EECQ 4271 FOUNDATION ENGINEERING 1B

a) Pile foundation
Piles are deep foundation elements in the form of a slender column or long cylinder made of
materials such as concrete, timber or steel which are used to support structure and transfer the
load at a desired depth either by end bearing or skin friction or both. Pile foundations are
deep foundations.
Piles are used to carry vertical loads or lateral loads or a combination of both.
Classification of piles;
By material type i) Timber piles
ii) Concrete piles
iii) Steel piles
By method of installation;
i) Driven piles
ii) Cast in situ piles
iii) Driven and cast in sit
Piles are used to
i) Carry vertical compression loads
ii) To resist uplift loads
iii) To resist horizontal or inclined load
Piles and pile groups subjected to vertical loads their design i9nvolves
i) Determining the vertical bearing capacity of a single
ii) Determining the v vertical bearing capacity of group of piles
The bearing capacity of a group of piles connected by a pile cap is determined on the basis of
a single pile
Whereas the bearing capacity of a single pile will depends on
i) Type , size , and length of the pile
ii) Type of soil
iii) Method of installation
The allowable load on a pile is determined on the basis of bearing capacity consideration, the
settlement of the group at the design load is then computed to be within allowable limits
If a pile is installed in a homogenous soil of known physical properties the ultimate load
capacity is

Qu = Qp +Qf = qpu×Ab+fs×As
(Terzaghi, 1942 wrote in his discussion the use of dynamic formula above in the design of pile)

Where Qu = ultimate bearing capacity

Qp = base bearing capacity

qpu = ultimate unit bearing capacity of a pile at the base

fs = unit skin resistance
Ab = bearing area of the base of a pile
As = total surface area of pile embedded below ground surface
Determination of a pile ultimate bearing capacity Qu
Qu the ultimate bearing capacity for a pile may be determined by
i) Use of theoretical equation
ii) Use of penetration test results
iii) Field load tests
Piles may fail during installation for driven piles as
According to studies by Vesic only punching shear failure occurs in deep foundations
irrespective of the density of the soil so long as the ratio of D/B is greater than 4 according
figure c
Therefore the general form of equation presented by various investigators for ultimate point
1
bearing capacity is Qp  [(C  Nc  ac     B  N  a  q  Nq  aq)]Ab
2
Where
Qp = ultimate point bearing capacity
B = width or diameter the pile
q= effective overburden pressure at the base level
Nc , Nq ,Nꙋ = bearing capacity factors
ac ,aꙋ aq = shape factors
Ab =base area of foundation
When c=0
 1
qpu =    B  N  a  q  Nq  aq
2

When ø=0 , Nq=1 and Nꙋ=0

Then
q pu C×Nc ×ac+q

The Vesic’s equation for circular deep foundation or square foundation when
c=0
q pu  ac  q  Nq  3  q  Nq The shape factor ac =3

Under reamed piles

The point bearing capacity of a pile may be increased by undreaming i.e. enlargement of the
cross section at some points along its length.
Field load test indicate that under-reaming piles work out deeper as compare4d to straight
bored piles for the same design load, there must be a minimum distance between centers of
bulbs in multi-undreamed piles of 1.5 du
The load carrying capacity of an under-reamed pile may be computed as

Qu = Qp +Qf = qpu×Ab+fs×As
Where Qu = ultimate bearing capacity
Qp = base bearing capacity

qpu = ultimate unit bearing capacity of a pile at the base

fs = unit skin resistance
Ab = bearing area of the base of a pile
As = total surface area of pile embedded below ground surface
The bearing capacity of skin resistance fs computed as

fs  ca   a tan 

Where
ca =adhesion

 a  Average normal pressure on contact area

 = angle of wall friction

For an embedded length D of pile the average normal pressure  a may be expressed as

1
 a     D  k s  qa  k s
2
Where

ꙋ = effective average unit weight

ks =coefficient of earth pressure
qa = average overburden pressure