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Pile Foundation Notes

The document provides an overview of various types of pile foundations, including driven, bored, concrete, timber, steel, and screw piles, detailing their construction methods, advantages, and disadvantages. It highlights the load-bearing mechanisms, materials used, and specific applications for each type of pile. Key points include the suitability of different piles for various soil conditions and the potential risks associated with their installation.

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Taha Usama
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39 views3 pages

Pile Foundation Notes

The document provides an overview of various types of pile foundations, including driven, bored, concrete, timber, steel, and screw piles, detailing their construction methods, advantages, and disadvantages. It highlights the load-bearing mechanisms, materials used, and specific applications for each type of pile. Key points include the suitability of different piles for various soil conditions and the potential risks associated with their installation.

Uploaded by

Taha Usama
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Foundation Design: Overview of Pile Foundation Types

• Categories of pile foundations:


o Driven (displacement) piles and screw piles: soil is displaced as pile is driven; no open
excavation
o Bored (augered) piles: open excavation formed by auger; hole filled with concrete
• Load is carried by skin friction, end bearing, or a combination of both
• Pile materials: concrete, wood, steel

Concrete Piles

Precast Concrete Piles

• Manufactured in circular, square, octagonal, and other shapes


• May be uniform cross-section or tapered
• Can be made of pre-stressed concrete
• Suitable for both cohesive and cohesionless soils
• Subject to damage during pile driving
• Disadvantages: space and time required for curing; heavy equipment required for transport and
handling; must know pile length initially (before casting)
• Usually driven using H-pile points or “shoes”; may be installed in partially pre-bored holes

Bored Cast-in-Place Concrete Piles

• Two main types:


o Straight shaft (load capacity derived from skin friction)
o Belled (load capacity derived from end bearing)
• Holes are drilled with large-diameter augers; “belling tool” used to form base for belled piles
• Poured in place; no damaged to concrete from pile driving
• Relatively inexpensive compared to driven piles
• Avoids potential damage from ground vibrations caused by pile driving
• Suitable for use in cohesive soils
• Temporary steel casing used for mitigation of sloughing conditions
• Suitable for use in areas where there is a readily available supply of fresh concrete
• Pile length can be adjusted in the field; allows flexibility in adapting to ground conditions
• Concrete piles can generally carry more load than timber piles
• Susceptible to deterioration if harmful chemicals are present (sulphates, chlorides, seawater)

CFA (Continuous Flight Auger) Piles

• Straight-shaft cast-in-place concrete pile formed using a continuous flight auger


• Auger is screwed into soil; plug at base of auger stops soil from entering the drill stem
• Drill to desired depth; plug is ejected with positive pressure maintained to prevent soil ingress;
concrete is injected through auger
• Auger is extracted without rotation (avoid deconsolidation of shaft)
• Tailings are stripped off as auger is removed

Pile Foundation Notes


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• Advantages: can be used in cohesive or cohesionless soils and in areas of high groundwater table, no
temporary casing required, minimal ground vibrations, rapid installation
• Risks: must maintain positive pressure during concrete placement to prevent soil infiltration into
pile, installation problematic in extreme cold weather, difficult to penetrate hard layers

Expanded Base Piles (also known as Franki or Compacto Piles)

• Formed by compacting a “gravel plug” into the bottom of a steel casing, and driving the casing into
the ground with a drop hammer
• After the casing has reached the desired depth, the gravel plug is expelled, and a bulbous pile base is
formed by expelling zero slump concrete
• The pile shaft is formed by expelling zero slump concrete while lifting the casing in increments
• The shaft can also be formed using plastic concrete, although this reduces the load capacity (this is
done to mitigate possibility of damage to adjacent structures)
• Driving forces can result in damage to existing structures and previously installed piles
• Useful in cohesionless soils (dense sands and gravels); soil must be dense for base to be effectively
formed
• Also used locally in very stiff to hard clay till soils, especially where numerous sand and/or gravel
layers are present
• Relatively costly as compared to bored cast-in-place concrete piles; generally suitable where a high
load capacity is required
• Locally available equipment limits depth of installation to about 12 m; deeper piles can be installed,
but costs are incremented by importing equipment

Concrete Rock Socket Piles

• Drilled piles used in relatively softer rocks (for example, used in limestone in the oil sands facilities in
Fort McMurray)
• Piles are drilled into the bedrock; sides are “grooved” to increase the bond adhesion between the
concrete and the rock

Timber Piles

• Manufactured by de-limbing tall, straight trees


• Length of piles limited by maximum tree height
• Typical lengths 6 to 15 m, but may be up to 35 m
• Tapered shape
• “Displacement” piles (soil is displaced during driving)
• Suitable for both cohesive and cohesionless soils; generally used for relatively soft or loose soil
conditions; not suitable for dense or hard soils
• Have been in use for centuries, and are still widely used
• Load capacity lower than for concrete or steel piles; generally suitable for low to moderate load
ranges
• May be damaged by pile driving
• Subject to decay and insect attack
• Cannot be spliced (lengthened)
• Can be chemically treated to prolong service life

Pile Foundation Notes


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Driven Steel Piles

• H sections or pipe sections


• Pipe sections can be driven either open end or closed end
• Steel H sections are strong; however, they are subject to separation of the web and flange during
driving when subjected to high driving energy
• Pipe piles can be filled with concrete to increase pile stiffness
• H-sections are used where displacement of soil by the pile is desired to be minimal (stiffer or denser
soil conditions)
• Closed-end pipe piles are used where displacement of soil by the pile is desirable (softer or loose soil
conditions)
• Susceptible to corrosion (pH and resistivity of soil are checked to assess corrosion potential)
• Can be driven to great depths to obtain bearing support from a hard or dense layer
• Length is adaptable to field soil conditions; can be shortened or extended
• Pile driving forces can result in damage to adjacent structures and heave of previously installed piles

Screw Piles

• Piles consist of steel shafts with one or more helixes; they are screwed into the ground
• Load support is derived from contact between the helix and the surrounding soil
• Have been used for many years as tie-back anchors for retaining walls
• Piles can be removed during site reclamation
• Not suitable for use in gravel deposits; generally suitable for clay, silt and sands

Pile Foundation Notes

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