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BS 1377 Part 9: 1990 Standard

The document discusses plate bearing tests according to BS 1377 Part 9: 1990. Plate bearing tests are carried out in the field to determine the bearing capacity of soil for shallow foundation or traffic surface design. The test procedure, equipment used, interpretation of results, and advantages/limitations are described. Key results include the load-settlement curve, yield pressure, recommended allowable pressure, and modulus of subgrade reaction.

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398 views9 pages

BS 1377 Part 9: 1990 Standard

The document discusses plate bearing tests according to BS 1377 Part 9: 1990. Plate bearing tests are carried out in the field to determine the bearing capacity of soil for shallow foundation or traffic surface design. The test procedure, equipment used, interpretation of results, and advantages/limitations are described. Key results include the load-settlement curve, yield pressure, recommended allowable pressure, and modulus of subgrade reaction.

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Detoned Stoned
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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BS 1377 Part 9 : 1990 Standard

In the design of shallow


foundation or traffic surface,
design engineers need to know
the bearing capacity of soil
underneath. Plate bearing test is
carried out in the field to serve
this purpose. Results from the
test can be used as design
parameter or used to confirm
the design assumption.

 The test shall be carried out


in general accordance with
BS 1377: Part 9 1990 'in-
Situ Tests'.

 A circular plate having a


maximum diameter of 300 -
600mm shall be used.

 Excavate to the test level as


quickly as possible to
minimise the effects of
stress relief, particularly in
cohesive fills. A mechanical
excavator may be used
provided that the excavator
bucket does not have teeth
and the last 100mm depth of
excavation is carried out
carefully by hand.

 Carefully trim off and


remove all loose material
and any embedded
fragments so that the area
for the plate is generally
level and as undisturbed as
possible.

 Protect the test area and the


apparatus from moisture
changes, sunlight and the
effects of adverse weather
as soon as the test level is
exposed and throughout the
test.

 The plate shall be placed on


a thin layer (10 to 15mm
thick) of clean dry sand to
produce a level surface on
which to bed the plate.

 Set up the loading and


deflection, measuring
systems so that the load is
applied to the plate without
eccentricity and the
deflection system is outside
the zone of influence of the
pattachments.ziplate. During
these operations a small
seating load may be applied
to the plate to enable
adjustments to be made:
this seating load shall be
less than 5kN/m2.

 The load shall be applied in


five increments. Settlement
reading will be taken at 0.50
minute intervals for the first
2 minutes, and 1 minutes
intervals thereafter, until
detectable movement of the
plate has stopped, i.e. until
the average settlement rate
is less than 0.02mm per 5
minute interval.

 At each increment the


pressure shall be maintained
as near as possible constant.

 After the final test increment


has been completed, the
pressure in the hydraulic
pump shall then be released
and the settlement of the
plate allowed to recover.
When the recovery is
essentially complete, the
residual settlement value
shall be recorded.

 Our Range of Pressures start


from 0 -1500 psi on the
gauge

Test Setup

Equipment and Apparatus


 Counter weight such as box
or platform with heavy
material suck as concrete,
steel, etc. Total counter
weight should be at least
10% greater than the
anticipated maximum test
load.

 Hydraulic jack for applying


the load

 Proving ring, 1 kg accuracy,


for measuring the load

 Bearing Plate, 350mm


450mm and 600mm
Diameter

 Four Dial gauges, reference


beams.

Testing Procedure
 Select test location and
depth at the point where the
real foundation will be
constructed, if possible. If
the test is performed in a
test pit, width of the pit
should be at least 4 to 5
times of plate diameter.

 Apply the load to the plate in


steps by means of hydraulic
jack pushing against the
counter weight until reaching
the maximum test load.
Unloading should also be
done in the backward steps.
Read and record the load of
every step from proving
ring.

 Read settlement from the


dial gauges. 3 to 4 dial
gauges should be placed
separately at 120° or 90°
respectively.

Interpretation of the
Test Result

Results from the test shall


consist of raw data, load-
settlement curve, yield pressure,
recommended allowable
pressure for foundation design,
and modulus of subgrade
reaction (K) for road design.

Illustration of Scale Effect in Foundation Design


Load-settlement curve from Plate Bearing Test

Das, B.M. (1995) suggested


following formula for calculating
bearing capacity of the actual
footing to correct the scale
effect.

For cohesive soil

qu (F| = qu

For cohesionless soil where

qu ~. = bearing capacity of
footing

qu (p, = bearing capacity of test


plate

BF. = breadth of footing

Bp. = breadth of test plate

If the above method give too


high bearing capacity, Engineer
should use judgment to limit
allowable pressure to be more
reasonable for each type of soil
condition.

The prediction of settlement can


also be done from the load-
settlement curve from the test.

Determination of time over settlement


Advantages of the Test

 Gain understanding of
foundation behavior which
will enable the evaluation of
foundation bearing capacity
and settlement under
loading condition.

 Quick and easy to perform.

Limitations

 Plate bearing test can give


bearing capacity of subsoil
up to the depth about twice
of plate diameter only.
 There is a scale effect due to
size of testing plate is
smaller than the actual
footing.

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