Well Foundation PDF
Well Foundation PDF
Well Foundation PDF
( Caissons )
Well foundations are being used in India from
very early days.
Taj Mahal was built on such foundations.
Wells are classified as deep foundations.
The main difference between a well and a pile
foundation:
Pile is flexible like a beam under horizontal
loads
well undergoes rigid body movement under
such loads
Wells have different shapes and
accordingly they are named as
( According to shape in plan)
• Circular Wells
• Dumb bell
• Double-D Wells
• Double Octagonal Wells
• Single and Double Rectangular Wells
• Multiple Dredged Holed Wells
• If loads are not too large, but the upper 3-7 m of the soil is not
appropriate, can be applied effectively
1. Cutting Edge
2. Well Curb
3. Bottom Plug
4. Steining
5. Top Plug
6. Well Cap
Open Caisson
Cutting Edge:
• Sharp edge which is provided at the lower end of the
well or open and pneumatic caisson for accelerating
sinking operation is called cutting edge. It is made up
steel or it is made in R.C.C. Its angle to vertical is 30 0
and normally slope of 1 horizontal to 2 vertical given
better result.
• As it is not feasible to
provide reinforcement at the
bottom, it is generally made
thick and a rich concrete
mix (M20) is used.
Sand Filling
The bottom plug concrete is
cured and after curing, the well is
filled with sand in saturated
condition. Sand filling provides
1. Stability to the bottom of the well.
2. Eliminate the tensile forces at the
base
3. Cancels hoop stresses steining
induced in
Steining
• Steining is constructed in concrete or
masonry work.
• Use of steining is to provide dead load
during sinking operation.
Topping
• Covering provided over the well or caisson
is called as topping.
• Sand is filled in between topping and
bottom plug. Topping also acts as a part of
shuttering for laying the well cap.
• The top plug is provided
Top Plug
after the filling is
completed.
• Top plug helps in transferring
the load of the pier and
superstructure to the
steining.
• The thickness of the top
plug is generally kept
greater than 50 % of the smaller
dimension of the dredge hole.
• If sand filling is used, the top
plug is simply constructed using
PCC of 1:2:4 otherwise it is
reinforced with steel bars and
lean concrete of 1:3:6 is used.
Well Cap
• As the shape of the well pier and cap are different, the
well cap forms an interim (acting) layer to accommodate
the pier.
• The well cap is so designed that the base of the pier is
provided with aminimum all round offset.
• The centre of the well cap is made to
coincide with that of the pier and not with
that of the well.
• Such positioning nullifies the effect of the
minor shifts which might have occurred
during well sinking.
Construction
Sequences
Well foundation> construction sequences
A well foundation supporting a bridge pier is
subjected to vertical and horizontal forces. The
various forces acting on the well are