PILE FOUNDATION

Foundation Engineering 2
Institut Teknologi Adhitama Surabaya

Created by :
Mila Kusuma Wardani ST.,MT
1
Learning Outcomes

Student should be able to:

• Explain the end bearing and skin friction

contribution to pile capacity.
• Estimate the bearing capacity of a pile.
 Major Building Parts

Superstructure

Substructure

Foundation
Function of a foundation is to transfer the structural loads from a building
safely into the ground. A backyard tool shed may need only wooden skids to
spread its load across an area of ground surface, whereas a house would
need greater stability and consequently its foundation should reach the
underlying soil that is free of organic matter and unreachable by the
winter’s frost.

A larger and heavier building of masonry, steel, or concrete would require

its foundations to go deeper into earth such that the soil or the rock on
which it is founded is competent to carry its massive loads; on some sites,
this means going a hundred feet or more below the surface. Because of the
variety of soil, rock, and water conditions that are encountered below the
surface of the ground and the unique demands that many buildings make
upon the foundations, foundation design is a highly specialized field of
geotechnical engineering.
TYPES OF FOUNDATION
A building consists of superstructure, substructure and the
foundations –
Two types foundations : Shallow and Deep - Depends on whether
the load transfer is at deeper depths or shallower depths - Need for
these two types (soil strength, ground water conditions, foundation
loads, construction methods and impact on adjacent property)

Shallow foundations (column footings without or with tie/grade

beams, individual or combined wall footing, slab on grade, raft)

Deep foundations (caissons with or without sockets, end bearing or

friction piles, pile groups), zone of influence, made of concrete
(regular or site-cast) or steel or wood
 Primary Factors Affecting Secondary Factors Affecting
Foundation Choice Foundation Choice

1. Subsurface soil 1. Construction access, methods & site

2. Ground water conditions conditions

3. Structural requirements 2. Environmental factors

3. Building Codes & Regulations

4. Impact on surrounding structures

5. Construction schedule

6. Construction risks
 TYPES OF SOILS AND CHARACTERISTICS

according to Unified Soil Classification System soil classified :

Rocks and soils - Rocks: Broken into regular and irregular sizes by
joints - Soils (particulate earth material):
Boulder (too large to be lifted by hands), cobble (particle that can be
lifted by a single hand),
gravel aggregates (course grained particle larger than 6.4mm) ,
sand (frictional, size varies from 6.4 to 0.06mm), silts (frictional, low
surface-area to volume ratio, size varies from 0.06 mm to 0.002mm)
and clays (cohesive - fine grained - high surface-area to volume ratio,
size smaller than 0.002 mm) –
Peat (soils not suitable for foundations)
 GRAVEL
• Gravel can be well compacted and allows water to drain freely.
• Gravel soils do not hold water.
• The variety in particle sizes in gravel means that even when
closely packed it still contains voids and drains well.
• Gravel is least likely to be affected by drying out.
 SAND

• Sand is usually considered favourable from the

standpoint of foundation support.
• It can be a problem though usually due to water.
• Water raising through a sand deposit can create an
unstable condition.
• Sandy soils can hold water.
 SILT

• Silty soil is found in flood plains or around lakes.

• Silt holds water well and is soft when wet.
• Silty soil is not a very good foundation material unless it
has been compressed and hardened, or has been dried
out.
 CLAY
• Clay is composed rock particles ground extremely fine or
reduced by weathering.
• Clay soils normally contain water.
• Clay drains slowly and compresses when foundations are
placed upon them.
• Clay has a tendency to absorb water and swell.
FOUNDATIONS - OVERVIEW
• Loads and settlements of foundations - Safe foundations
• Types of soils that make up the foundation - Properties
• Properties of foundations: Strength, Stability, Drainage, etc. - Estimating
soil properties: Exploration and testing
• Construction of foundations - Type of soil layers at the top, excavation,
support for soil, soil strengthening, de-watering
• Types of foundations - Shallow and deep - Influence zone
• Precautions - Seismic base isolation; Underpinning during construction;
Retaining walls; Waterproofing, drainage, reinforcing & insulation; Frost
protection
• Foundation design for optimal cost
• Types of loads on foundations: Dead, live, wind, inclined
thrusts and uplift, water table and earthquake forces.

