In the field of civil engineering, particularly structural foundations, low-cost options and time saving construction methods are important because both can be a burden on the public. Drilled shafts have proven to both lower cost and shorten construction time for large-scale projects. However, their integrity as load-carrying foundations has been questioned. The statnamic load test was conceived in the 1980s as an alternative method of testing these larger, deeper foundation elements. Performing a load test verifies that the load carrying capacity of a foundation is agreeable with the estimated capacity during the design phase and that no significant anomalies occurred during construction. The statnamic test, however, is classified as a rapid load test and requires special data regression techniques. The outcome of available regression techniques is directly related to the available instrumentation on the test shaft. Generally, the more instrumentation available, the more complete results the regression method will produce. This thesis will show that a proposed method requiring only basic instrumentation can produce more complete results using a predictive model for side shear development with displacement during the statnamic test. A driven pile or drilled shaft can be discretized into segments based on the load shed distribution model. Each segment can be analyzed as a rigid body. The total static capacity is then the summation of each segments’ contribution. Further, a weighted acceleration can be generated and used to perform an unloading point analysis.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect on side shear resistance in limestone when temporary casing is used. Due to testing in actual limestone being an unrealistic goal, simulated limestone mixes were prepared and cast into 6 – 42 in. diameter beds. Limestone throughout Florida can be quite varied (e.g. 50-5000 psi) but where stronger limestone is not likely to be penetrated by casing installation. Therefore, target unconfined compressive strengths of the study specimens ranged between 60 psi to 850 psi. A simulated limestone material was developed based on over 200 cylinders cast for unconfined compression testing where the binder (cement or lime), water to binder ratio, aggregate types (sand, coquina, and oyster shells), and binder content were all varied. Results of the laboratory tests were used to establish simulated limestone mixes for 42 in. diameter specimen beds in which 1/10th scale drilled shaft rock sockets were cast. Drilled shaft casing installation techniques were adapted to 1/10th scale where driven casing and oscillated/rotated casing methods were simulated. Within each of the simulated limestone test beds, 5 shaft specimens were cast with and without temporary casing where at least one of the specimens was cast without temporary casing (control specimen). Pullout tests of each specimen revealed that the presence of temporary casing reduced the side shear by 25 to 28 percent depending on the casing installation/extraction method. However, in all cases representative of weaker limestone, the measured reduction did not affect the anticipated design side shear resistance.

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