Negative Skin Friction Negative skin friction or down drag is a phenomenon which occurs when a soil layer surrounding

a portion of the pile shaft settles more than the pile. This condition can develop where a soft or loose soil stratum located anywhere above the pile tip is subjected to new compressive loading. If a soft or loose layer settles after the pile has been installed, the skinfriction-adhesion developing in this zone is in the direction of the soil movement, pulling the pile do Negative skin friction may also occur by the lowering of ground water which increases.

Negative skin friction may also occur by the lowering of ground water which increases the effective stress inducing consolidation and consequent settlement of the soil surrounding the pile.

LOAD TEST ON PILE Load test on a pile is one of the best methods of determining the load-carrying capacity of a pile. It may be conducted on a driven pile or cast-in-situ pile, on a working pile or a test pile, and on a single pile or a group of piles. A working pile is one which forms part of the foundation, while a test pile is one which is used primarily to check estimated capacities (as predetermined by other methods). Procedure The most common procedure is the test in which the load is maintained slowly. About five to eight equal increments are used until the load reaches about double the design value. Timesettlement data are recorded for each load increment. Each increment is maintained until the rate of settlement becomes a value less than 0.25 mm per hour. The final load is maintained for 24 hours. Often the definition of failureload is arbitrary. It may be taken when a predetermined amount of settlement has occurred or where the load-settlement plot is no longer a straight line. If the ultimate load could be found, a suitable factor of safety2 to 3may be used to determine the allowable load.

The allowable load on a single pile may be obtained as one of the following [I.S: 2911 (Part I)-1974]: 1. 50% of the ultimate load at which the total settlement is equal to one-tenth the diameter of the pile. 2. Two-thirds of the load which causes a total settlement of 12 mm. 3. Two-thirds of the load which causes a net (plastic) settlement of 6 mm (total settlement minus elastic settlement).