• Types of settlements: Uniform and differential - Differential

settlement must be minimized, depends on site soil conditions
and distribution of loads on columns supporting the building.

• Requirements of a safe foundation: Structure-foundation

system safe against settlements that would lead to collapse -
Foundation settlement should not damage the structure -
Foundation must be technically and economically feasible.
PROPERTIES OF FOUNDATION

• Strength: Load bearing capacities: Crystalline rocks (very strong -

12,000 psf), sedimentary rocks (intermediate - 6,000 psf) and other
types of soils (relatively lower - 2,000 to 3,000 psf)
• Stable under loads (creep, shrinkage and swelling)
• Drainage characteristics: Porosity and permeability
• Soil property estimation: Subsurface exploration (test pits - less
than 8 ft in depth; borings - greater than 8 ft) - Estimate level of water
table - Testing of soil sample in laboratory for various properties:
Particle size distribution, Liquid limit, Plastic limit, Water content,
Permeability, Shrinkage/ swelling, Shear/compressive strength,
Consolidation (creep and settlement)
 Pile Foundations
How to estimate the capacity of a Pile? What are the approaches?
The two approaches for obtaining capacity of the pile are
• Field approach
In this approach the pile is loaded to the desired level and its capacity is
estimated.
• Theoretical Approach
In this approach the pile capacity is calculated using some formulae into
which soil data is fed for obtaining the capacity.

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.
 Pile Foundations
Situations Which Demand Pile Foundation :
 Sub-soil water table is so high that it can easily affect the other foundations.
 Load coming form the structure is heavy and non uniform.
 Where grillage or raft foundations are either very costly or their adoption
impossible due to local difficulties.
 When it is not possible to maintain foundation trenches in dry condition by
pumping, due to very heavy inflow of seepage or capillary water.
 When it is not possible to timber the excavation trenches in the case of deep strip
foundation. (strip foundation- spread footing under wall ).
 When overlay soil is compressible, and water-logged and firm hard bearing strata
is located at quite a large depth.
 When structures are located on river-bed or sea-shore and foundations are likely to
be scoured due to action of water.
 Large fluctuations in sub-soil water level.
 Canal or deep drainage lines exist near the foundations.
 In the construction of docks, piers and other marine structures they are used as
fender piles.
 Deep Foundations - Purpose
Transfer Building Loads Deep Into The Earth

Basic types
– Drilled (& poured)

– Driven
 Design And Analysis Of Deep Foundation

Pile Classification Based On Bearing Capacity:

END BEARING PILES

FRICTION PILES
In General Most Piles Have End Bearing
And Skin Friction Resistance

Subsoil Conditions Determine The Category Of Pile

Ty p e s o f P i l e s B a s e d o n Fu n c t i o n ( c o n td )
 Design Consideration Of Deep Foundation

Geotechnical Engineering Is A Branch Of Civil Engineering Which

Requires The Most Of Experience And Judgement Of Its Practitioner .

To produce satisfactory pile foundation systems that are Neither

unnecessarily over-designed or dangerously Inadequate.

For example, it is prudent to design micropile using skin Friction only if

its in a limestone karstic formation due to Presence of cavities and
overhang.

