Steps in Design of Piles

1
 Loads Applied to Piles V
M
 Combinations of vertical, horizontal and moment loading H
may be applied at the soil surface from the overlying
structure
 For the majority of foundations the loads applied to the
piles are primarily vertical
 For piles in wharfs, foundations for bridge piers, tall
chimneys, and offshore piled foundations the lateral
resistance is an important consideration
 The analysis of piles subjected to lateral and moment
loading is more complex than simple vertical loading
because of the soil-structure interaction.
 Pile installation will always cause change of adjacent soil
properties, sometimes good, sometimes bad.
2
 Pile Capacity
 The bearing capacity of a single pile depends upon:
1. Type, size and length of pile
2. Type of soil
3. The method of installation

 The bearing capacity depends primarily on the

method of installation and the type of soil
encountered.
 The position of the water table also affects the bearing
capacity.

3
 Pile Capacity … Cont’d
The allowable capacity of a pile is based on two
factors:
 Structural considerations - the allowable
capacity of the structural member.
 Geotechnical considerations - the allowable
capacity of the bearing material (i.e. soil or rock)

4
 Structural Capacity of Piles
 The structural capacity of a pile is its strength as a
column.
 When the pile is completely embedded in soil, the
restraint offered by the soil is generally sufficient to
consider the pile as a short column (except for the case of a
long pile in very soft clay).
 Pre-cast concrete piles are adequately reinforced to
withstand handling and driving stresses.
 Cast-in-situ piles are also reinforced to increase column
strength and also to resist moment that may have
developed due to horizontal load or eccentricity of vertical
loads.
 Reinforcements are also helpful in resisting tensile
stresses that may develop due to heave resulting from
driving of adjacent piles in clay.
5
 Supporting Strength of Soil
 According to Vesic (1967), only punching shear failure occurs
in deep foundations irrespective of the density of the soil so
long as the depth-width ratio L/d is greater than 4.

(a)Terzaghi (b) Meyerhof (c) Vesic

6
Basic Concept

7
Bearing Capacity of a Single Vertical Pile
The ultimate bearing capacity, Qu of a single vertical pile
may be determined by any of the following methods:

1. By the use of static bearing capacity equations

2. By the use of SPT and CPT values
3. By field load tests
4. By dynamic method
5. By prevailing Building Codes

8
Bearing Capacity … Cont’d

It is permissible to take FS=1.5 for skin friction & Fb =3 for base
resistance b/c the peak value of skin friction on a pile occurs at a
settlement of 3-8 mm (0.5%-1%D) whereas the base resistance
9
requires a greater settlement (10%-20%D) for full mobilization.
End Bearing Resistance

10
Frictional Resistance

11
Total Pile Resistance

12
 Pile in Sand

The net tip load is given by

However, in practice, the deduction of is not usually made & is taken equal to
13
 Tomlinson‘s Solution for Qb in Sand
The theoretical Nq factor is a function of .

There is a great variation in the values of Nq derived by different

investigators, which take into account the depth to width ratio of the pile,
most nearly conform to practical criteria of pile failure. Berezantsev's
values of Nq as adopted by Tomlinson (1986) are given in the next slide.

As per Tomlinson, the maximum base resistance q b is normally limited

to 11,000 kN/m2 whatever might be the penetration depth of the pile.
Different approaches to determine Qb:

1.TOMLINSON'S SOLUTION

2. MEYERHOF'S METHOD
3. VESIC'S METHOD
4. JANBU'S METHOD
5. COYLE AND CASTELLO'S METHOD
14
Tomlinson‘s Solution … Cont’d

15
 Frictional Load

Broms (1966) has related the values of Ks and δ to the effective angle of
internal friction  of cohesionless soils for various pile materials and relative
densities (Dr) as shown in the table. The values are applicable to driven piles.
 As per the present state of knowledge, the maximum skin friction, fs is
limited to 110 kN/m2 (Tomlinson, 1986).

16
 Example 1.1
Determine the allowable capacity (Fs=2.5) of the driven circular pile
in Fig. 1. Assume that  =0.7 and ks=1.2.

Fig. 1

17
Piles in Clay

18
 Adhesion Factor, α
Material of pile Consistency Cohesive strength, c Adhesion
kN/m2 factor, α

Timber & Soft 0-37.5 1-0.90

concrete Medium 37.5-75.0 0.90-0.60
Stiff 75.0-150.0 0.60-0.45
Steel Soft 0-37.5 1.00-0.80
Medium 37.5-75.0 1.00-0.5
Stiff < 0.50

N.B:  value for bored piles is chosen to be 0.7 times the value for driven piles. 19
 Example 1.2
Compute the ultimate capacity of a driven pile (0.25 mx0.25 m square
section and 12 m long) in an offshore structure. The undrained shear
strength varies linearly from 110 kN/m2 at the top to 140 kN/m2 at the
base. Take α =0.5 and sat=20 kN/m3.

