• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.28 no.4C
• /
• pp.205-212
• /
• 2008

In this research, the effect of rock mass weathering on the side shear resistance of drilled shaft socketed into igneous-metamorphic rock was investigated. For that, 23 cast-in-place concrete piles with diameters varying from 400mm to 1,500mm were constructed at four different sites, and the static axial load tests were performed to examine the resistant behavior of the piles. A comprehensive field/laboratory testing program at the field test site was also performed to describe the in situ rock mass conditions quantitatively. The side shear resistance of rock socketed piles was found to have no intimate correlation with the compressive strength of the intact rock. However, the global rock mass strength, which was calculated by the Hoek and Brown criteria, was found to closely correlate to the side shear resistance. The ground investigation data regarding the rock mass conditions (e.g. $E_m$, $E_{ur}$, $p_{lm}$, RMR, RQD, j) were also found to be highly correlated with the side shear resistance, showing the coefficients of correlation greater than 0.75 in most cases. Additionally, the applicability of existing methods for the side shear resistance of weathered granite-gneiss was verified by comparison with the field test data. The existing methods which consider the effect of rock mass condition were modified and/or extended for weathered rock mass where mass factor j is lower than 0.15, and RQD is below 50%.