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Pile Supported Foundation Design: by Thomas B. Watson, III, P. E
Pile Supported Foundation Design: by Thomas B. Watson, III, P. E
Table of Contents
I. Introduction to Elements of Pile Supported Foundation Design
II. Allowable Soil Pressures
III. Brief Discussion on Commonly Used Load Bearing Pilings
IV. Pile Cap Design
(A) Pile Load Calculation
(B) Flexural Reinforcement
(C) The equations for Punching Shear for Column or Piles
(D) Direct Shear
(E) Deep Beam Shear
(G) Dowels Required Between Cast-in-place Column or Pedestal and Foundation
V. Pile Cap Support Conditions
VI. Critical Section & Pile Location
VII. Uplift on Piles
VIII. Horizontal Forces on Pile Caps
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Fig. 4
b) Composite Piles
Composite Piles are piles of two different materials
which are driven one over the other, so as to enable
them to act as a single pile. In such a combination,
advantage is taken of the good qualities of both the
materials. These prove economical as they permit the
utilization of the great corrosion resistance property of
one material with the cheapness or strength of the
other.
Advantages: The advantages that composite piles
have over traditional material piles include their higher
strength to weight ratio, corrosive resistance, durability
and their immunity to decay and deterioration in
marine environments.
Disadvantages: The disadvantages of composite
piles relate to the cost of production, installation and
long-term structural performance. Since these piles
are relatively new to the civil engineering industry,
manufacturers have yet to find cheap production
methods, making these piles generally more
expensive than traditional piles.
c) Steel H Piles
Steel H-piles may be obtained in a wide variety of sizes
and lengths and may be easily handled, spliced, and cut
off as required. H-piles displace little soil and are
relatively easy to drive.
Advantages: The advantages of Steel H-piles are there
high axial working capacity, 400+ kips. They can
penetrate obstacles better than most piles, with less
damage to the pile from the obstacle or from driving.
Solution:
1. Estimate number of pile and select pile layout pattern
Total allowable pile vertical load: Pz = PD+PL = 225 kip
P𝑧𝑧 225
Estimate number of pile: n = = = 3.75
Pca 60
The pile cap weight plus the effect of the moments MDy + MLy will
increase the load on piles, therefore, a six-pile layout pattern (n = 6) will
be attempted for the design.
Minimum spacing of pile: s = 10 in x 3 = 30 in; use 36 in
A six-pile layout pattern should be adequate for the design. Figure 6
below shows the pile spacing and the pile cap dimensions, note that the
depth of the pile cap is an assumed depth and the edge distance is
normally governed by punching shear capacity of corner piles. The
thickness of the Pile cap is normally determined by the required shear
strength. It is common practice for the designer to increase the pile caps
thickness to provide adequate shear capacity rather than include rebar
for shear reinforcement. For smaller pile caps, the thickness is normally
governed by deep beam shear. For large pile cap, the thickness is
governed by direct shear. When necessary, shear reinforcement may
be used to reduce the thickness of the pile cap. ACI318-14, Section
13.4.2.1 states that “Overall depth of pile cap shall be selected such
that the effective depth of bottom reinforcement is at least 12 in.“ Fig. 5
Note: All Tables included in this course are from ACI 318-14, for reference to
notes in Tables see Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete (ACI
318-14), hereafter referred to as “The Code”. This course does not address
Earthquake and Seismic design considerations.
A pile cap thickness of 2’-0 will be used as a starting point for this design example. The top of piles are at 6" above bottom
of pile cap and the reinforcement is at 2" above top of piles, hence, the effective depth is h = 24 in. - 6 in, - 2 in. = 16 in.
Fig. 6
Table 5.3.1 shown below shows the Load factors and combinations.
Fig. 8
Mu 293.3 X 12,000
Ru =
∅ b d2
= 0.9 X 72 X 162
= 212.2 psi
0.85 𝑓𝑓′𝑐𝑐 2 Ru
ρ =( )(1- �1 − 0.85 )
𝑓𝑓y 𝑓𝑓′ 𝑐𝑐
0.85 X 4,000
ρ =( )( 1- �1 − 0.85 ) =0.00365
2 X 212.2
60,000 X 4,000
The minimum allowable value for ρ is ρ min which is equal to the greater of
As,min is less than the calculated As, therefore, the required area of reinforcement steel in the long direction is 4.20 in2.
