PILE FOUNDATION
DESIGN
BY
DR. MAGDI ZUMRAWI
Comparison Between Timber and Steel Piles
Description Timber piles Steel piles
Pile length 9 – 20 m 12 – 50 m.
Max load 450 KN 1000 KN
1) High capacity
1) low cost
Advantages 2) Small displacement
2) Easy to handle
3) Easy to penetrate
1) Damage in hard driving 1) Corrosion
2) Decay unless treated 2) HP section may be
Disadvantages
3) Difficult to pull and damaged or deflected
replace when broken. by major obstructions
Remarks Best option for friction pile Best option for end
in granular material bearing on rock.
Comparison Between Concrete Piles
Description Cast-in-place precast
Pile length 10 – 15 m 10 – 25 m.
Max load 900 KN 3500 KN
1) High load capacities
1) Can be re-driven
Advantages 2) Corrosion resistance can
2) Shell not easily damaged.
be attained
1) Hard driving
2) Difficult to handle
1) Considerable
Disadvantages 3) High initial cost.
displacement
4) Considerable
displacement
Remarks Best option for friction piles Cylinder piles are used for
of medium length. bending resistance.
Single Piles Capacity
Single Piles Capacity
Ultimate (max) pile capacity (Qu)
Q u = Qb + Qs
Where: Qb : ultimate pile tip (point) capacity
Qs : ultimate skin capacity
Allowable pile capacity (Qa)
Qa = Qu / SF
(SF : safety factor)
Pile Point Capacity
(1) Using the bearing capacity equation
Qb = Ap(C Nc Sc + q Nq + 0.5 γ B Nγ Sγ)
Where: Ap: area of pile point effective in bearing
Nc,Nq, Nγ, : bearing capacity coefficients
Sc , Sγ : foundation shape coeff.
q : vertical (overburden) pressure at pile point = γ L
( γ : density of soil , L: pile length)
C : cohesion of soil beneath pile point
B : pile end width
Since the pile end width (B) is small so the width term (0.5 γ B
Nγ Sγ) is neglected
Qb = Ap(C Nc Sc + q Nq)
For clay soil : Nc=9 and Nq=1
Using field penetration tests data )2(
using SPT data
Qb = Ap (40 N) Lb/B ≤ Ap (380 N) (KN)
where
N : average number of blows of SPT
Lb: pile penetration depth into point-bearing stratum
Bp: width or diameter of pile point
using CPT data
Qb = Ap qc (KN)
where qc : average cone point resistance
Example (1)
A pile of length 25 m is founded into a dense
medium-coarse sand of density 16.5 KN/m3
and Φ=36 and 17 KN/m3 above and in the
tip zone which is 1.5 m above and below the
pile tip. The average N = 38 in the tip zone.
The pile is an HP with dxb = 361x378 mm.
The GWT is 5 m below the ground surface.
Estimate the ultimate pile point capacity.
