Application of ultimate limit state design for axially loaded single piles in Egyptian geotechnical practice

For a long time, the framework of geotechnical design in Egypt has been based mainly on Working Stress Design (WSD) philosophy with the global safety concept as presented in the current version of the Egyptian Code of Practice for Soil Mechanics and Foundations Design and Construction [1]. This design philosophy is supported by long-term experience, considering local experiences and is adopted to fulfill the required safety margin. Limit State Design (LSD) philosophy, on the other side, has already been applied for the design of reinforced concrete structures as introduced in the Egyptian Code of Practice for the Design and Construction of Reinforced Concrete Structures [2]. Applying LSD for superstructure and WSD for foundations often results in design misleading because of the incompatibility between the two design philosophies. Accordingly, implementation of LSD philosophy for geotechnical designs in Egypt has become mandatory and the transition to this new design philosophy of LSD should be as smooth and gradual as possible to allow for a better acceptance by the Egyptian geotechnical community. LSD philosophy using partial safety factors has been applied worldwide using two different approaches; factored strength approach and factored resistance approach. During this study, resistance reduction factors are calibrated on the basis of calibration-by-fitting technique, to be used with factored resistance approach for axially loaded single piles. The calibrated resistance reduction factors from this study are found to be relatively consistent with those values adopted in other geotechnical design codes worldwide.