IS 291 1 (Part 1/See 3) : 2010

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Indian Standard
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF PILE
FOUNDATIONS - CODE OF PRACTICE
PART 1 CONCRETE PILES

Section 3 Driven Precast Concrete Piles

( Second Revision )

O BIS 2010

BUREAU OF INDIAN STANDARDS

MANAK BHAVAN, 9 BAHADUR SHAH ZAFAR MARC
NEW DELW 1 10002
May 2011

Price Group 9

Soil and Foundation Engineering Sectional Committee, CED 43

FOREWORD
This Indian Srandard (Part 11Scc 3) (Sccond Revision) was adopted by
Bureau of Indian Standards, after
Ihe drafr finalized by h e Soil and Foundation Engineering Sectional Commirree had been approvcd by the
Civil Engineering Division Council.
Piles rind applicarion in founda~ions10 tmsfcr loads lrom a structure lo competent subsurface smata having
adequate load-bearing capacity. The load transfer mcchanism from a pile lo [he surrounding ground is
complicaled and is no1 ye1 fully understood, allhaugh applicarion of piled foundalions is in practice ovcr
many decades. Broadly, piles lransfer axial loads either subslantially by friction along iu shah andlor by
h e end-bearing. Piles arc uscd whcrc cithcr of the above load rransfer mechanism is possiblc dcpending
upon [he subsoil srra~ificarionat a particular sitc. Construction of pile foundations require a carcful choice
or piling sysrern depending upon the subsoil condi~ions,thc load characleris~icsof a structure and thc
limitatiom of total scalcmcnt, differenliaI senlernent and any o ~ h e rspccial rcquircment of a project. The
installation of pilcs dcmands carcful control on position, alignmenr and deprh. and involvc specialized skill
and experience.
This standard was originally pubIishcd in 1964 and included provisions regarding drivcn cast
in-sirrr piles, precast concrete piles, bored piles and undcr-rcamcd piles including load lest ing of piles.
Subscqucntly rhe portion pertaining to under-reamed pile founda~ionswas deleted and now covered in
IS 291 I (Pad 3) : 1980 'Code of ptacticc for design and consrruction or pile foundations: Part 3 Underreamed piles (fir31 revisiotl)'. Ar that timc i~ was also dccided that the provisions regarding orher typcs of
pilcs should also be published separarely for ease of rcfcrcncc and to take into account the recent
developments in h i s field. Consequenlly [his standard was revised in 1979 into ~hrccscclion. La~er,in
1984, a new seclion as (Part llSec 4) was inuoduccd in Lbis pan of the standard to cover [he provisions of
bored precasl concrete piles. The portion relating to load tcst on pilcs has been covered in a separare part,
namcly, IS 2911 (Pan 4) : 1984 'Code of praclice for design and canstruction of pile ioundalions: Part4
Load rest on piles. Accordingly IS 291 1 has been published in Four parts. The othcr p m ~ sof h i s standard

are:
Part 2
Timber piles
Part 3
Under-reamed piles
Part 4
Load test on piles
Othcr scctions of Pad I are:
Scction 1 Driven cast in-sittr concrete piles
Section 2 Bored cast ill-sit11 concrele piles
Scction 4 Precast concrrte piles in prebored holes
It has becn fell that h e provisions regarding the difrerent types of piles should be furthcr revised to take
into account the recent dcvclopments in this field. This revision has been brough~out LO incorporate thcse
developments.
In thc presenl revision following major modifications havc bccn madc:

a) Definitions of various terms have been modified as per Ihc prevailing cnginccring practice.
b) Proccdurcs for calcuIation of bearing capacity, srrucrural capacity, laelor of safcty, lnleral load
capacity, overloading, eLc, havc also been modified ro bring them at par wilh the present practices.
c)

Design pararncters with rcspcct to adhesion factor, eanh pressure coefficient, modulus of subgrade
reaction, etc, have been revised to makc them consistence wilh the outcome of modem research and

construction praclices.

