The results are in for the load test at Test Shaft 1 at the Nashville site. The shaft was not loaded to failure in end bearing, in fact, it barely exceeded 1/2 inch of movement. Failure in side shear was not reached, either, but appeared to be approaching the maximum. Thus, for our contest, the maximum end bearing resistance was not evaluated. The average unit side shear in the socket was 24.2 ksf and the end bearing resistance mobilized at 1/2 inch deflection was a surprising 520 ksf!
So, our winner is………Matt Bullard, E.I. of the Nashville Branch of TTL, Inc. He predicted a unit side shear of 25 ksf and an end bearing of 552 ksf at 1/2 inch deflection. A detailed look at the results and the range of the predictions can be found here.