HOW TO PERFORM PLATE LOAD

TEST OF SOIL ON SITE?

Objective
To perform plate load test to obtain a load-settlement curve of a soil at a particular depth
so as to estimate the ultimate bearing capacity a foundation.

Apparatus
1. Test plate of square size (300 mm or 450 mm or 600 mm or 750 mm)
2. Hydraulic jack (50 T capacity)
3. Hydraulic pump (50 T capacity)
4. Pressure gauge (to read 50 T load with a sensitivity of 0.5 T)
5. Proving ring or load cell (50 T capacity)
6. 4 no of dial gauges (with sensitivity of 0.01 mm and a travel of 50 mm)
7. Loading columns
8. Dial gauge supporting channels
9. Dial gauge stands
10. Magnetic bases for dial gauges
11. Loading platform equipment (girders, plates, sand bags etc) or Truss with anchor
rods
12. Plumbob
13. Sprit level
14. Tripod (to erect the platform or truss frame)
15. Pulley block (to lift the girders or truss frame)

Procedure
1. Excavate the test pit. The test pit size should be 5 times the size of test plate (Bp)
and depth equal to the depth of foundation.
2. The loading platform should be erected over the test pit such that, the vertical line
drawn through the center of gravity of the load passes through the centroid of the
base of the test pit. This can be achieved by positioning the reaction girder (truss)
with the help of the plum bob and spirit level. The load over the platform should
be at least 50% more than the anticipated load to be transferred on the plate. This
will ensure the safety of the platform for any small shift of the CG of the loading
platform from the vertical axis of the pit.
3. Position the test plate centrally at the base of the pit. Ensure that the ground
surface below the test plate is perfectly horizontal and level so that no stress
concentration takes place below the plate during loading. If the ground surface is
slightly uneven a thin layer of sand is spread underneath the test plate.
 4. Position the hydraulic jack over the plate so that when hydraulic pressure is built
up the jack pushes against the loading platform. If require place a loading column
between the test plate and the jack to ensure the jack reach the loading platform.
5. Position minimum of two dial gauges diagonally at the corners (preferably 4 at all
corners of the test plate) to record its settlement of the plate. The dial gauges
should be supported carefully over a stable base which does not settle with the
plate. This can be achieved by placing two cross beams at ground level over
which the dial gauges are supported with the help of magnetic bases. The
settlement of the plate is transmitted to the dial gauges through dial gauge stands.
6. The dial gauges should be positioned such that the plunger of the dial gauges is at
its beginning of rebound (i.e. the plunger is initially pushed up) so that it will get
released as the plate settles and the reading changes and the difference in reading
provided the settlement of the plate.(See fig-1 for plate load setup)
7. The load is applied on the plate by pumping the hydraulic pressure into the jack.
The upward movement of the plunger of the jack tries to push the loading
platform up. Since the pressure built up in the jack (say 1 or 2 T) is much less
than the load on the platform, the pressure in the jack will push the test plate
down by taking the loading platform (say 30 to 40 T) as rigid support. This is a
case similar to the expansion of a system between two supports. Due to the
expansion the weaker support (ground) yields.
8. Apply a seating load of 0.7 T/m2 which is released before the actual loading is
started.
9. Note the initial readings of the dial gauges.
10. The load is applied through the hydraulic jack in convenient increments. The load
increments may be one fifth of the expected safe bearing capacity or one-tenth of
the ultimate bearing capacity or any other smaller loads. The applied load is read
either from the pressure gauge fitted to the hydraulic pump or from the proving
ring fixed between the jack and the reaction platform.
11. Settlement of the plate is observed from the dial gauge readings. Settlement
should be observed for each increment of load after 1, 4, 10, 20, 40 and 60
minutes and thereafter at hourly interval until the rate of settlement becomes less
than about 0.02 mm per hour. Enter the readings in the tabular form. (See fig-2)
12. After completing the recording of settlement readings under a load, the next load
increment is applied and the dial gauges readings are noted under the new load.
13. The loading increments and the recording of the settlements under each load are
continued until the maximum load is reached. The maximum load that is to be
applied corresponds to 1.5 times the estimated ultimate load or to 3 times the
proposed allowable bearing pressure.

