A pile cap is a thick concrete mat that rests on concrete or timber piles that have been driven

into soft or unstable ground to provide a suitable stable foundation. It usually forms part of the
foundation of a building, typically a multi-story building, structure or support base for heavy
equipment.

The cast concrete pile cap distributes the load of the building into

the piles. A similar structure to a pile cap is a "raft", which is a
concrete foundation floor resting directly onto soft soil which may be
liable to subsidence
Pile cap is a structure which is built when single pile will not be able to
take the load of the overlying structure
This is generally built when there are some restrictions on the size of a
single pile
Pile cap is like a slab below which there are various piles or a group of
piles . Such that they combine to act as a single pile which witstand the
load from the superstructure or column
What is Caissons?
The term caisson is derived from Latin, which means box or case. Caissons are hollow
inside and usually constructed at site and sunk in place into a hard bearing stratum.
Often the caissons have high construction cost and their construction is restricted to
major foundation works.

Caissons are used for bridge piers, abutments in rivers and lakes, docks and wharves, break
water and other shore protections works, and large water front structures such as pump houses
subjected to very heavy vertical and horizontal loads.

Advantages of Caissons – The construction of caisson is advantageous to other deep

foundations when the soil contains large boulders which obstruct penetration of piers and drilled
piers, when a massive substructure is required for protection against floating objects and sand
scour or when foundations subjected to lateral forces such as waves. For conditions other than
these, caissons are generally more expensive than other deep foundations.

Types of Caissons

Depending upon the method of construction caissons are classified into three categories.

(a) Open Caissons (Well foundation)

In open caissons or well foundations the top and bottom are kept open during construction. The
caisson is sunk in place as grab buckets through water remove soil. Upon reaching its final
position a concrete seal, usually 1.5 m to more than 4.5 m thick, is deposited through water. The
schematic diagram for open caissons is shown in Fig.1.
Advantages of Open Caissons- The advantages of open caissons are their feasibility to be
sunk to great depths. Their construction cost is relatively low.

Disadvantages of Open Caissons- The disadvantages of the open caissons are that the
bottom of the caisson cannot be thoroughly cleaned and inspected. The concrete seal placed in
water is not satisfactory and soil near the cutting edge may require hand excavation by diver. If
obstruction like boulders or logs are encountered the construction gets slowed down.
(b) Pneumatic Caissons

The top of pneumatic caisson is closed and contains a working chamber as shown in
Fig.2 at which pressure greater than atmosphere is maintained. The compressed air
used to exclude water from entering the working chamber enables the excavation.
Concreting is to be done in the dry condition.
Advantages of Pneumatic Caissons- The advantages of pneumatic caissons are that all work
can be done in dry and there is control over work. The foundation is prepared better and
plumbness of caissons is easier to control. The concrete placed in dry condition will have good
and reliable quality. The obstruction from boulders and logs can readily be removed and
excavation by blasting may be done if necessary.

Disadvantages of Pneumatic Caissons- Pneumatic caissons have high cost of

construction. They cannot be sunk to depths greater than 35 m because the higher
pressure below this depth cannot be resisted by human body.

Box Caissons

The box caissons are closed at the bottom and open at the top as shown in Fig.3. They
are usually fabricated on land, floated to site and sunk in position. While sinking sand,
gravel, concrete or water are filled inside the caisson. This type of caisson is suitable
when hard strata are available at shallow depth. Sometimes false bottom made out of
wooden planks are also used for floating.
Advantages of Box Caisson- The advantages of this caisson is its cost of construction. It
is used when construction of caissons at site not feasible or costly.

Disadvantages of Box Caisson- The disadvantages of this type of caisson are that the
bearing strata should be level or made level. This type is feasible only when suitable
bearing stratum is available at shallow depth. Provision should be made for scour
protection. The bearing stratum is often not compact.