**Pile-caps–01: Design a pile cap for a 9-pile cluster.

Design a pile cap footing to support an 18” square column subjected to a live load
reaction of 180 kips and a dead load reaction of 160 kips at service loads. The testing
laboratory recommends an ultimate pile load of 70 kips per pile, and a service pile load
of 42 kips per pile. The vertical steel in the column consists of 12 No.7 bars. Use ƒ c =
3000 psi, ƒy = 40,000 psi, and 12” diameter piles.

Solution.

Since the footing weight will be about 3 kips/pile, the net service load per pile is 42.0-3.0 =
39.0 kips/ pile. The number of piles required in N=W/P = 340/39 = 8.7, or 9 piles. Use a pile
pattern as shown in Fig. 1. The net ultimate load is used to design the footing; thus Wu = (1.4)
(160) + (1.7) (180) = 530 kips, and the load per pile is Pu = 530/9 = 58.9, say 59.0 kips/pile,
which is less than the maximum ultimate load, 70 kips/ pile. Punching shear around a single
pile often governs the footing depth determination, except in cases in which the loads are
small. In this case, it will be shown that beam shear governs. Referring to Fig. 2, we calculate
the punching shear stress. After several trials, assume d = 19.5 . The shear perimeter is bo
= π(12 + d) = 99.0 . The permissible shear force around the pile will be,

Vc = 4 f c bod = 4 3000 (99) (19.5) / 1000 = 423 kips

Since the actual shear force is the nominal pile reaction, Pn = Pu/φ = 59.0/0.85 = 69.4 kips <
423 kips, the pile will not punch through the pile cap (footing).

Figure 1 Figure 2

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 Figure 3 Figure 4

Perimeter shear (punching shear) must now be checked around the column in a similar
manner. In this case, all of the nominal pile reactions outside of the critical section plus any
partial reactions outside of the critical section will contribute to punching shear for the
column. Refer to Figure 3. Assuming No. 6 bars will be used, clearance above the pile butts
will be 3 and embedment of the piles will be 6 . The total dept required will be 28.75 . For
practical reasons use 29 ; this furnishes an effective depth d = 19.625 . Thus c = a + b = 18.0
+ 19.625 = 37.625 and bo = 4(37.625) = 150.0 . Hence, Vou = 472 kips on 8 piles outside of
the critical section as shown on Fig. 3. The permissible punching shear force (βc = 18/18 < 2)
is given by (6.12) as

Vc = 4 √3000 (150) (19.625) / 1000 = 644.9 kips

The force to be resisted is Vn = Vou/φ = 472/0.85 = 555.3 kips; therefore the pile cap (footing)
is satisfactory for punching shear. Beam shear must now be checked. Refer to Fig. 4. Three
piles exist beyond the critical section, so Vu = (3) (59.0) = 177.0 kips. Since b = B= 8 -6 =
102 , the permissible beam shear (one-way shear) force on the critical section is

Vc = 2 ƒ c bd = 2 3000 (102) (19.625) / 1000 = 219.3 kips

The force to be resisted is the nominal shear force, Vn = Vu / φ = 177/ 0.85 = 208.2 kips.
Hence the footing is satisfactory for beam shear. The bending moment about the face of the
column must now be investigated. Refer to Fig. 4

Mu = (177) (27/12) = 398.3 ft-kips

φ Ru = Mu / bd2 = 398.3 x 12,000 / (102)(19.625)2 = 121.67 psi

Table 5.2 for ƒ c = 3000 psi and ƒy = 40,000 psi, discloses the fact that the steel ration
required is less than the minimum steel ration, ρ min = 200 / ƒy = 0.005. Further, if the steel
ration required is increased by 1/3, it will still be less than ρ min. It would appear that 4/3 times
the required steel ration would satisfy the 1983 ACI Code. However, the Code does not
permit un-reinforced (plain concrete) pile caps. Since any section having less than minimum
reinforcement is usually considered to be un-reinforced, the minimum are of steel will be
provided. Thus,

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 As = (200/ƒy) bd = (200/ 40,000) (102) (19.925) = 10.0in.2

Use seventeen No. 7 bars (As = 10.2 in.2).

The 1983 ACI Code is not explicit concerning minimum steel for footings. Hence, some
structural engineers use 0.002bh for minimum steel area if ƒy 40,000 psi and 0.0018bh if ƒy =
60,000 psi. This corresponds to temperature and shrinkage reinforcement requirements. The
assumed footing weight must finally be checked. The total weight is

WF = (8.5) (8.5) (29) (12.5) / 1000 = 26.2 kips

And the weight per pile is 26.2/ 9 = 2.91 kips / pile. The assumed weight of 3.0 kips / pile is
most satisfactory. The final details are shown in Fig. 5.

Figure 5

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