Observations and Calculations

The load intensity and settlement observation of the plate load test are plotted. The figure
shown below (Fig-3) shows a set of typical load settlement curves. The ultimate bearing
capacity is taken as the load at which the plate starts sinking at a rapid rate, i.e. when the
curve drops down to a vertical line. From figure 3 it can be observed that in dense sand or
stiff clays the failure is not pronounced. In such cases a plot of load and settlement, both
being taken in logarithmic scales, gives two straight lines. The intersection of these lines
is taken as the ultimate bearing capacity of soil (see fig.4).

Fig-1
(Plate Load Test Setup)

Fig-2 (PLT Observation Sheet)

 Fig-3 (PLT
load-settlement curve)
Fig-4 (PLT load-settlement logarithmic curve)
Plate Bearing Test
This paper presents details of a plate bearing test and report from a site visit in Kuching,
Malaysia. Technical details of a plate bearing test will be presented, including standards
and procedures concerned. A sample method statement will also be discussed. Photos
and results from a site visit will conclude the paper.

TECHNICAL DETAILS
Introduction
The Plate Bearing Test is done when shallow foundations are to be used, or when
temporary work structures such as piling rigs or cranes would be required on site. This
test checks the bearing capacity of the soil near the surface of the ground. It also checks
the possible settlement under a certain load. The standards applicable to this test are
British Standard (BS) 1377 Part 9 and American Society for Testing and Materials
(ASTM) D1194.

Frequency
The Plate Bearing Test may be done at one or several spots at a site, at the discretion of
the design engineer. Sometimes, an experienced contractor may propose additional test
locations which shall also depend on the engineer’s approval.

Test Setup
Figure 1 shows how this test is set up. Basically, it contains a plate, loading column,
jack, counter weight, pressure gauge and settlement gauge.
 Figure 1: Plate Bearing Test Setup

The test is done either on ground surface or in a shallow pit where the foundation would
sit. The width of the pit is 4 to 5 times the plate diameter. When digging the pit, care
should be taken so that the soil is minimally disturbed. An excavator without teeth is
recommended, and the last 0.2m to 0.5m shall be hand-dug. Retaining structures shall be
installed if necessary.

When the desired pit depth is achieved, the pit bottom is levelled as much as possible.
Then, 10mm to 15mm of sand shall be placed at pit bottom to ensure the levelness of the
plate as it is seated. Then, the loading column and jack will be installed above the plate,
approaching the counter weight. It should be made sure that no eccentricity exists in the
setup.

Plate diameter for this test varies from 300mm to 1000mm. It is important to note that
the “stress influence zone” is twice the diameter of the plate, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Relationship between Plate Size and Stress Influence Zone

Therefore, a bigger plate is desirable when available. The bigger the plate, the better it
mimics the actual conditions. The plate thickness is normally 25mm.

Loading Schedule
 The load range that needs to be tested has to be determined. Typically, the maximum
load to be tested is 2 to 2.5 times the working load, depending on the factor of safety that
needs to be achieved. Loading shall be done in at least 5 more or less equally spaced
increments until the maximum load is reached. Each load shall be maintained until the
average settlement rate is less than 0.02mm per 5 minute interval, or until primary
settlement has ceased. This can be judged from a compression vs log time plot. An
example is shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3: Compression vs Log Time

It can be seen that primary consolidation ends when the settlement rate begins to slow
down towards the end of the cycle. A turning point exists when primary consolidation
ends and secondary consolidation begins.

Table 1 shows a sample loading step where the working load is 200 kN/m2. The
maximum load to be tested is 2.5 times the working load.

Working Load: 200 kN/m2

Max. Load: 500 kN/m2
Loading (% of working load) 0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 225, 250
Unloading (% of working 200, 150, 100, 50, 0
load)

Table 1: Sample Loading Steps

In this loading schedule, the load is increased by 25% or 50 kN/m2 until it reaches the
maximum load to be tested, which is 500 kN/m2. Each load is held at constant pressure
for 15 minutes. Then, unloading is done by reducing the pressure by 50 kN/m2 every 15
minutes.

