<p><p><strong>Reference(s):</strong></p><p><em>Han (1998)</em><em>Lukas (1986)</em><em>Lukas (1995)</em><em>Mitchell (1981b)</em><em>Schaefer et al. (1997)</em></p><p><strong>Method Summary<br></strong>Static plate load tests can be used to measure the bearing capacity and stiffness of the improved soil, so they are best suited to projects where increased bearing capacity and reduced settlement are requirements of the loading conditions and quantitative measures are required. They are usually done in areas where improvement is expected to be the least.</p><p><strong>Accuracy and Precision<br></strong>Load tests provide a good estimate of the bearing capacity of the compacted soil.</p><p><strong>Adequacy of Coverage<br></strong>Load tests can be performed to get a picture of the soil reaction under load and the subsurface profile to a limited depth (approximately 2 times the width of the plate) near the test. However, they are time consuming and expensive so only a few tests can be done on most projects.</p><p><strong>Implementation Requirements<br></strong>Load tests can be time consuming and expensive depending on the type of test used.</p><p><strong>General Comments<br></strong>Load tests can be used in any deep dynamic compaction program. They are often used in difficult ground where other tests do not yield good results such as soils with large cobbles or boulders.</p></p>