soil characterisation because they are largely correlated by empirical charts and graphics to the main physical and mechanical soil properties (i.e. DR, f, lithology etc.), although the uncertainties concerning such estimations are taken into account. Whereas those formulations are widely accepted by literature and used in practice, they are not discussed in terms of reliability level of the pile bearing capacity. In this paper, Bustamante and Gianeselli’s formulation has been adopted as a direct method for estimating pile bearing capacity from qc profile at Scanzano Jonico site. As far as the reliability-based design of limit pile resistance is concerned, the statistical properties of the design variables are based on the variability study carried out on such sand. Results are discussed with respect to the advantages in usage of direct instead of indirect methods for pile design in sand.