Seminar Presentation

on
“DESIGN OF PILE AND
PILE CAP"
By

SIDDESH H A
(Jr Structural Engineer)
 CONTENTS
1. General
 Introduction
 Pile capacities
 Pile group.
 Design Steps

2. Special Topics
 Negative skin friction
 Socketed pile.

3. Pile Installation
 Installation of Driven piles
 Installation of Bored piles
.
4. Miscellaneous
 Pile cap configurations

5. References
1.GENERAL
 Introduction
A Pile foundation a kind of deep foundation, slender column or long
cylinder made of materials such as concrete or steel which are used to
support the structure and transfer the load at desired depth either by end
bearing or skin friction.

Pile foundations are adopted generally in the following situations:

•Low Bearing Capacity of soil.

•Non availability of proper bearing stratum at shallow depths.

•Heavy loads from the super structure for which shallow foundation
may not be economical or feasible.
.
Classification of Piles

 Based on material
• Concrete
• Steel
• Timber
 Based on method of construction/installation.
• Driven Pre cast Piles.
• Driven Cast in Situ Piles.
• Bored Pre cast piles.
• Bored Cast in situ piles.
 Based on Load transfer mechanism
• End bearing piles
• Friction/Floating piles.
• Bearing cum Friction piles.

.
 Based on sectional area
• Circular
• Square
• H
• Octagonal
• Tubular
 Based on Size
• Micro piles dia. < 150 mm
• Small dia. pile dia. >150mm and <600
mm
• Large dia. piles > 600 mm
 Based on inclination
• Vertical Piles
•. Inclined/ raker Piles
.

Schematic pictures of pile foundation are presented below

Fig.1.Pictorial representation of piles.

.
 .

. Fig.2. Schematics of Pile foundations based on method of construction

 Loads on the pile foundation

• All the loads from super structure viz. Dead loads, Live
loads, Wind loads and Seismic loads.

• The loads from the surrounding soil in case of seismic

event.

• Water loads in the case of off- shore structures

.
.

M
H

Soil layer 1

Soil layer 2

Soil layer 3

Fig.3.Typical loading diagram on a single pile.

Note: 'V' can be either downward or upward depending on the pile is subjected
to compressive or tensile load
.
Piles usually exist as groups which are all integrated by means of a
pile cap as shown below

.
Fig.4.Schematic Representation of Pile group with Pile Cap
Load carrying mechanisms of piles
• End bearing cum friction piles carry vertical compressive
loads partly by means of resistance offered by the hard
stratum at the tip of the pile and partly by the friction
developed between the pile shaft and soil

• Pure friction piles carry the major part of loads only by

means of friction developed between pile shaft and soil and
pure End bearing piles only by means of bearing resistance
at the tip of the pile

• In both the above cases lateral loads are carried by the

lateral resistance offered by the surrounding soil.

.
.

Fig.5. SCHEMATICS SHOWING AXIAL LOAD CARRYING MECHANISM

.
Fig.6. Load distribution mechanism
 Fig.7.Load carrying mechanism of pile Subjected to tension/pullout

Pile in tension
Only friction and weight of pile will
. resist tension.
 Pile Capacities

Various capacities of pile commonly used in practice

•Axial capacity

•Lateral capacity

•Pullout capacity or Tension capacity

.
Different approaches estimate the capacity of a Pile
The two approaches for obtaining capacity of the pile are

• Theoretical Approach
In this approach the pile capacity is calculated using some
formulae into which soil data is fed for obtaining the
capacity.

Field approach
In this approach the pile is loaded to the desired level and
its capacity is estimated.
The main purpose of under reporting the pile capacity by dividing it
with a factor of safety is to accommodate various un certainties in

•Soil strata

•Loading

•Possible reduction in strength of sub soil strata due to installation

technique, etc.
Theoretical Approach

Data required

• Soil parameters like cohesion c, angle of internal friction ø,

adhesion factor between soil and pile material, etc.

• SPT Values ( N values).

• Average cone resistance in case of CPT, etc.

.
Critical depth.

It is the depth below the GL from where there is NO linear

variation of overburden pressure it becomes constant.