Some designers ignore end bearing contribution for bored

When in doubt that the base will be properly cleaned.
 Caisson Installation Driven Piles
Sequence
 Hole drilled with a large drill rig
 Casing installed (typically)
 Bell or Tip enlargement (optional)
 Bottom inspected and tested
 Reinforced
 Concrete placement (& casing removal)

Two basic types of Piles

– End bearing pile - point

loading

– Friction pile - load transferred

by friction resistance between
the pile and the earth
 TYPES OF PILES
Large displacement piles (driven types)
1. Timber (round or square section, jointed or continuous).
2. Precast concrete (solid or tubular section in continuous or jointed units).
3. Prestressed concrete (solid or tubular section).
4. Steel tube (driven with closed end).
5. Steel box (driven with closed end).
6. Fluted and tapered steel tube.
7. Jacked-down steel tube with closed end.
8. Jacked-down solid concrete cylinder.
Large displacement piles (driven and cast-in-place types)
1. Steel tube driven and withdrawn after placing concrete.
2. Precast concrete shell filled with concrete.
3. Thin-walled steel shell driven by withdrawable mandrel and then filled with concrete.
Small-displacement piles
1. Precast concrete (tubular section driven with open end).
2. Prestressed concrete (tubular section driven with open end).
3. Steel H-section.
4. Steel tube section (driven with open end and soil removed as required).
5. Steel box section (driven with open end and soil removed as required).
Replacement piles
1. Concrete placed in hole drilled by rotary auger, baling, grabbing, airlift or reverse-circulation
methods (bored and castin- place).
2.Tubes placed in hole drilled as above and filled with concrete as necessary.
3. Precast concrete units placed in drilled hole.
4. Cement mortar or concrete injected into drilled hole.
5. Steel sections placed in drilled hole.
6. Steel tube drilled down.

Composite piles
Numerous types of piles of composite construction may be formed by combining units in each of
the above categories, or by adopting combinations of piles in more than one category. Thus
composite piles of a displacement type can be formed by jointing a timber section to a precast
concrete section, or a precast concrete pile can have an H-section jointed to its lower extremity.
Composite piles consisting of more than one type can be formed by driving a steel or precast
concrete unit at the base of a drilled hole, or by driving a tube and then drilling out the soil and
extending the drill hole to form a bored and castin- place pile.
 Pile material
 Steel; H- piles, Steel pipe
 Concrete; Site cast or Precast
 Wood; Timber
 Composite
 Types of Concrete Piles
Concrete Piles are of 3 types:
 Pre-cast Piles
 Cast in situ Piles
 Prestressed Concrete Piles
Precast Concrete Plies
Concrete Piles ( contd)
 Concrete Piles ( contd)
Prestressed Concrete Piles
 Prestressed concrete piles are provided with lifting hooks at
1/5th ( 0.2L, L= length of pile ) of pile length from each end.
 Piles length 50 times the thickness →single point pick up
 More than 50 times the thickness →two point pick up at 0.2L
from either end.
 Piles 500 sq. mm and smaller→ cast solid.
 Piles over 500 sq. mm may be cast with 200mm to 300mm
cored hole (void).
 Pre stressed piles are always pre- cast.
 Concrete Piles ( contd)
Cast-in-Situ Piles:
 Cast in position inside the ground.
 First of all a bore is dug by driving a casing pipe into the ground.
 Then the soil from the casing is jetted out and filled with cement
concrete after placing necessary reinforcement in it.

Cast-in-situ piles are of two types:

I. Cased Cast-in-Situ Piles: metallic shell is left inside the ground along with the
core
II. Uncased Cast-in-Situ Piles: metallic shell is withdrawn
Concrete Piles ( contd)

Figure: Cast-in-Situ Pile

Site Cast Concrete Piles

Cased Piles Uncased Piles

Types of Piles Based on Function
(contd)

Figure: Under-reamed Piles

 Composite Piles ( contd)
 Piles of two different materials are driven one over the other, so
as to enable them to act together to perform the function of a
single pile.
 This type of composite pile is used with the object of achieving
economy in the cost of piling work.
Composite Piles
Design Of Pile Foundation

