Análise comparativa de capacidade de carga em estacas entre provas de carga estática e métodos semiempíricos.

Abstract

Estimating the load-bearing capacity of piles is commonly done using well-established semi-empirical methods. Validation of this estimate is often carried out through static load testing, which is the most reliable method for obtaining the load capacity of a pile. Properly design a pile foundation is fundamental to the safety and economic viability of a deep foundation project. In this context, the present work aimed to perform a comparative analysis between the load capacities estimated by semi-empirical methods and those obtained experimentally through static load tests. The study was developed based on the analysis of four piles, two belonging to Project A and two to Project B, executed in the municipality of Sinop-MT. For the load capacity estimation, the semi-empirical methods of Aoki and Velloso and of Decourt and Quaresma were used, whose results were compared with the values ​​obtained in the static load tests. During the analysis, it was observed that, for the piles of Project A, the load capacities estimated by the semi-empirical methods presented lower values ​​than the experimental ones, characterizing a conservative behavior, while for the piles of Project B the estimated values ​​were close to the results obtained in the load tests, indicating good agreement between the methods. It is concluded that the performance of semi-empirical methods can vary significantly depending on local geotechnical characteristics, making the use of static load testing indispensable as a tool for validating load capacity estimates in foundation designs.