Allowable Settlement
The allowable settlement has to be determined by the design engineer. Although the
soil’s bearing capacity might be satisfactory, caution has to be taken that the settlement is
within allowable range. If the soil sinks rapidly, it is deemed to have passed its ultimate
bearing capacity.

The ultimate bearing capacity is sometimes considered as the load at which settlement of
25mm occurs. The allowable bearing capacity, with a factor of safety of 2, would be one
half of the ultimate bearing capacity.

ASTM vs BS
The American and British standards for the Plate Bearing Test are similar. However,
there are some differences that will be discussed here. According to ASTM, the width of
a test pit being dug has to be at least 4 times of the plate diameter. However, BS says this
width has to be limited between 4 to 5 times the plate diameter.

ASTM also says that the plate diameter or width is between 300mm – 1000mm. BS
specifies 300mm – 600mm.

Key Points
When conducting plate bearing tests, it is important to note the following:

 Frequency of test – Sufficient number of tests should be conducted for each

project site
 Plate size – Bigger plates are desirable when available since the effective depth
tested is only twice the plate diameter
 Preparation of test pit – Minimal disturbance to test pit is required for accurate
results
 Range of test load – A suitable factor of safety will determine the maximum load
to be tested
 Allowable settlement – Although the bearing capacity might be adequate,
excessive settlement will deem failure of the soil

SAMPLE METHOD STATEMENT

The method statement presented here is the one used at the site visited.

Standard used
ASTM Test D1194-72 – Standard Test Method for Bearing Capacity of Soil for Static
Load and Spread Footing.

Instruments
Loading Jack: 10 tonnes hydraulic (Enerpac RC106)

Pressure Gauge: 0 – 10,000 psi

Settlement Gauge: 0 – 50mm with 0.01mm least count

Plate: 300mm diameter

Test Criteria
Working Load: 200 kN/m2

Maximum Load on Plate: 400 kN/m2

Preloading bearing pressure before actual testing: 20 kN/m2

Test Setup
1. The test pit and reaction load which is sufficiently more than the test loads are
prepared.
2. The bottom surface of the pit shall be levelled and the plate is placed at the centre
over an evenly spread sand bed of not more than 10mm.
3. Loading column of sufficient length shall be placed at the centre of the plate and
the jack shall be set at the top of the loading column without any eccentricity to
the reaction load.
 4. Two settlement gauges with magnetic bases are positioned diagonally over the
edges of the plate. These gauges will measure settlement with reference to a
datum bar supported away from the load influence zone.

Loading Schedule
The table below shows a loading schedule where the working load is 200 kN/m2 and the
maximum load is twice the working load. At maximum load, the pressure is maintained
for 3 hours.

Working Load: 200 kN/m2

Max. Load: 400 kN/m2
Increment Bearing Applied Jack Gauge Minimum Remarks
Load as % Pressure Load for Reading Holding
of Working (kN/m2) 300mm dia. (psi) Time
Load (%) Plate (kN) (Minutes)
10 20 1.41 141 0 Preloading bearing
pressure
25 50 3.53 352 15 Reading shall be recorded
50 100 7.07 705 15 at 5 minute intervals for
the first 15 minutes and at
75 150 10.60 1057 15
15 minute intervals
100 200 14.14 1409 15 thereafter.
125 250 17.67 1762 15
150 300 21.21 2114 15
175 350 24.74 2466 15
200 400 28.27 2819 3 hours
150 300 21.21 2114 15
100 200 14.14 1409 15
50 100 7.07 705 15
0 0 0 0 15
5 hrs 45
Totalmins

Table 2: Test Loading Schedule

SITE VISIT
Below are a few points I would like to discuss from the site visit. The site was located at
9th mile, Kuching. It was a commercial shop lot project. The visit was made in the
morning of 12 February 2014.

Test Pit
The test pit was dug using an excavator with teeth. After excavating to the approximate
depth required, the operator was asked to lightly compact the soil with the excavator
bucket. Then, the excavator was parked above the pit as the counter weight.