Solution
Using Terzaghi equation:
Qb = Ap(C Nc Sc + q Nq )
From table, for Φ=36 Nq= 47.2 ,
Ap= dxb = 0.361*0.378 = 0.136 m2
q = 5*16.5 +18.5(16.5-9.81)+1.5(17-9.81) = 217.1 KPa
Qb = Ap(C Nc Sc + q Nq )
Qb = 0.136 *217.1*47.2
= 1394 KN
Using SPT data:
Qb = Ap (40 N) Lb /B
Qb = 0.136(40*38)(1.5/0.361) = 859 KN
Pile Skin resistance Capacity
(1) Using the soil properties
Qf = ∑As fs
Where:
As : effective pile surface area in which fs acts
As = perimeter x Li
Li : length of soil stratum
fs : skin resistance
fs = C + σn tan δ
C : cohesion for soil stratum
σn: vertical stress on element (length Li & depth zi)
σn = γ zi
δ : friction angle between soil and pile
δ = 0.6 to 0.8 Φ
Pile Friction angle
Pile Material Pile Friction angle ()
Steel 20
Concrete 0.75
Timber 0.67
(2) Using field penetration tests data
Using SPT data
Qf = ∑As fs
For driven piles:
fs= 2 N for sand; fs= 10 N for clay (KPa)
(
For bored piles:
fs= 1 N for sand; fs= 5 N for clay (KPa)
(
Using CPT data
For small volume displacement piles f = q
s s
For large volume displacement piles f = (1.5 to 2.0) q
s s
Settlements of Piles
The settlement of a pile is
∆Hp = ∆Ha + ∆Hpt
Where :
∆Ha is the total axial compression of the pile shaft
∆Hpt is the pile end point settlement
The shaft axial compression
The total axial compression
∆Ha = ∑ ∆Hs
Each segment compression
∆Hs = Pav ∆L / (Aav Ep)
Where: Pav: average axial pile load
∆L: each segment length
Aav: pile cross-sectional area
Ep : shaft modulus of elasticity
The pile end point settlement
∆Hs = ∆q D ( 1 – ν2 ) Iρ / Es
Where:
∆q : bearing pressure at end-point
D : diameter of pile end-point
ν : Poisson’s ratio = 0.35
Iρ : constant coefficient
Iρ = 0.55 if L/D ≤ 5
Iρ = 0.50 if L/D > 5
Es : elastic modulus of soil below the pile end-point.
From SPT : Es= 500(N+15)
From CPT : Es= 3 to 6 qc
Pile Groups
There will be a min. two or
three piles under a foundation
or footing.
A pile cap : unless a single
pile is used, a cap is necessary
to spread the loads to all the
piles in the group, the cap is
of reinforced concrete slab.
Characteristics of Pile Groups
1) Optimum spacing (S):
S = 2.5 to 3.5 D or S = 2 to 3 H
Where D is the pile diameter
H is diagonal of rectangular shape or HP piles.
1) For n piles carrying a total load Q, the load per pile
2) (Pp) = Q/n
3) The pile group efficiency (Eg) = Qg / ∑Qp
Where Qo : group capacity
∑Qp : sum of individual pile capacities of group.
Pile Group Capacity
Ultimate group capacity Qu = Qb + Qf
Qb: end bearing capacity
Qf: group block shear
end bearing capacity (Qb) = Ab (CNc +qNq)
group block shear (Qf) = αSu(perimeter) (length)
Where Ab : group block area
α : constant = 0.6
Su : soil shear strength
Nc: bearing capacity coefficient Nc=9 if D/B≥4
perimeter = ∑pile perimeters
Ultimate group capacity (Qu) = n Qp Eg
Example
A group of 15 friction piles arrange in 3 rows
and 5 column. Pile diameter D = 400 mm and
spacing S = 1000 mm (both ways). The piles in a
clay soil of shear strength C = 30 Kpa and γ = 18
KN/m3. The piles are 20 m in length and assume
there is a 250 mm cap projection beyond the
outer piles. Estimate group capacity (Qu).
L = 4*1+2(0.2+0.25) = 4.9 m
Solution
B = 2*1+2(0.2+0.25) = 2.9 m
L/B = 4.9/2.9 = 1.7
D/B = 20/2.9 = 6.9 >4 use N c= 9, Nq= 1
Block perimeter = 2(4.9+2.9) = 15.6 m
Block area Ag= 4.9*2.9 = 14.21 m2
Soil surcharge pressure = 18*20 = 360 KN/m 2
Qu = Qb + Qf
Qb = Ag(CNc +qNq) = 14.21*(30*9+360) = 8952 KN
Qf = 0.6*Su(perimeter)(length) = 0.6*30*15.6*20 = 5616 KN
Qu = 8952 + 5616 = 14568 KN
Load for single pile = C (perimeter)(length)+A b (CNc +qNq)
= 30*π*0.4*20+0.785*0.42 (9*30+360)
= 754 + 79 = 833 KN per pile
For 15 piles (Qu) = ∑Qp = 15*833 = 12495 KN
The pile group efficiency (E g) = Qo / ∑Qp
Eg = 14568 / 12495 = 1.2
