The geotechnical graduate program of the University of Brasilia maintains a research site on the campus (to be discontinued for a new place). The site is underlain by the typically partly-saturated and potentially collapsible “porous clay” of the Federal District of Brazil. The soil conditions have been thoroughly evaluated using laboratory and in situ geotechnical tests (DMT, CPT, SPT, and PMT). Five bored piles were installed and tested at the site. Simplified analyses have been used so that the results of the tests can be easily compared. The various soil tests were used to estimate the pile settlements which were compared to the measured values and the results are discussed. It has been shown that simple elastic models can be routinely used in practice for the estimation of the settlement of bored floating piles on tropical unsaturated soils. Besides, the results tend to indicate that PMT tests provide the best ratios between predicted and measured data.

Keywords: In situ testing, Brasilia porous clay, Pile settlement, Elastic theory,

Submitted on April 06, 2010.
Final Acceptance on February 03, 2011.
Discussion open until December 30, 2011.
DOI: 10.28927/SR.342153