Pile Foundations
Pile foundations are the part of a structure used
to carry and transfer the load of the structure to
the bearing ground located at some depth below
ground surface. The main components of the
foundation are the pile cap and the piles.
Piles are relatively long and slender members
used to transmit foundation loads through soil
strata of low bearing capacity to deeper soil or
rock having a higher bearing capacity.
Pu = Load of the structure
Pile cap
Ground Surface
soft compressible
Piles soil layer
Hard incompressible
soil layer or rock
.
Pile foundations are used in the following
conditions:
1. When the upper soils are highly compressible and very
weak to support the load transmitted by the structure.
2. Pile foundations are required for the transmission of
structural loads through deep water to a firm stratum.
3. When a large lateral load capacity is required.
4. Piles are used for the foundations of some structures, such
as transmission towers, off-shore platforms, which are
subjected to uplift.
5. Piles are required when the soil conditions are such that a
wash out erosion or scour of soil may occur from
underneath a shallow foundation.
Classification of Piles:
Piles are generally classified into the following
categories according to
1. the mode of transfer of load
2. the use
3. composition or material of construction.
4. the method of construction
Classification Based on mode of transfer of
load
End-Bearing Piles:-these piles penetrate through
the soft soil or water and their bottoms rest on a hard
stratum and transmits the load to it.
Friction Piles:-These piles transfer the load
through skin friction between the embedded
surface of the pile and the surrounding soil.
Combined End-Bearing and Friction Piles:-
These piles transfer loads by a combination of
end bearing of the pile and friction along the
surface of the pile shaft.
Classification of Piles Based on Use
Uplift Piles:- These piles anchor down the structure
subjected to uplift or overturning movement.
Batter Piles:- These piles are driven at an
inclination to resist inclined loads and are used to
resist lateral forces in case of retaining walls,
abutments etc.
Compaction Piles:- They are used to compact
loose granular soils in order to increase their bearing
capacity.
Sheet Piles:-. These piles are used to enclose soil
so as to prevent the leakage of water and to enclose
soft material.
Classification of Piles According to Their Composition
or Material of Construction.
Timber Piles
Concrete Piles
• Pre-Cast Concrete Piles
• Cast-in situ Concrete Piles
Sand Piles
Steel Piles
Composite Piles
Timber piles
Timber piles are made of tree trunks with the
branches trimmed off.
The timber to be used for the construction
should be free from defects; decay etc. and it
should be well seasoned.
These piles are circular or square in cross
section. Top of these piles is provided with an
iron ring to prevent it from splitting under blows
of the hammer. The bottom is fitted with an iron
shoe to facilitate sinking of the piles.
Piles entirely submerged in water last long without
decay. When a pile is subjected to alternate wetting
and drying the useful life is relatively short.
Concrete pile
Pre cast and Cast-in situ Concrete Piles
Pre cast concrete Piles
Usually of square triangle, circle or octagonal
section, they are produced in short length in one
meter intervals between 3 and 13 meters. They
are pre-cast so that they can be easily connected
together in order to reach to the required length .
a) concrete pile connecting detail. b) squared pre-cast concert pile
•Cast-in situ Concrete Piles
These types of piles are constructed in their
locations in the bore holes prepared for
these purpose. The operation consists of
boring a hole, filling it with only concrete or
with steel reinforcement and concrete.
Straight bored piles or piles with one or
more bulbs at intervals may be cast at site
the latter type is termed as under reamed
pile
under reamed pile
Single bulb pile
Straight bored pile
Double bulbs pile
Cast in place concrete piles
Steel piles
Steel piles are suitable for handling and
driving in long lengths. Their relatively small
cross-sectional area combined with their
high strength makes penetration easier in
firm soil.
Steel piles cross-sections
a) X- cross-section b) H - cross-section c) steel pipe
H –section steel pile
H –section steel pile
Composite piles
Combination of different materials in the
same of pile, as indicated earlier, part of
a timber pile which is installed above
ground water could be vulnerable to
insect attack and decay. To avoid this,
concrete or steel pile is used above the
ground water level, whilst wood pile is
installed under the ground water level.
a) by pre-cast concrete upper section above water level.
b) by extending pile cap below water level
Classification Based on Method of Construction
(Installation)
Driven Piles: - These piles are driven into the soil by
applying blows of a heavy hammer on their tops.
Driven and Cast In-Situ Piles: - These piles are formed by
driving a casing with a closed bottom end into the soil. The
casing is later filled with concrete.
Bored and Cast In-Situ Piles: - These piles are formed by
excavating a hole into the ground and then filling it with
concrete.
Screw Piles: - The piles are screwed into the soil.
Jacked Piles: - These piles are jacked into the soils by
applying a downward force with the help of a hydraulic jack.