Checking Temperature and Shrinkage reinforcement area for gross area of pile cap from ACI 318-14 Table 24.4.3.2
shown below results in As,min = 0.0018 X 72 in. X 24 in. = 3.11 in2
Table 24.4.3.2-Minimum ratios of deformed shrinkage and
temperature reinforcement area to gross area
Reinforcement Type fy, psi Minimum reinforcement ratio
Deformed bars < 60,000 0.0020
Deformed bars or 0.0018 𝑋𝑋 60,000
welded > 60,000 Greater of: 𝑓𝑓𝑦𝑦
wire reinforcement 0.0014
Use the As value of 4.20 in2 of reinforcing steel in the long direction of the pile cap.
To determine the area of reinforcement steel in the short direction:
ϕ = 0.90, f’c = 4,000 psi, fy = 60,000 psi , b = 108 inches for the short direction
reinforcement steel and d = 16 inches
The value of Mu in the short direction = 1.0 ft x (43.0 + 48.3 + 53.7) kips =
145.0 ft-kips (See Figure 9)
Mu 145 X 12,000
Ru = = = 69.9 psi
∅ b d2 0.9 𝑋𝑋 108 𝑋𝑋 162
Fig. 9
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0.85 𝑓𝑓′𝑐𝑐 2 Ru
ρ =( )(1- �1 − 0.85 )
𝑓𝑓y 𝑓𝑓′ 𝑐𝑐
As,min is greater than the calculated As, therefore, the required area of reinforcement steel in the short direction is 5.70 in2.
Checking Temperature and Shrinkage reinforcement area for gross area of footing from
ACI 318-14 Table 24.4.3.2 results in
As,min = 0.0018 X 108 in. X 24 in. = 4.67 in2
Use the As value of 5.70 in2 of reinforcing steel in the short direction of the pile cap.
The flexural reinforcement steel requirement for the long direction is 4.20 in2 and for the short direction is 5.70 in2.
Figure 10 below shows that for the long direction flexural reinforcement steel the development length, ld = 45 in. and for
the short direction flexural reinforcement steel the development length, ld = 27 in. Typically, the minimum spacing for
reinforcement steel or rebar in a pile cap is 6 in. on center (OC), although, this is not a requirement of the code. If the
spacing of the rebar is excessive there is a higher propensity for cracking to occur. When practical, it is best to use a
larger number of smaller diameter rebar than visa-versa.
Fig. 10
Using ACI 318-14 Tables 25.4.2.2 and 25.4.2.4 for development length, ld for λ =1.0 for Normal weight concrete,
Ψe =1.0 for Uncoated or zinc-coated (galvanized) reinforcement, Ψt =1.0 for “Other", �𝑓𝑓′c = �𝑓𝑓4,000 = 63.25 and
fy = 60,000 yields the following table for development length of #3 through #11 rebar.
From the table to the right for the rebar in the short direction which is limited to a Rebar Size ld (in.)
development length of 27 in., the maximum size rebar which provides the full #3 14
tension capacity is a #5 rebar. The #5 rebar has an area of 0.31 in2, the required #4 19
area for the flexural reinforcement steel in the short direction is 5.70 in2. Therefore, #5 24
5.70 in2/0.31 in2 = 18.4 or 19 #5 rebars spaced @ 5½” OC. #6 43
For the rebar in the long direction which is limited to a development length of 45 in., #7 62
the maximum size rebar which provides the full tension capacity is a #6 rebar. The #8 71
#6 rebar has an area of 0.44 in2, the required area for the flexural reinforcement #9 80
steel in the long direction is 4.20 in2. Therefore, 4.20 in2/0.44 in2 = 9.5 or 10 #6
#10 89
rebars spaced @ 6½” OC.
#11 98
Note: The use of 90° or 180° hooks could also be used to provide the required
development length.
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Fig. 11
For a square interior column or pedestal equation (8.4.2.3.2) results provide that 60% of the moment is resisted by flexure
and equation (8.4.4.2.2) results provide that 40% is resisted by shear.
Combining the two above equations gives
1
𝜸𝜸v = 1-𝜸𝜸f = 1- = 0.40
2 𝑏𝑏1
1+ � ��
3 𝒃𝒃𝟐𝟐
As shown in Figure R8.4.4.2.3, the shear stress resulting from moment transfer by the eccentricity of the shear varies
linearly about the axis C-C which is the centroid of the critical section.