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45
 Selection of Type of Pile
 The nature of the ground, where piling operation is to be carried
out, determines to a large extent the choice of type of pile to be
used.
 In addition, the other important factors which must be considered
in this regard are:
 The nature of the structure.
 Loading conditions.
 Elevation of the ground water level with respect to the pile cap.
 Probable length of pile required.
 Availability of materials and equipment.
 Factors which may cause deterioration of pile.
 Probable cost of pile.
 Causes of Failure of Piles
 Load on the pile is more than the designed load.
 Defective workmanship during casting of the pile.
 Displacement of reinforcement during casting.
 Bearing pile resting on a soft strata.
 Improper classification of soil.
 Improper choice of the type of pile.
 Insufficient reinforcement in the pile.
 Decay of timber piles due to attack by insects.
 Buckling of piles due to inadequate lateral support.
 Defective method adopted for driving the pile.
 Incorrect assessment of the bearing capacity of the pile.
 Lateral forces not considered in the design of piles.
Load Transfer Mechanism of Piles

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Load Transfer Mechanism of Piles

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59
Point load capacity

60
 Point Load Capacity
Janbu’s(1976) Method.
Point load capacity

62
 Point Load capacity resting on Rock
.

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 Frictional Resistance of pile
.Granular Soil

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 Frictional Resistance of pile
Sand.

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 Frictional Resistance of pile
Cohesionless Soils.

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 Frictional Resistance of pile

Cohesionless Soils.

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 Frictional Resistance of pile

Cohesionless Soils.

68
 Frictional Resistance of pile

Cohesion Soils.

69
 Frictional Resistance of pile
Cohesion Soils.

70
 Frictional Resistance of pile

Cohesion Soils.

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Total Pile capacity in Cohesion Soils

72
Total Pile capacity in Cohesionless Soils

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82
Limiting End Bearing Resistance (t/m2)
as per IS 2911
Limiting End Bearing Resistance
(t/m2) as per IS 2911
Bored Piles Driven Piles
1000 - 1100 1500

Limiting Frictional
Type of Soil
Resistance (t/m2)
Sand 6
Silt 6
Clay 7
85
PILE GROUP EFFICIENCY
 CAPACITY OF PILE GROUP
• Feld’s Rule (Reduces the capacity of each pile
by 1/16 for each adjacent pile)

• Converse-Labarre Formula

• Block failure criteria

Typical Arrangement of Piles in Groups

Spacing of piles depends upon the method

of installing the piles and the type of soil
Converse-Labarre Formula for
pile group-efficiency
 Pile Groups in
Cohesive Soils

Block failure of a pile

group in clay soil
97
98
 Uplift Capacity of Piles
• The uplift capacity of a pile is given by sum of the frictional resistance and the
weight of the pile (buoyant or total as relevant) as per Section 6.3.2 of IS 2911
(Part 1/Sec. 2) 2010.
• The recommended factor of safety is 3.0 in the absence of any pull out test
results and 2.0 with pullout test results.
• Uplift capacity can be obtained from static formula by ignoring end-bearing but
adding weight of the pile (buoyant or total as relevant).
 Settlement of Pile Group

Total Elastic Consolidation

Settlement Settlement Settlement
SETTLEMENTS OF FOUNDATIONS

NO SETTLEMENT * TOTAL SETTLEMENT * DIFFERENTIAL SETTLEMENT

Uniform settlement is usually of little consequence in a building, but differential settlement can
cause severe structural damage
 Semi-Empirical Formulas and Curves

Vesic (1977)

S = total settlement,
Sp = settlement of the pile tip,
Sf = settlement due to the deformation of the pile Shaft.
 Qp= point load,  Qf = friction load,
 d = diameter of the pile  L = pile length,
at the base,  A = cross-sectional area
 q pu - ultimate point of the pile,
resistance per unit area,  E = modulus of
 Dr = relative density of deformation of the pile
the sand, shaft,
 Cw = settlement  α = coefficient which
coefficient, depends on the
= 0.04 for driven piles distribution of skin
= 0.05 for jacked piles friction along the shaft
= 0.18 for bored piles, and can be taken equal to
0.6.
SETTLEMENT OF PILES AND PILE GROUPS IN SANDS AND
GRAVELS
Curve showing the relationship between group settlement
ratio and relative widths of pile groups in sand (Vesic, 1967)
Curve showing relationship between Fg and pile group
width (Skempton, et al., 1953)
 IS 8009 (Part 2), Settlement of Pile Group by
Skempton, et al., 1953