Design procedure
Calculate pile loads
Sketch soil profiles, showing soil stratification
Establish permanent water level (and its
fluctuation)
Determine type and length of piles
Determine pile capacity
Establish pile spacing
Check stresses in lower strata
Analyse settlement
Design pile cap
Pile loads :-
The total load acting on a pile (piles) include
•Load from the superstructure
•Weight of pile cap and soil above it
•Negative friction force from fill or from compressible soil
layer , if any
Lf Fn fill
Fn = Lf P
Where = Adhesion or skin friction between soil and
pile shaft
= qu/2 for cohesive soils
=ko tan
Lf = Thickness of fill
P = Perimeter of pile
Vertically loaded piles
Pu
Psu
Pbu
•Selection of Type and Length of Piles
The choice of a pile is governed largely by the site and soil
conditions.
•Based on the soil conditions the following types of piles
are recommended.
Soil conditions Choice of pile Remarks
Coarse sand or Gravel Driven pile Develops point bearing
or cast in situ pile and friction resistance
Firm stratum with soft material Cast in-situ Pile Improves bearing
below with enlarged base capacity
Hard stratum at reasonable Point bearing pile Embed pile about 1m
depth (15-30m). With no soft inside hard stratum
material below
Where hard stratum is very Friction pile Cheaper than long
deep (>30m) point bearing pile
Expansive and poor soils Short cast Base shall rest on
overlying firm soil stratum in-situ pile with stable zone
enlarged base
•Based on site conditions the following type of piles
are recommended
Site conditions Choice of Remarks
piles
Close to existing Cast in-situ Cause less damage
building pile to existing building
Under water Driven pile Easier to install and
construction also cheaper
Determination of pile bearing capacity
The bearing capacity of piles depends on:-
The strength of the pile materials, which determines the
bearing capacity of the pile itself
Pall = all A
Where A= X-section of pile tip
= allowable compressive strength of pile
The strength of the subsoil which determines the ultimate
bearing capacity of the pile foundation.
The compressibility of the subsoil, which determines the
settlement of the pile foundation and the safe bearing
capacity with respect to the allowable settlement of the
structure.
Pile reinforcement :-
For non-slender piles, which is designed as
short column, use minimum reinforcement,
i.e., ASmin.
For slender pile, reinforcement is determined
same as slender column
Spiral diameter, min =6mm
Spiral spacing 8cm
Piles in Groups
Arrangement of piles
Because of alignment problem, a single pile is
seldom used under a structure. Where a single pile
is used under a lightly loaded column which does
not have adequate lateral structural support, the
heads of single piles shall be braced in two
directions by grade beams.
Where only two piles are needed, their heads shall
be connected by a concrete cup braced by grade
beams in only one direction, perpendicular to the
line joining the two piles.
Where three or more piles, in at least two rows, are
provided with reinforced concrete caps, no grade
beams are required for lateral stability.
Where large lateral loads are to be resisted, batter
piles shall be used. Batters of one horizontal to four
vertical represent about the greatest inclination that
can be achieved with bored cast-in-place concrete
piles.
Type of pile Minimum
Spacing
Friction piles 3d
End bearing piles passing through relatively 2.5d
compressible strata and resting on rock
End bearing piles passing through relatively 3d and 3.5d
compressible strata and resting on dense sand respectively
or stiff clay
driven pile 2.5d
Board piles 3d but not
less than
1.10m
under-reamed piles 2du
Determination of pile loads in a pile group.
Several methods are used to estimate pile loads in
a pile group. All are based on the following
assumptions.
o The cap is rigid
o Piles heads are hinged to the pile cap; therefore, no
bending moment is transmitted from the pile cap to
the piles.
o The whole load is carried by the piles; therefore, no
load is transmitted to the soil below the pile cap.
o The piles are elastic, therefore, the deformations
and the stress distribution are planner
V MX i
Pi i n
n 2
Xi
i 1
V M y X i M xYi
Pi i n i n
n 2 2
Xi Yi
i 1 i 1
Pile Cap
pile cap is used to transfer loads from a column or wall to an
underlying group of piles.
To ensure stability against lateral forces, a pile cap must
include at least three piles; otherwise it should be connected by
the beams to adjacent caps.
pile caps should be arranged in such a manner that the centroid
of pile group coincides with the line of action of load, to ensure
that all piles carry an equal load and avoid tilting of group in
compressible bearing stratum.
the procedure of designing pile cap is similar to the deign of
reinforced concrete footing, except that the former is subject to
a series of concentrated loads, while the later is subject to
relatively uniformly distributed loads.
30cm
7.5cm
10cm
(Embedded length)
30cm
Pile caps and grade beams
The End
Bearing capacity of a pile group
The bearing capacity a pile group can be calculated as
the sum of the shear resistance available along the
periphery of the block and the bearing resistance at
the level of the pile tip.
Pug = h p + f A - h A
Where
Pug = ultimate bearing capacity of the pile group.
f = ultimate bearing capacity at the level of the pile
tips
h = length of embedment
P = perimeter
A = area enclosing all the piles in the group
= average shearing resistance
= ½ qu for cohesive soils
= Ko tan for noncohesive soils
qu = unconfined com. Strength of cohesive soils
= unit weight of the soil block