(Contintred on third cover)

(Conrittrredfrorn second cover)

d) Provision has been made for use of any es~ablishcddynamic pilc driving formulae, inslead of

recommending any specific formula, to control the pile driving at site, giving due consideration to
limitalions of various formulae.

e) Minimum gradc of concrclc 10 bc uscd in pilc foundations has been revised lo M 25. Minimum time
of curing bcfore handling of prccast pilcs has bccn modified.
Driven prccast concrctc pilc is a pilc construc~cdin a casting yard and subscqucnlly drivcn in the ground
with or without jetting. or other technics likc prcboring (depending on the conditions of soil) when ~ h pile
c
has artained sufficien~s~renglh.By driving, [he subsoil is displaced and remain in direcl contact with thc
pile. These piles find wide application particularly for structures, such as, wharves. jerries, elc, lo act as a
Cree s~andingpile above the soillwater level or whcre condilions are unravourable Tor use or cast ill-sitrr
piles.

The recornrnendalions for delailing for earthquakc-resistant construction givcn in IS 13920 : 1993 'Ductile
detailing of reinforced concretc struclurcs subjcc~cdto scismic forccs - Codc of practice' should be taken
into considcra~ion,whcrc applicable (see also IS 4316 : 1993 'Earzhquakc rcsistan~design and construction
of buildings - Code of prac~ice').

The composition of [he Commitlee responsible for the formulation of this standard is given in Annex F.
For thc purpose of deciding whether a particular requiremen1 of h i s standard is complied with, h e final
value, observed or calculaled, expressing the resull or a lest or anaIysis shall be rounded off in accordance
with IS 2 : 1960 'Rules for rounding off numerical values (revised)'. The number of significan~places
relained in thc roundcd off valuc should bc thc sarnc as that of thc spccificd valuc in this standard.

IS 2911 (Part VSec 3) : 2010

Indian Standard
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF PILE
FOUNDATIONS -CODE OF PRACTICE
PAHT t CONCRETE PILES
Section 3 Driven Precast Concrete Piles

( Second Revision )
1 SCOPE

1.1 This srandard (Part 1ISec 3) covers [he design

and construcrion or driven precast concrete piles of
solid scction which mnsmit the load Lo h c soil by
resisrancc dcvclopcd cither a1 [he pile lip by cndbearing or along thc surfacc of the shah by Friction
or by bolh.
1.2 This standard i s not applicable for use oT driven
prccast concrete piles for any ohcr purpose, for
examplc, tcrnporary or permanen1 retaining structure.
2 REFERENCES

a) Elastic displacemen1 o i the soil participating

in
load transfer, and
b) Elastic displaccmcni or the piIe shah.
3.6 Factor of Safety -I t is the ntia of chc ultimate
load capacity of a pile lo lhz safe load on thc pilc.

3.7 Gross Displacement - Thc tolal movement of

the pilc top under a given load.
3.8 Initial Load Test - A lesl pile is [ested to
dctcrmine the load-carrying capacity of the pile by
loading cithcr to iu ultimate load or to lwice the
cstirnaied safe laad.

