Pile Load Test in a Broader View

Guest,

You are correct in that the codes are not the ultimate criteria. They are rewritten and updated all the time. However, before You or I can deviate from the code we would have to have better intelligence, more experience, better data, more expertise and be able to document it, than the committee, forum, establishment or whatever went into producing the code. Our ideas may be better for our own use but not for those that depend on what we produce. If the job falls within the boundaries of the code, then there is no way to circumvent it without taking on the responsibility and possible reprisal for our action. In other words It Ain't worth the pain.

All codes are guidelines for the building officials, not the designers per se. As such they allow building officials, explicitly in the codes, to supercede the code. So if you can justify a plan and get the building official to sign off on it, in writing of course, you can proceed with that plan even if it doesn't meet the code requirements. however, building officials typically do not like to supercede the provisions of building codes, unless you can demonstrate that a substatially more protective structure will be the end result (They reduce the defensibility for their level of liability by superceding a building code).

Thanks to you for supporting my view. There is another one example I have for overlooking the code. Recently in a rural village a Poultry farm was constructed. The concerened authority wants to make a entire drainage for sewarage purpose. In main drain a problem becomes when a road crossed the drain. The road has very small width AND there is no motor vehicles moved. So, the solution is only overcome by to construct a sall culvert. But problame occured when we prepared a plan and design. As per code minimum carriage way must be 3.5M. But as consider the road width, the width of culvert is only 1.2M. and clear span is only 1ft. as width of drain. The total discharge is 40,000 Lt./day, which is very small. So, what is need to do now, to maintain the code or not. If we maintain the code the cost is going unnecessaryli high. But the first word of engineering is most economical.

Actually, Public Health, Welfare and Safety is the first, most important thing to consider, at least in accordance with US standard engineering ethics codes. Also, you must always meet all applicable state and local regulations. Cost is incidental to these first two requirements. This is where a lot of large engineering gobbling corporations try to drum the wrong ideas into their young employees early on, staying in budget and doing the cheapest project are not the primary consideration for an engineer, it is for a business manager and marketters, who want to be able to promise on-time, on-budget, and lowest-bid. I almost never hear marketers tout best product or product quality.