One problem faced here was that the pit depth was not accurate enough. Therefore, the
excavator operator had to re-dig several times, delaying the test. In my opinion, the
testing company should have dug the last 0.2m-0.5m manually using a spade to achieve
the desired depth. Alternatively, suitable extensions could have been used to adjust the
height of the loading column set up. Also, by using the bucket with teeth, the soil in the
pit would have loosened. This will affect the settlement readings. Thus, digging the last
few hundred millimetres manually is highly recommended so as to minimise soil
disturbance.

Plate Size
A round plate with a diameter of 300mm was used in this test. Therefore, the effective
depth tested was up to 600mm beneath the test pit. This seems quite shallow. Therefore,
it is important that the test pit is being dug to the level where the footing might sit.
However, when large plates exists, they are always desirable.

Loading Schedule
The loading schedule as in Table 2 was used at this site. The working load was 200
kN/m2, and the maximum load tested was 400 kN/m2.
Test Results
The test results are tabulated as follows:

Table 3: Test Results

Applied Load for

Bearing Pressure 300mm dia. Plate Jack Gauge Maximum
(kN/m2) (kN) Reading (psi) Settlement (mm)

50 3.53 352 0.77

100 7.07 705 1.49

150 10.60 1057 4.95

200 14.14 1409 7.99

250 17.67 1762 16.99

300 21.21 2114 27.05

350 24.74 2466 29.85

400 28.27 2819 35.77

The test was stopped at the bearing pressure of 400 kN/m2 without proceeding with
unloading because the settlement had exceeded the allowable limit of 30mm, which was
predetermined by the design engineer. At 350 kN/m2, the settlement was 29.85mm and at
400 kN/m2 the settlement had increased to 35.77mm. We can therefore deduce that the
ultimate bearing capacity is approximately 350 kN/m2 and the allowable bearing capacity
(with a Factor of Safety of 2) is 175 kN/m2. The loading vs settlement graph is plotted
below.
 Figure 4: Loading vs Settlement

From the graph, it can be seen that between 100 kN/m2 to 200 kN/m2 and 300 kN/m2 to
400 kN/m2, the settlement rate was about the same. Between 200 kN/m2 to 300 kN/m2,
the settlement rate was slightly higher. This implies that as soon as construction
completes, a higher settlement rate would be experienced if additional loads are added.

CONCULSION
The Plate Bearing Test is done when shallow foundations are to be used, or when
temporary work structures would be used at a site. It checks the bearing capacity of the
soil and possible settlement at a given load. Caution has to be exercised when following
test standards. Factors to be considered by the engineer include number of tests needed at
the site, load range to be tested, size of the plate, and allowable settlement.

In some cases, although not recommended, the design engineer has to modify the
standard procedure to suit local conditions. Nonetheless, sound judgment is needed
whenever deviations from the standards are deemed necessary.

Pit preparation – laying of sand to ensure levelness at the bottom of the pit for test plate
and loading column to sit on
HOW TO CALCULATE BEARING
CAPACITY OF SOIL FROM PLATE
LOAD TEST?
PLT (Plate Load Test)
Plate load test is a field test which is commonly adopted to determine the bearing
capacity and settlement of soil under a given condition of loading.

In this test a square or circular rigid plate of standard dimension (generally 300 mm2 for
square or 300 mm dia for circular) is placed at foundation level and load is applied in
increments. Then settlement of the plate corresponding to each load increment is recorded
for calculating bearing capacity of soil.

To know the detail test procedure click the link given below.

How to perform Plate Load Test On site?

Calculation of Bearing Capacity of Soil

The whole process of calculating bearing capacity of soil using plate load test data
consists of the following 4 primary steps.

 Step-1 (Plotting a Load-Settlement Curve)

 Step-2 (Finding Ultimate Bearing Capacity)
 Step-3 (Calculating Safe Bearing Capacity)
 Step-4 (Calculating Settlement of Proposed Footing)

1. Step-1 (Plotting a Load-Settlement Curve)

After performing the plate load test, plot a load settlement curve (see fig-1) on arithmetic
scale, with applied pressure in kN/m2 in x-axis and corresponding settlement (in mm) in
y-axis.