3.9 Initial Test Pile -Onc or more piles, which are

not working piles, may be installed if rcquired to
assess the load-carrying capacicy of a pilc. These
piles are tested cither to [heir ullirnate load capacity
or to twice [he estimated salc load.
3.10 Load Bearing Pile
A pile formed in the
ground for transmitling the load of a slructure lo the
soil by thc resistance developed at its tip and/or
along ils surface. It may be formed eirher vertically
or acan inclinarion (batter pile) and may be required
3 TERMINOLOGY
to resist uplift forces.
For the purposc of this slandard, [he following 11 [he pile supports (he load primarily by resistance
definitions shall apply.
dcvclopcd a l the pile tip or basc it is called 'End3.1 AlIowable Load - The load which may be bearing pilc' and i f primarily by friction along its
applicd to a pile aRer raking inro accounl its surface, h e n 'Friction pile'.
ullimate load capacity, group cffccl, [he allowable 3.11 Net Displacement .- The net vcrlicai
scttlemenl, negalive skin friction and other relevant movement o r the pilc top after the piIe has been
loading conditions.
subjcctcd to a lesr load and subscquently released.
3.2 Anchor PiIe - An anchor pilc means a pile 3.12 PiIe Spacing -The spacing of pilcs rncans the
mean[ for resisting pull or up1 iir forces.
cenlre-lo-centre distance between adjacent piles.
3.3 Batter Pile (Raker Pile)
The pilc which is 3.13 Precast Driven Pile - A piIe constructed in
inslalled at an anglc to the venical using temporary concrelc in a cas~ingyard and subscquently driven into
casing or permanent lincr.
the ground when it has anained sufficient strcngh.
3.4 Cut-off Level - It is the level where a pile is 3.14 Routine Test Pile
A pile which is selecled
cul-off to support [he pile caps or beams or any other
Tor load testing may form a working pile itself. if
srructunl componcnls a1 that level.
subjected ro routine load tcst up to not more lhan
3.5 Elastic Displacement - This is the magnitude 1.5 times [he safe load.
af displacement OF the pile head during rebound on 3.15 Safe Load - It is the loud derived by
removal of a given test load. This comprises rwo applying a faclor of saFety on the ultimate load
corn panents:
capacity of the pilc or as delerrnined from load tcst.

The standards listed in Annex A contain provisions

which through reference in this rcxt, constitule
provisions of this standard. At (he lime of
publicarion, [he editions indicated were valid. All
standards are subject to revision and parties to
agrecmcnts based on [his standard are encouraged to
invesrigate Ihc possibility of applying thc most
rcccnt edirions or the standards listed in Annex A.

IS 2911 (Part USec 3) : 2010

3.16 Ultimate Load Capacity - The maximum
load which a pile can carry beiorc hilurc. that is,
when the founding slnta fails by shcar as evidcnccd
frorn the load settlcmcnt curvc or the pile hils a s 3
s~ruc~uml
member.
3.17 Working Load -The load assigned 10 a pile
as per design.
3.18 Working Pile - A pile forming par1 of rhc
foundation syslem of a given structure.

roundation work.
4.3 Thc design dctails of pile foundalion shall givc
the idormation necessary lor selling out, layout of
piles, cut-orf Icvcls, rinishcd cap lcvel. layout and
orientation of pile cap in the foundalion plan and
he safe capacity OF each lype of pile, etc.

4 NECESSARY INFORMATION

5 EQUIPMENTS AND ACCESSORIES

4.1 For rhe satisfactory design and cooswction of

driven precast piles the lollowing informatian would
be necessary:

5.1 The equipmenls and accessories would dcpcnd

upon thc iypc of prccast driven piles, giving due
considera~ionto the subsoil strata, ground-water
condi~ions, types O F rounding malerial and thc
required penetration therein, whcrevcr applicable.

4.2 As far as possible all informations givcn in 4.1

shalI be made available to thc agcncy rcsponsible
Tor the design andlor construc~ionof piles andlor