The maximum shear stress due to the factored shear force and moment
is:
𝛄𝛄𝑣𝑣 𝑀𝑀𝑢𝑢 𝑏𝑏1
𝑉𝑉𝑢𝑢 � �2�
vu =
𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐
+ 𝐽𝐽𝑐𝑐
(Note: Pu = 𝑉𝑉𝑢𝑢 = 290 kips)
𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 = the area of the critical surface which is shown in the isometric
graphic on the right side of R8.4.4.2.3 above and
𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 = bod = 2(b1+b2)d where, bo =2(b1+b2)
𝐽𝐽𝑐𝑐 = is a property analogous to the polar moment of inertia for the area 𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 R8.4.4.2.3 Assumed distribution of shear stress. †
db31 d 3 b1 db2 b21
𝐽𝐽𝑐𝑐 = + +
6 6 2
The maximum shear stress vu must not exceed the critical permissible shear stress ϕ vn given by
𝜙𝜙𝑉𝑉𝑐𝑐
vu ≤ ϕ vn =
b𝑜𝑜 d
in this example
d=16 in, b1 = b2 = 12 in + 16 in = 28 in, then bo =2(b1+b2) = 2(28+28) = 112 in, Therefore, 𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 = 112x16 = 1,792 in2
Checking the shear capacity of the pile cap for the piling for equations (a) from Table 22.6.5.2 above yields
the piling punching shear value for ϕ vc using normal weight concrete for equation (a), however, if there is no
reinforcement in the top of the pile cap, then for the consideration of pile punching the slab is considered unreinforced.
The value for ϕ from Table 21.2.1 for Strength Reduction Factors for “plain concrete elements” is 0.60.
ϕ vc =(0.60) 4�𝑓𝑓 ′ c
The punching shear value for ϕvc using normal weight concrete and square or round piles, plain concrete and
for 𝛽𝛽 = 1 for equation (b) from Table 22.6.5.2 above is:
4 4
ϕ vc =(0.60) �2 + 𝛽𝛽� �𝑓𝑓 ′ c bo d ; the coefficient �2 +
𝛽𝛽
�=6
The punching shear value for ϕ vc using normal weight concrete and edge piles for equation (c) from Table 22.6.5.2
above is:
vc =(0.60) (2+ ) �𝑓𝑓′c b d , From Figure 13 below, the b for the edge pile shown about piling “p ” = 74 in.
30𝐝𝐝
ϕ o o 3
𝒃𝒃𝐨𝐨
The punching shear value for ϕ vc using normal weight concrete and corner piles for equation (c) from Table 22.6.5.2
above is:
vc =(0.60) (2+ ) �𝑓𝑓′c b d, From Figure 13 below, the b for the corner pile shown about piling “p ” = 55 in.
20𝐝𝐝
ϕ o o 5
𝒃𝒃𝐨𝐨
Fig. 13
vc= 2�𝑓𝑓 ′ c bw d
“unless a more detailed calculation is made in accordance with
Table 22.5.5.1”, Table 22.5.5.1 is shown below.
Fig. 14
Table 22.5.5.1- Detailed Method for Calculating Vc
Vc COMMENTARY
[1] R22.5.5.1 Expression (a) in Table 22.5.5.1 contains
𝑉𝑉𝑢𝑢 𝑑𝑑 three variables, λ�𝑓𝑓 ′ c , 𝜌𝜌𝑤𝑤 and Vud/MU, which are
(1.9λ�𝑓𝑓 ′c +2500𝜌𝜌𝑤𝑤 𝑀𝑀𝑢𝑢
) bw d (a)
known to affect shear strength. Test results have
Least of (a), (b), indicated that shear strength decreases as overall
and (c) (1.9λ�𝑓𝑓 ′c +2500𝜌𝜌𝑤𝑤 )bw d (b) depth of the member increases.
Expression (b) in Table 22.5.5.1 limits Vc near points
of inflection. For most designs, it is convenient to
3.5�𝑓𝑓 ′ c bw d (c) assume that the second term in expression (a) and (b)
of Table 22.5.5.1 equals 0.1 λ�𝑓𝑓 ′ c and use Vc equal
[1] Mu occurs simultaneously with Vu at the section considered.
to 2𝛌𝛌�𝑓𝑓 ′ c bw d, as permitted in Eq. (22.5.5.1).
For the direct shear at the critical section adjacent to the column the value of bw = 72 in. and d = 16in.
For the direct shear at the critical section adjacent to the corner pile the value of bw ≈ 91 in. and a d = 16in.
By inspection it is obvious that the direct shear for the corner pile is adequate because the bw value (91 in.) is greater than
the bw value (72 in.) for the column and there is only one pile load (p5) for the critical section to resist.
The Detailed Method for Calculating Vc can be used to evaluate the direct shear, however, as stated in the Commentary
above, the value for 𝜌𝜌𝑤𝑤 (the reinforcement ratio) and (Vud/MU) at the section considered must be known.
Typically, the equation 22.5.5.1, vc= 2λ�𝑓𝑓 ′ c bw d is used.
𝑉𝑉𝑢𝑢 𝑑𝑑 145𝑥𝑥16
= = 1.333 > 1
𝑀𝑀𝑢𝑢 1,740
Therefore, both criteria for deep beam shear evaluation have been met.