Depending on the type of soil below the test plate, the load settlement curve can be of 4
different types as shown below.
 Fig-1 Types of load settlement curves

Curve A: This type curve is obtained in case of loose to medium cohesion less soil (i.e.
15 < N < 30). This type of curve shows no clear point of failure.

Curve B: This type curve is obtained in case of cohesive soil. As the load increases the
curve leans toward settlement curve.

Curve C: This type curve is obtained in case of partially cohesive soil (i.e. C-phi soil).
This type of curve also does not show a clear point of failure.

Curve D: This type curve is obtained in case of dense cohesionless soil (i.e. N > 30).
This type of curve is common in case of dense sand or gravel deposits.

2. Step-2 (Finding Ultimate Bearing Capacity)

After drawing the load settlement curve, the next step is to identify the failure point on
the load settlement curve.

In case of curve B & D, the point of failure can be easily identified by the sudden drop
down of the curve. Or draw two tangent lines from the beginning straight portion of the
curve and end straight portion of the curve. The point where these two tangents cross
each other is called the point of failure. The pressure corresponding to this point is called
ultimate bearing capacity of the soil.

But in case of curve A & C, it is difficult to find out a clear point of failure on the load
settlement curve. To overcome this problem scientist Abbet introduced another method
of drawing load settlement curve. According to his method, a log-log chart is plotted
with settlement are plotted as abscissa against corresponding pressure intensities as
ordinate. Such a plotting will give two straight lines, the intersection of which will be
considered as the failure point. Find the corresponding value of pressure to the failure
point. This is considered as the ultimate bearing capacity of soil.
log-log scale

3. Step-3 (Calculating Safe Bearing Capacity)

In order to calculate safe bearing capacity of the soil, divide the ultimate bearing capacity
of soil by a suitable factor of safety.

Safe bearing capacity of soil = Ultimate bearing capacity / Factor of safety

The values of factor of safety normally used are 2, 2.5 or 3 depending upon the site
condition and importance of the structure.

4. Step-4 (Calculating Settlement of Proposed Footing)

The following formula as suggested by Terzaghi and Peck is used to calculate the
settlement of footing for granular soil.

Sf = Sp {[B*(Bp+0.3)] / [Bp*(B+0.3)]}2

For clayey soil the following equation can be used.

Sf = Sp*(B/Bp)
Where,

Sp = Settlement of plate, mm

Sf = Settlemnt of footing, mm

Bp = Width or dia of plate, m

B = Width of footing, m

For calculating settlement of a given size of foundation subjecting to a given load,

first calculate the corresponding intensity of loading by dividing the area of footing by
the load, i.e.

Intensity of Loading = Load (kN) / Area of footing (m2)

Then from the load settlement curve drawn using PLT data, find out the plate settlement
corresponding to the calculated intensity of loading and use this value of settlement in the
formula to calculate the settlement of footing.

Example Calculation
A plate load test was conducted using a plate of 0.75m*0.75m size, on a uniform deposit
of sand and the following data were obtained:

Pressure Settlement
(KN/m2) (mm)
0 0
50 1.5
100 2
200 4
300 7.5
400 12.5
500 20
600 40.6

Calculate the safe bearing capacity of soil taking factor of safety as 2.5.

Calculate settlement of a square footing of size 2mx2m at safe bearing capacity

Answer
Calculation of Safe Bearing Capacity
From the load settlement curve (see fig below) the ultimate bearing capacity of soil is
found to be 500 kN/m2 and corresponding settlement is 12 mm.

Load settlement curve

So Safe bearing capacity (qsafe) = Ultimate bearing capacity (qult) / Factor of safety =
500 / 2.5 = 200 kN/m2

Calculation of Footing Settlement

Width of footing (B) = 2m

Width of plate (Bp) = 750 mm = 0.75m

Plate settlement (Sp) = 12mm

So settlement of footing at safe load can be calculated using the following formula

Sf = Sp {[B*(Bp+0.3)] / [Bp*(B+0.3)]}2
Sf = 12 {[2*(0.75+0.3)] / [0.75*(2+0.3)]}2

Sf = 17.78 = 18 mm