ABSTRACT

There remains considerable uncertainty with respect to the cyclic performance of drilled and grouted piles founded in soft calcareous rock. Recent static load testing of 2 No. 65 m and 1 No. 95 m long test barrettes with cross-sectional dimensions of 1.2 m × 2.8 m for the Nakheel Tower project in Dubai provided valuable data on the performance of cast-in-place deep foundations in calcareous sediments under cyclic load. The testing was carried out using two levels of Osterberg cells placed in the bottom 20 m of the barrettes. As part of the testing programme, an 8 m long section of the shaft of the test barrettes (between the two levels of Osterberg cells) was subjected to cyclic loading.