20
Bored and Cast-in-Situ Piles in Cohesionless Soils

The assumption of loose conditions for calculating skin friction and

base resistance means that the ultimate carrying capacity of a bored
pile in a cohesionless soil will be considerably lower than that of a pile
driven in the same soil type.

As per De Beer (1965), the base resistance qb of a bored and cast-in-
situ pile is about one third of that of a driven pile.

So far as friction load is concerned, the frictional parameter may be

calculated by assuming a value of  equal to 28° which represents the
loose condition of the soil.

21
 Bearing Capacity of Piles in
Granular Soils Based on SPT
Meyerhof (1956) suggests the following equations for single piles
in granular soils based on SPT values.

Remark:
qb=40N(L/D) < 400N

A minimum factor of safety of 4 is recommended for driven piles and

22
2.5 for bored piles.
 Bearing Capacity of Piles Based on CPT
Vander Veen's Method for Piles in Cohesionless Soils

The ultimate end-bearing resistance of a pile is taken, equal to the point

resistance of the cone.
To allow for the variation of cone resistance which normally occurs, the
method considers average cone resistance over a depth equal to three times the
diameter of the pile above the pile point level and one pile diameter below point.
Experience has shown that if a safety factor of 2.5 is applied to the ultimate
end resistance as determined from cone resistance, the pile is unlikely to settle
more than 15 mm under the working load (Tomlinson, 1986).
The equations for ultimate bearing capacity and allowable load may be written
as:

23
Bearing Capacity of Piles Based on CPT… Cont’d
Vander Veen's Method for Piles in Cohesionless Soils
The skin friction on the pile shaft in cohesionless soils is obtained
from the relationships established by Meyerhof (1956) as follows:
•For displacement piles, the ultimate skin friction, fs , is given by

•For H-section piles, the ultimate limiting skin friction is given by

•Meyerhof states that for straight sided displacement piles, the
ultimate unit skin friction, fs, has a maximum value of 107 kPa and
for H-sections, a maximum of 54 kPa (calculated on all faces of
flanges and web).

•The ultimate skin load is

•The ultimate load capacity of a pile is

N.B: The capacity of bored
piles can be estimated to be
•The allowable load is one-third of that of driven
24
piles.
 Example 1.3
Compute the allowable capacity (Fs=4) of a square pile (0.25 m wide
and 12.5 m long) for the following SPT values by using Meyerhof’s
formula.

Depth (m) 0.5 2.5 4.5 6.5 8.5 10.5 12.5 14.5

Ncor 16 18 20 18 22 24 26 30

25
 Load Test on Pile
Both cohesive and cohesionless soils will have their properties altered
by pile driving. In clays, the disturbance causes remoulding and
consequent loss of strength. With passage of time, much of the original
strength will be regained. The effect of pile driving in sand is to create a
temporary condition wherein extra resistance is developed, which is lost
later by stress relaxation. Hence, the test should be conducted only after
a lapse of a few weeks in clays and at least a few days in sands, in order
that the results obtained be more meaningful for design.

Thixotropy is the phenomenon of

loss in strength on remolding and
gain in strength on standing with no
change in volume or water content.
26
 Load Test on Pile … Cont’d
The allowable load on a single pile may be obtained as one of the
following [I.S: 2911(Part I)-1974]:
1. 50% of the ultimate load at which the total settlement is equal to one-
tenth the diameter of the pile.
2. Two-thirds of the load which causes a total settlement of 12 mm.
3. Two-thirds of the load which causes a net (plastic) settlement of 6
mm (total settlement minus elastic settlement).

27
 Example 1.4
Determine the allowable capacity of a 0.3 m diameter pile of 10 m
length using the following pile load test results:

Load (kN) 0 250 500 750 1000 1250 1500

Settlement during 0 0.75 1.5 2.5 3.5 5 6
loading (cm)
Settlement during 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6
unloading (cm)

28
 Dynamic Pile Driving
The pile-driving formulas use the concept of conservation of
energy and give the dynamic resistance of penetration.

29
Dynamic Pile Driving .... Cont’d
 Because of the swift application of the loads, the dynamic pile
driving formulas are applicable in non-cohesive soils where
pore water pressures do not develop.
 Dynamic methods can lead to dangerous miss-interpretation
of the results of dynamic formula calculation since they
represent conditions at the time of driving. They do not take
in to account the soil conditions which affect the long-term
carrying capacity, reconsolidation, negative skin friction and
group effects.
 Pile-driving formulas should not be used without correlating
the results with soil borings and loading tests or local
experience.