IS 2911 part 1 sec 2 recommends following to get critical

depth.

• 15 times the diameter of the pile shaft for the soils with angle
of internal friction less than or equal to 30°.

• 20 times the diameter of the pile shaft for the soils with angle
of internal friction greater than or equal to 40°.
.
Axial Capacity
The fundamental equation for axial capacity of pile is

QU = Qb + Qs

Where,
QU = Ultimate Load carrying capacity of pile
Qb =End bearing resistance= qbAb
Qs = Skin friction resistance= fsAs

Where,
qb = Ultimate unit bearing capacity at base.
Ab = Bearing area of the pile base
fs = Unit skin friction.
As = Surface area of the portion of pile
 Lateral Capacity of Piles

• The laterally loaded pile unlike an axially loaded pile is a

three dimensional problem.

• In case of circular pile, the problem can be analyzed as

two-dimensional due to symmetry.

• A vertical pile resists lateral load by mobilizing passive

pressure in the soil surrounding it.

.
Laterally loaded pile
The stresses/forces mobilized immediately after the lateral load is
applied, are depicted below ( For piles of other shapes also the same
forces are mobilized)

. Fig.8. Forces mobilized around circular pile

subjected to lateral loading( Plan view)
Piles under horizontal loads

Fig.9. Piles under horizontal loads as simple cantilevers

 X
Fig.10 .Load carrying mechanism of pile subjected to Lateral Loading and Moment

.
.
Equations proposed based on theory of beam on elastic foundation (Winkler approach)

Fig.12. Winkler’s model for laterally loaded piles

Simplified solution

Broms developed a simplified solution for ultimate lateral

resistance of piles based on the following assumptions.

• Shear failure of surrounding soil (in case of rigid piles).

• Bending of the pile by plastic yield resistance of section

( in case of flexible piles).
 sand

sand clay
clay

(a) Rigid piles (b) Flexible piles

Fig.12. Broms’s solution for ultimate resistance

 Uplift Capacity of Piles

The major components resisting uplift forces on pile foundation are

skin friction and self weight of the pile.
( As shown in Fig 7)

So the governing equation for uplift capacity is

Quplift = Frictional resistance + Weight of the pile

Load Tests On a Piles .
Load tests on piles is carried out in accordance to the
IS 2911: 1985(Part 4)

The load tests are categorized as

•Vertical load test
•Lateral load test
•Pull out test

.
Field setup for a Static Axial compressive load test on a single pile

Fig.13.Test Set up

.
 Fig.14. Load V/S Settlement curve

From the above plots the ultimate pile load is commonly taken as the load where the load
settlement curve approaches a vertical asymptote
.
 Lateral Load test
inclinometer

Loading
rod

Fig.15. Lateral Loading is applied through the rod on to the pile by means of a Hydraulic jack
Pullout or Tension Capacity

• Just like axial pile load test, pullout load test is done by
applying load in the opposite direction

• The load test setup is similar to the axial compressive load

test with little modifications.

.
 Pile Groups
• Most pile foundations contain group of piles instead of single pile

• The supporting capacity of a group of ‘n’ similar piles in many cases

(not in all cases) is ≤ ‘n’ times the capacity of a single pile- reason being
the zone of soil or rock stressed by the entire group extends to much
greater width and depth than that by a single pile
as shown in the fig.16

Fig.16. Stress distribution criteria

Pile group efficiency factor(η) is usually calculated using any of the
following six methods

1) Converse labarre’s method

Where, ‘ni’ represents no. of rows and columns ‘d’ is the dia of the pile and ‘s’ c/c
spacing between adjacent piles.