a) Sitc invcstigatim dam as laid down under

IS 1892. Sections of trial boring,
supplemenled. whcrcvcr apprapriate, by 5.2 Among the commonly uscd plants. 1001s and
penetration tcsts, should incorponle dab/ accessories, lherc cxisls a large variety; sui~ability
information down to depth sufficiently of which depends on [he subsoil condilion. manncr
bclow the anticipated Ievel 01 rounding of of operation, etc. Brief definitions of some
piles but [his should gencrally bc noh lcss commonly uscd cquipmen~are given bclow.
than 10 m bcyond h e pile rounding level. 5.2.1 Dolly - A cushion of hardwood or some
Adcquacy of the bearing strata should be suitable material placcd on the top of the casing lo
cnsured by supplemenlary tests, if rcquircd. rcccivc thc bIows of the hammer.
b) The nature of rhe soil both around and 5.2.2 Dmp Hutnrner (or Monkey) - Hammer, ram or
beneath Ihe proposed pilc should be monkey n i s e d by a winch and allowed lo fall under
indicated on the basis of appropriale tesls of gravity.
strength, compressibility, etc. Ground waler 5.23 Single or Double Acling Hatntner - A hammer
lcvel and anesian conditions, if any, should operated by steam cornpresscd air or internal
also be recorded. R e s u l ~of~chemical tests to cornbuslion, the encrgy of its blows being derived
ascertain the sulphate, chloride and any mainly from thc source of motive power and not from
othcr deleterious chemical conlenL of soil gravity alone.
and water should be indicatcd.
5.2.4 Hydraulic Han~~tier
-A hammer operated by
c) For piling work in waler, as in [he case of a hydraulic fluid can be used wirh advantage for
bridgc foundation dala on high flood levels, increasing h e energy of blow.
water level during the working season, 5.26 Kenfledge - Dead weight uscd for applying
maximum depth of scour, etc, and in the case a test load on a pile.
af marine construction, d a ~ aon high and low
5.2.6 Pile Rig - A movabIe steel slruclure for
tide level, corrosive action or cbcmical
driving piles in the corrcct position and alignment
presenl and data rcgarding flow of water
by means of a hammer openting in the guides of the
should be provided.
frame.
d) Thc gencral layou~of Ihe srruclure showing
es~irnatedloads and moments at the tap of 6 DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
pile caps bul excluding Ihe weight of the
piles and caps should be provided. The top 6.1 General
levels of finished pilc caps sholl also be Pile foundations shd1 bc designed in such a way that
indicatcd.
the load frorn the slructure can be transmitted to rhc
e) All transient loads due 10 seismic, wind and sub-surlacz with adequate factor of safety againsr
forces due lo water currcnt, ctc. indica~ed shear failure or sub-surface and without causing such
scparalely.
seltlement (differcntial or rolal). which may result in
structural
damage andlor functional distress under
f) In soils susceptible to liquefaction during
perrnanendlransienl
loading. Thc pilc shaft should
earlhquake appropriate analysis may be
have
adequate
structural
capacity to withstand all
donc to determine the depth of liquefaction
loads
(vertical,
axial
or
orherwise)
and moments
and consider the pilc dcpth accordingly.

IS 2911 (Part VSec 3) : 2010

which are lo be transmitted to thc subsoil and shall
be designed according to IS 456.
6.2 Adjacent Struehlrs

6.2.1 Whcn working near exisling stnrclures cam

shall bc takcn to avoid damage to such structures.
IS 2974 (Part 1) may be uscd as a guidc for s~udy
ing
qualihlively the effecl OF vibration on persons and
slructurcs.
6.2.2 In casc of dccp excavations adjacent to piles,
proper shoring or other suimble arrangement shall be
made to guard against undcsircd laleral movemenl
or soil.

6.3 Pile Capacity

The load-carrying capaciry OF a pile dcpcnds on [he
properlies or Ihe soil i n which ir i s ernbeddcd. Axial
load from o pile is normally transmitted LO h c soil
through skin triciian dong thc shaft and end-bearing
at its tip. A horizontal load on a vcriical pile is
rransmilled lo rhe subsoil primarily by horizontal
subgrade rcaction generated in the upper pan of h e
shaft. Larcral load-capacity of a single pile depends
on [he soil reaction dcvelopcd and thc s!rucrunl
capaci~yOF [he shaft under bending. It would be
csscntial lo investigate the lateral load-capacity of
h e pilc using appropriate values or horizontal
subgrade modulus of the soil. Altcmativcly, pilcs
may be inslalled in rake.
6.3.1 The ul~irnateload capacity of a pilc may be
estimated by means of stalk Formula on the basis of
soil lcst rcsults, or by using a dynamic pile formula
using dara obtaincd during driving the pile.
However, dynamic pile driving Formula should be
generally used as a mcasure to control the pile
driving at site. Pile capacity should prcfcrably be
confirmed by inirial load tesb [see IS 291 1 (Part 411.
Thc scttlcmcni of pile oblained a[ safe loadworking
load from load-tcst rcsuks on a single pile shall not
be directly used for estimating lhe settlement of a
struclurc. The settlemenl may be determined on rhc
basis of subsoil data and loading detnils of the
slruclure as a whole using h e principlcs of soil
mcchanics.