30
Hiley Formula

31
Hiley Formula .... Cont’d

32
Hiley Formula .... Cont’d

 Coefficient of
restitution refers to a
value indicating the
strain energy during
collision regained after
the bodies reverted back
to their original shapes.
If the coefficient of
restitution is equal to
unity, it means that the
collision is elastic and all
energy has been
returned after the
impact action.
33
Engineering News Record Formula

34
Engineering News Record .... Cont’d

35
 Example 1.5
Estimate the allowable load (Fs=2.5) on a 25 kN reinforced concrete
pile driven by a drop hammer (=1) weighing 20kN with an effective
fall of 1m using Hiley’s formula. The temporary elastic compression
of the pile, pile cap and soil may be taken as 20 mm. The average
penetration per blow is 12 mm. Coefficient of restitution is 0.4.

36
 Building Codes
 Based on several years of experience, some
codes give allowable bearing capacity for piles.

 EBCS-7 does not provide users with allowable

values for pile foundations. One may, however,
use the allowable values as recommended by
the German Standards, DIN 4014 and DIN
4026 for preliminary design.

37
 Building Codes ... Cont’d
Table 1: Allowable Loads for Piers (Cast-in-Place Piles) (DIN4014)

Diameter of Piers without Piers with

Pier,d (cm) base: Allowable base:
loads (KN) Allowable
loads (KN)

30 200
35 250
40 300
50 400
60 300
70 380
80 470
90 550
100 650

38
 Building Codes ... Cont’d
Table 2 : Allowable Loads on Driven Wooden Piles (DIN 4026)

Penetration depth in the bearing Allowable loads in kN for different diameters,

soil in (m ) d, in (cm)
15 20 25 30 35
3 150 200 250 300 400
4 150 200 300 400 500
5 0 300 400 500 600
The above values assume densely compacted non-cohesive soil or semi-stiff clay
Table 3: Allowable Loads on Driven Reinforced or Pre-stressed Concrete
Piles With Square Cross-Section (DIN 4026)
Penetration depth in the bearing soil in
(m ) Allowable loads in kN for different sizes, a, in (cm)
20 25 30 35 40
3 200 250 350 450 550
4 250 350 450 600 700
5 0 400 550 700 850
6 0 0 650 800 1000
The above values assume densely compacted non-cohesive soil or semi-stiff clay
39
 Building Codes ... Cont’d
Table 4 : Allowable Loads on Driven Steel Piles(DIN4026)
Penetration depth
in the bearing soil
in (m) Allowable loads in kN

H-Sections Circular* and Square* sections. width or

width or height
in (cm) Diameter, d**, or size, a, in (cm)
30 35 35 or 30 40 or 35 45 or 40
3 0 0 350 450 550
4 0 0 450 600 700
5 450 550 550 700 850
6 550 650 650 800 1000
7 600 750 700 900 1100
8 700 850 800 1000 1200
Note: *The values given are valid for piles with closed tips. For open-ended piles 90% of
the given values may be used, provided the soil around the pile is dense or stiff.
** d =external diameter a = average size length of a square section or area equivalent
rectangular section
40
Building Codes ... Cont’d
Table 5. Approximate Average Values of Skin Friction

Non-Cohesive Soils
Average values of Average value Soil
skin friction Type of skin
Soil Type (kN/m2) Soil Type friction (kN/m2)
Mud 12+/-10 Silty Sand 40+/-10
Sand, medium
Silt 15+/-10 desnse 60+/-25
Soft Clay 20+/-10
Silty Clay 30+/-10 Coarse Sand 100 +/- 50
Sandy Clay 30+/-10 Sand, loose 25
Clay 35+/-10 Sand, very dense 100
Sandy Silt 40+/-10 Gravel 125 +/- 50
Stiff Clay 45+/-10
Dense Sandy Clay 60+/-15
Hard Clay 75+/-20
41
 Piles Founded on Rocky Bed

Qs is commonly neglected.

42
 Under-Reamed Piles
An ‘under-reamed’ pile is a cast-in-situ
concrete piles with an enlarged base or a bulb.
The enlarged base is called a bulb or an under-
ream.
The piles can be single or multi-under-reamed
piles.
The capacity of a pile increases as a result of the
increased base area. The bearing capacity of a pile
may be increased by providing more than one
under-reams along the pile.
The ratio of the bulb diameter to the shaft
diameter may vary from 2 to 3 but normally 2.5
is provided.
Field load tests have indicated that under-
reamed piles work out cheaper as compared to
straight bored piles for the same design load.
43
Single Under-Reamed Piles
The load carrying capacity of a
single under-reamed pile may be
obtained from the equation:

44
Multi Under-Reamed Piles
The load carrying capacity of multi-under-
reamed piles increases with the increase in the
number of bulbs.
If the distance between the centres of bulbs is
not more than 1.5du ,the ultimate carrying
capacity of the multi-under reamed piles may be
determined by making use of the following
equation:

45