2)Feld’s rule: reduces the capacity of each pile by 0.0625 for each adjacent pile. The
spacing of piles is not considered.
3) Contractor’s rule: The pile capacity is reduced by a factor I for each
adjacent pile. where I =d/8s

4) Sand’s rule:

5) Los Angles group action method:

6) Seiler- Keeney method:

Ultimate Axial Capacity
Ultimate capacity of pile group is usually the smaller of
a) Ultimate capacity = m x n ( ultimate capacity of single pile in the
group) where m= no. of rows and n= no. of columns in the group (in
plan view)

b) Ultimate capacity = L * B *(unit bearing resistance) + 2*(L+B) *Unit

frictional resistance
Where L& B are plan dimensions of imaginary block encircling the pile
group
 Ultimate Uplift Capacity

Fig.17. Pile group subjected to uplift force

where Tg is the combined uplift capacity of group and Ti sum of uplift capacities of all
individual piles
 Design Steps
Design of pile foundation involves the following steps

1) Calculating the ultimate and then safe carrying capacity of pile of given
material for a given soil data using the theoretical methods or from field test.

2) Arriving at the number of piles required for a given loading from the
structure by considering the group effects on piles.

3) Designing the pile cap, which is usually considered as rigid member in a pile
group.

4) Calculation of load on each piles

5) Calculation of moments on pile cap along X and Y directions .

6) Check for one way and Punching shear( Enhancement factor consideration)

7) Carrying out settlement analysis to ensure that are within the limits.

Reinforcement specifications for piles:(IS 2911part 1 sec 3, cl 6.12.1)

• Longitudinal reinforcement--- 1.25% for L/D <30.

--- 1.5% for 30< L/D <40.
--- 2% for L/D >40.

• Lateral reinforcement
 0.2% gross volume of pile in body of pile.

 0.6% gross volume of pile at ends upto a distance of 3D.

Where ,
L- Length of pile.
D- Dia or least lateral dimension of pile.
2.SPECIAL TOPICS
 Negative Skin Friction

Negative skin friction

Negative skin friction is a downward shear drag acting on the pile surface
due to relative downward movement of soil strata surrounding the pile.

The following are some of the causes of negative skin friction

•Due to pile or pile segment passing through compressible soil

stratum which consolidates.

•Due to placement of a fill on compressible soil layer causing the

layer to consolidate.

•Lowering of ground water table causing the shrinkage of

expansive soils.

•Under consolidated natural or compacted soils.

 Initial position of compressible deposit

Final position of compressible deposit

Fig.19. Downward drag( negative skin friction)

•Vesic stated that downward movement as little as 0.6 inch may be sufficient
to mobilize full negative skin friction.
•The down drag will not affect the geotechnical capacity of end-bearing piles
but will increase stresses on the pile and pile cap.
The negative skin friction of a single pile is given by
Negative skin friction load = Unit frictional resistance (downward)*
Length of the pile above bottom of the compressible layer * Perimeter of
the pile cross section
And total downward load= negative skin friction load + live load + dead
Methods of Mitigating Negative Skin Friction

The following methods are used to mitigate skin friction in piles:

1. Coat the surface of the precast pile with thick coat of special bituminous paint
which have been proved to reduce skin friction as much as 90 per cent of the
theoretical value.

2. Drive the piles inside a casing In the top negative friction height, the space
between pile and casing is filled with a viscous material and the casing is withdrawn
after installing the pile.
 Socketed Piles
Socketed piles
Socketed piles are usually end bearing piles which are socketed into a
weathered/soft rock.
Why socketing?

The common belief is socketing pile into a soft or weathered rock will
improve the capacities of piles to lateral loads when the surrounding soil
above the rock is weak.

The depth of socket is designed based on

•Local experience/empirical formulae: Usually a socket of depth varying from 2

to 5 times the diameter of the pile.
Pile Socketed into weathered rock

M
H Pile

Sand

Soil over
Stiff clay burden

Murum

Socket length
Soft/ weathered rock

Pile Tip
S rock
solid

Fig.20.Socketed pile
 Dynamic testing of Piles

• Dynamic pile testing is fast and effective method for assessing

bearing capacity of the foundation that requires instrumenting deep
foundations with accelerometers and strain transducers and
analyzing the data collected by these transducers.

• The testing in addition to bearing capacity gives shaft resistance

and point bearing resistance distribution and also evaluates the
shape and integrity of the foundation
 Setup to produce
impact on the pile

Data collector
and Analyzer
called pile
driving analyzer
( PDA)
Fig. 21.Dynamic pile testing setup
.