The critical location where shear is checked is taken at the face of the
support when d > ω and the shear strength is calculated as follows:
𝑑𝑑 𝑀𝑀𝑢𝑢 𝑉𝑉𝑢𝑢 𝑑𝑑 Fig. 15
ϕ vc= ϕ ( ω ){[3.5-2.5(𝑉𝑉 𝑑𝑑 )][( 1.9λ�𝑓𝑓 ′ c +2500𝜌𝜌𝑤𝑤
𝑀𝑀𝑢𝑢
)]}< ϕ 10�𝑓𝑓 ′ c
𝑢𝑢
The above equation is from CRSI Design Handbook 2008 Eqn 13-2 on P.13-26
where;
𝑀𝑀𝑢𝑢 1,740
1.0 > >0, hence, 1.0 > = 0.75 >0 OK
𝑉𝑉𝑢𝑢 𝑑𝑑 145𝑥𝑥16
𝑉𝑉𝑢𝑢 𝑑𝑑
and = 1.333 > 1 OK
𝑀𝑀𝑢𝑢
The value for 𝜌𝜌𝑤𝑤 (the reinforcement ratio) would have to be calculated to use the equation above, however, as stated in
the Commentary on page 27 “For most designs, it is convenient to assume that the second term in expression (a) and (b)
of Table 22.5.5.1 equals 0.1 λ�𝑓𝑓 ′ c “, which yields the following equation for normal weight concrete:
𝑀𝑀 𝑉𝑉 𝑑𝑑
ϕ vc= ϕ ( ω𝑑𝑑 )[3.5-2.5(𝑉𝑉 𝑢𝑢𝑑𝑑 )][(1.9�𝑓𝑓 ′c +0.1�𝑓𝑓 ′c 𝑀𝑀𝑢𝑢 )] bw d < ϕ 10�𝑓𝑓 ′ c bw d
𝑢𝑢 𝑢𝑢
16 1,740 145𝑥𝑥16
ϕ vc= 0.75 (
12
)[3.5-2.5(145𝑥𝑥16 )][1.9√4,000 +0.1√4,000 ( 1,740
)] 72 x 16 = 1,027 kips
ϕ Bn≥ Bu (22.8.3.1)
From Table 21.2.1 ϕ = 0.65
Table 22.8.3.2- Nominal bearing strength
Geometry of bearing area Bn
Supporting surface is wider
Least of (a) �𝐴𝐴2 ⁄𝐴𝐴1 (0.85𝑓𝑓 ′ 𝑐𝑐 𝐴𝐴𝑔𝑔 ) (a)
on all sides than the loaded
and (b)
area 2(0.85𝑓𝑓 ′ 𝑐𝑐 𝐴𝐴1 ) (b)
Other cases 0.85𝑓𝑓 ′ 𝑐𝑐 𝐴𝐴1 (c)
Where A1 is the loaded area and A2 is the area of the lower base;
Note: Ag = A1 for a solid column or pedestal
A1 in this example = 12 in x 12 in = 144 in2
A2 in this example = (9 x12) in x (6 x 12) in = 7,776 in2
and �𝐴𝐴2 ⁄𝐴𝐴1 = �7,776⁄144 = 7.35 ≤ 2.0; use 2.0 as shown in equation (b)
ϕ Bn = 0.65 x 2.0 x (0.85 x 4,000 x144) = 636,480 Lbs or 636 Kips
ϕ Bn =636 Kips ≥ Bu =290 Kips, OK
𝑓𝑓 Ψ
(a) ( 50𝜆𝜆𝑦𝑦 �𝑓𝑓𝑟𝑟′𝑐𝑐 )db (b) 0.0003 𝑓𝑓
𝑦𝑦 Ψ𝑟𝑟 db
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Fig. 17
Fig. 16
Fig. 18 Fig. 19
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(a) Entire reaction from any pile with its center located
dpile/2 or more outside the section shall be considered as
producing shear on that section.
Figure 20 depicts the condition (a).
Fig. 20
(b) Reaction from any pile with its center located dpile/2 or
more inside the section shall be considered as producing
no shear on that section.
Figure 21 depicts the condition (b).
Fig. 21
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Fig. 22
VII. Uplift on Piles
Figure 23 depicts an uplift connector on a timber piling. Uplift on piles
typically requires that shear be checked for pile loads for both uplift and
compression as the uplift is usually a transient load. Flexural reinforcement
will also be necessary as top steel in the pile cap, in other words, the pile
cap will be doubly reinforced.
Fig. 23
Fig. 24