Bearing capacity of a model pile in sand under different loading rates

In this study, forty-five compressive bearing capacity tests were conducted on a model pile embedded in sand to investigate the influence of loading rate on the bearing capacity of the pile. The tests were carried out using a model steel pile with a 30-mm diameter and depth-to-diameter ratios of 7, 10, and 15 in uniform deposits of loose, medium, and dense sand, Loads were applied to the model pile at five different rates: 1 mm/min., 0.5 mm/min., 0.1 mm/min,, 0.05 mm/min,, and 0.01 mm/min, Experimental results showed that bearing capacity of the model pile increases with increasing the rate of loading. The relationship between the compressive bearing capacity and the loading rate can be represented by a straight line on a log-log plot.