The ullirnate load capacity OF a

applicable for cohesive and non-cohcsive soil

rcspeclively, are indicated in Annex B. Olher formula
based on static cone penetration tesL [see IS 4968
(Parts 1 , 2 and 3)] and standard penetration lest (see
IS 2131) arc givcn in B-3 and B-4.

Any eslablished dynamic formula can be used 10

conlrol [he pile driving at site giving due
consideration to limitations of various formulac.
Whencvcr doublc acting diesel hammers or hydraulic
hammers arc uscd for driving of piles, manufacturrr's
guidelines a b o u ~energy and scl criteria may be
rcferred ro. Dynamic formulae arc not directly
applicable lo cohesive soil deposits, such as,
saturated sills and days xs the resistance to irnpac~
of the lip of h e casing will be exaggerated by their
low pemeabili ty while the frictional resislance on
thc sidcs is reduced by lubrication.

The uplift capacity of a pile is given by sum of the

rrictional rcsistancc and Ihe weight of the pilc
(buoyant or total as rclcvant). The recommended
factor of saFety is 3.0 in lhe absence of any p ~ l l o u t
test rcsults and 2.0 wilh pullout test resul~s.Uplilt
capacity can bc obtaincd from slalic Formula (see
Annex B) by ignoring end-bearing but adding
wcight oi the pile (buoyant or total as relevant).
6.4 Negative Skin Friction or Dragdown Force
When a soil stratum. lhrough which a pile shaft has
pcncrrated into an underlying hard stratum,

compresses as a rcsult of either i~ being

unconsolidated or it being under a ncwly placed fill
or as n result of remaulding during driving of thc
pile. a dragdown force is generated along h e pilc
shait up to a point in dcpth where Ihe surrounding
soil does no1 move downward relative lo the pile
shaft. Existence of such a phenomenon shall be
asscsscd and sui~ablccorreclion shall be made to Ihc
allowable load where appropriate.
6.5 Structural Capacity

The piles shall have necessary structural strengh to

wansrni~the loads imposed on it, ultimatcly to the
soil. In cast of uplift, the structural capacity or thc
pile, that is, undcr tension should also be considered.

single pile may bc

obtained by using slatic analysis, he accuracy being
dependem on the reliability of Lhc soil properlies Tor
various slrara. When computing capacity by slatic
formula, thc shcnr strenglh pnrameters obtained from Where a pilc i s wholely crnbedded in h e soil
a limited number of borcholc data and laboratory (hnving an undrained shear slrcnglh not lcss lhan
tesls should be supplemented, whcrever possible by 0.01 N/mm'), irs axial load-carrying capacity is not
in-situ shcar strcngth parameters ob~ainedfrom field limited by its strcngth s a long column. Where piles
rests. The lwo separate static formulae, commonly are installed lhmugh very weak soils (having an