Fig.22. Dynamic pile testing at site

Dynamic loading on piles

The following are the most common situations in which piles

are subjected to dynamic loading

•Pile driving.

•Piles supporting dynamic equipment.

•Earthquake.
Pile driving

•Usually ‘Driven’ piles are driven into the ground by impact force which
causes considerable stresses in the piles.

•The forces and accelerations induced in the pile during driving are
recorded using a data logger called Pile Driving Analyzer( PDA).

•The data obtained by PDA will be used to study the pile integrity and
potentially dangerous defects like honey combing, cracks, presence of
foreign matter, etc.

•The PDA works on the principles of wave propagation.

Smith – wave analysis method

• It’s a Numerical method used in construction control of driven piles.

• Division of piles into springs and masses.

• Elasticity of each pile element is represented by individual springs spring such

as k3,k4 ……..k11 and k12 represents pile tip resistance.

• Model simulates pile driving that is initiated by imparting hammer energy to

the ram.

• Compression waves generated and travels down to bottom of pile and reflect
back as wave moving in upward.

• Detailed analysis should be made by using output results to get pile capacity
wrt number of blows.
Fig.23.Smith Wave equation model
Fig.24.Plots of Smith
Wave Equation Model
 Piles supporting dynamic equipment.

• Piles supporting dynamic equipment are usually subjected to impact and

periodic forces which act continuously for a long time. This results in a
complex soil- structure problem which calls for a rigorous analysis.
Foundation for dynamic equipment is its self a research area.

Machine(rotating,
reciprocating or impact
type)

Pile cap

Fig.25.Machine on pile foundation

Contd. Next slide

Fig.26. Modes of vibration of machine which are transferred to the piles supporting the foundation
Earthquake loading on piles.
Earthquake loading is catastrophic for the pile foundation due to the fact
that it induces very high lateral loading from the surrounding soil and the
superstructure it carries causing a flexural failure of the pile due to its
slenderness. Hence, this calls for a rigorous study of pile response to
earthquake loading using complex mathematical/computational methods

Fig.27: Potential failure modes of pile foundations subjected to seismic loading

3.PILE INSTALLATION
Pile installation is as important as design. In this section, two
types of methods:

a)Installation by Driving.

b)Installation by Boring.
Before going through pile installation methods understand
the following terminology.

Driven pre-cast pile: The pile is casted in a yard brought to

the site and driven by some mechanism into the soil

Driven Cast-in-situ pile: A casing plugged at bottom is driven

into the ground and then the pile is casted by removing or
retaining the casing

Bored Pre-cast pile: A bore is made and the soil inside is

removed and then a pile casted in some yard is put into the
bore

Bored Cast -in-situ pile: A bore is made the soil is removed

and the pile is casted at site in the bore.
 Installation by Driving
If the driving has to be carried out by hammer, the following factors
should be take into consideration.

•The size and weight of the pile.

•The driving resistance which has to be overcome to achieve the

desired penetration

•The available space and head room in the site.

•The availability of cranes

•The noise restrictions which may be in force in the locality

Hammer guide Drop hammer

Pile( pre cast) or

Casing( cast-in-situ)
Soil

Driving shoe

Fig.28. Schematics of pile driving with hammer

Methods of pile driving
• Dropping weight.
• Explosion.
• Vibration.
• Jacking ( only for micro piles).

Fig.29. Hammer driven pile-real time

Installation by Boring

Fig.30. Installation by mechanical auger schematics

Figure 31: Mechanical Auger-real time
Fig. 32. Rotary Bored Piling- real time
4.MISCELLANEOUS
Fig.33.Pile cap configurations
 References
1. IS CODE 2911:1985 (4 parts)
2. Principles of Foundation Engineering by B.M.Das
3. Foundation Analysis and Design by Joseph. E.Bowels
4. Foundation Design Manual for Practicing Engineers by
Narayan.V.Naik
5. Pile foundation Analysis and Design by Poulus.H.G. and E.H.Davis
6. Foundation Design and Construction by Tomlinson.M.J.
Thank You