Where,
Sf = Final Settlement of Pile Group (cm)
S1 = Final Settlement of Single Pile (cm)
B = Width of Pile Group (cm)
s = Ratio of spacing of piles to pile diameter
r = No. of rows in the square group
SETTLEMENT OF PILE GROUPS IN COHESIVE SOILS
 Settlement of Pile Groups in Cohesive
Soil
CASE 1
 The soil is homogeneous clay.
 The load Qg is assumed to act on a
fictitious footing at a depth 2/3L
from the surface and distributed
over the sectional area of the
group.
 The load on the pile group acting
at this level is assumed to spread
out at a 2 Vert : 1 Horiz slope.
 Settlement of Pile Groups in
Cohesive Soil
CASE 2
 The pile passes through
a very weak layer of
depth L1 and the lower
portion of length L2 is
embedded in a strong
layer.
 In this case, the load Q
is assumed to act at a
depth equal to 2/3 L2
below the surface of the
strong layer and spreads
at a 2 : 1
 Settlement of Pile Groups in
Cohesive Soil
CASE 3
• The piles are point
bearing piles.
• The load in this case is
assumed to act at the
level of the firm
stratum and spreads
out at a 2 : 1 slope.
Consolidation Settlement of Group Piles
NEGATIVE FRICTION
4. In cases, where the piles are driven through a strata of soft clay into
firmer soils and the soft clay tends to settle relative to the pile
5. Piles in a clay stratum which undergoes shrinkage settlement
 Methods of Mitigating Negative Skin
Friction
1) Coat the surface of the precast pile with thick coat of special bitumenous
paint which have been proved to reduce skin friction as much as 90% of the
theoretical value.

2) Drive the piles inside a casing. In the top negative friction height, the space
between the pile and casing is filled with a viscous material and the casing is
withdrwan after installing the pile.

3) Smaller c/s area shaft along pile length compared to base of pile may reduce
the negative friction along the pile shaft. However, this is possible only for
pure end bearing piles (not depending on shaft resistance).
PRECAUTIONS TO BE TAKEN

Seismic base isolation in seismic areas - Underpinning required to

carry out repairs to the existing building or to add some changes in the
foundations.

Retaining walls to hold the soil back from caving in: Types of failure
such as overturning, sliding and undermining should be avoided,
non-reinforced or/and reinforced cantilevered retaining walls, drainage
behind the wall to eliminate piping of water in soil - Water proofing (use
waterproof membranes, asphalt coating) and drainage (perforated
pipes) of foundations.

Basement insulation (polystyrene or glass fiber boards placed on the

outside or inside with drainage mats) - Frost protection through
protective coatings and plastic foam insulation - Back-filling with
properly draining soils.
FOUNDATION DESIGN FOR OPTIMAL COST
Controlled by many factors:
(i) Integrated decision-making and functioning of architects, structural
engineers and foundation engineers;
(ii) Building below the water table level is costly and sometimes
damaging to the building;
(iii) Building close to an existing structure to be avoided (any digging
activity on either sites will affect one another and can lead to costly
repairs);
(iv) Column or wall load becoming more than that which can be
supported by a shallow foundation (deep foundations are expensive) ;
(v) Uncertainties can be avoided by using larger factors of safety in
design of foundations over soils
Determination of Ultimate Load of pile from Pile
Load Test

• Single Tangent method

• Double Tangent Method
• Log-Log method
• Rectangular Hyperbola method
• Vander Veen's method (1953)
• Maazurkiewicz parabola method (1972)
Single Tangent method Double Tangent Method
Log-Log method Rectangular Hyperbola method
 Typical load settlement plot from pile load test
The elastic settlement, (Se) due to the elastic recovery of the pile
material and the elastic recovery of the soil at the base of the pile .