IS 2911 (Part USec 3) : 2010

undraincd shear strcngth less lhan 0.01 N/mm2),
special considerations shall bc made to determine
wheher the shaft would bchavc as a long column or
no[; if necessary, sui~ablereductions shall bc made for
its struc~urnlstrength following h e normal stmc~unl
principles covcring Lhc buckling phenomenon.
When the finished pile projecls above ground level
and is nor secured against buckling by adcquatc
bncing, the efleclive lcngth will be governcd by thc
fixity irnposcd on it by the structure it supports and
by h e nature of thc soil into which it is installed. The
deph below h e ground surracc to the lower point of
conrraflexure varies wiG the type of Lhc soil. In good
soil Ihc lower point of conlnflexure may be raken at
e dcpth of I m bclow ground surrace subject to a
minimum of 3 times rhc dimctcr of thc shaft. In weak
soil (undnined shear srrenglh less han 0.01 N/rnm2),
such as. SOIL
clay or soft sill, [his poinl may be [aken
at about half b c d c p h of pcnctration inlo such
stratum but not more than 3 rn or 10 times [he
diameter of the shah whichever is more. Thc dcgrce
of fwity of Ihc position and inclination or lhe pile top
and the restraint providcd by any bracing shall be
estimated following accepied structural principles.
Thc pcrmissibtc strcss shall be rcduced in accordance
wi!h similar pravision for reinforced concrete
columns as laid down in IS 456.
6.5.2 Lateral Load-Capaciry
A pilc may bc subjectcd to IareraI force For a number
of causes, such as, wind. cadquakc. water current,
eanh pressure, effecl of moving vehicles or ships,
plant and equipmenl, etc. The lateral load-capacity
of a single pilc depends not only on the horizonla1
subgrade modulus of the surrounding soil but aiso
on the struclural slrenglb of the pile shah against
bending. conscqucnt upon application of a lateral
load. While considering lateral load on pilcs, cffect
of olher co-existent loads, including the axial load
on h e pilc. should be lakcn into consideration For
checking the structunl capacity of ~ h cshaft. A
recommended method for the pile analysis undcr
lateral load is given in Annex C.
Because of limilcd information on horizontal
subgnde modulus of soil and pending refincrncnls
in thc lhcorcrical nnnlysis, it is suggested [hat the
adequacy of a dcsign should bc checked by an
actual field load test. In the zone of soil: susccplible
to liquefaction he lalenl resistance of the soil shall
not be considered.
6.5.2.1 Fixed and free Iteod condifiolrs
A group of Lhrcc or morc pile c o ~ e c l e dby a rigid
pile cap shall be considcred to havc f ~ c dhcad
condition. Caps for single piles must be

inlerco~ccledby grade beams in two directions and

for twin pilcs by grade beams in a Iine transvcrsc to
he common axis of thc pair so that the pilc hcad is
Fxed. I n all other conditions the pile shall be taken
as Trcc headed.
6.5.3 Raker Piles

Raker piles are normally provided where verlical

pilcs cannot resist [he applicd horizontal forces.
Gcncrally thc rake will be limited to 1 horizontal to
6 verticaI. In Ihc preliminary design the load on a
raker pile is generally considered lo be axial. The
dislribution af load bclwccn rakcr and venical piles
in a group may be derermined by graphical or
analytical mcthods. Where necessary, duc
consideration should bc made Tor secondary bending
induced as a result of thc pilc cap movement,
parlicularly when the cap is rigid. Free-standing rakcr
piles arc subjcctcd to bcnding mornenls due to Lhcir
own weight, or external forces from other causes.
Raker piles, embedded in fill or consolidaring
deposits, may bccome Iarenlly loaded owing to thc
s e ~ d e m e nof~ h e surrounding soil. In consolidaring
clay, special precautions. like provision o f
permanenl casing, should be takcn lor raker piles.
6.6 Spacing of Piles

The minimum ccntrc-to-ccntre spacing of pilcs is

considered from thrcc aspccls. namely,
a) ppraciical xpects of installing thc pilcs;

b) diamctcr of thc pile; and

c) nature of [he load transfcr to the soil and

possible reduction in [he load capacity of
piles group.
NOTE - In the case 01 pilcs of non-circular cmsssection, diamctcr o r rhc circunwribing circle shall b t

ndop~cd.

6.6.1 In case of piles foundcd on hard slraturn and

deriving [heir capacity mainly from cnd-bearing [he
minimum spacing shall be 2.5 times the diameter of
the circumscribing circle corresponding to h e crossscction of [he pile shaft. In case of pilcs rcsting on
rock, the spacing of ~ w olimes [he said diameter may
bc adopted.
6.6.2 Piles dcriving h e i r load-carrying capacity
mainly irom friction shall be spaced sufficiently
apart l o ensure that the zones of soils from which Lhe
pilcs dcrivc thcir suppon do not overlap to such an
exlent that their bearing valucs are reduced.
Generally tbc spacing in such cases shall no[ be lcss
than 3 times the diamctcr of thc pile shafl.
6.7 Pile Groups

6.7.1 In order [a de~erminc tbc loah-camying

capacity of a group of piles a number of efficiency