Tapered driven piles have been the deep foundation of choice ever since construction of and at the well-known John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFKIA) in New York City began in the late 1940s. Timber piles were used primarily for many decades but various brands of closed-end steel pipe piles have become preferred in recent years as engineers have sought ever-increasing allowable axial-compressive loads per pile. With currently available pile types it is now possible to routinely install tapered piles that have an allowable axial-compressive service-load capacity per pile in excess of 400 kips (1780 kN), with net ultimate axial-compressive geotechnical capacities of the order of 1000 kips (4450 kN).

Fortunately, the use and load testing of piles at JFKIA has been relatively well documented. This extensive history and record of tapered-pile usage in one geologic setting provides an unusual opportunity to evaluate a new (in 2002) method for estimating the axial-compressive geotechnical capacity of tapered piles. The results of this evaluation are summarized in this paper and indicate very good agreement between measured and calculated capacities.