THE ESSENCE OF PILE FOUNDATIONS

ABOUT PILE FOUNDATIONS

Pile foundations are relatively long and slender members constructed by driving preformed
units to the desired founding level, or by driving or drilling-in tubes to the required depth
(Mishra, 2021). This type of foundation do not depend on the type of soil quality or
environment built upon, they still provide a good, strong, and sturdy foundation to the
structure, as they transfer heavy loads of the superstructure to a hard strata deep down in the
ground through the columns, making it to be one of the foundation to have increasingly high
weigh capacity, and able to withstand the load impact placed on it, such as when we construct
very tall and heavy structures.

Factors such as soil condition, Types of loads acting on the foundation, bottom layers of the
soil, site condition and operational condition plays a major role when deciding to choose or
construct pile foundations, for example if the bearing capacity of the soil we are building on
is very low, this may lead to foundation failure, to prevent this from happening, it will be
more suitable to use pile foundation instead. Figure one below shows exactly how pile
foundation is constructed from the basement.

Figure 1 (uses of pile foundation – Civiltoday.com 2021)

NEED FOR PILE FOUNDATIONS:

Pile foundation is needed in areas where the structures constructed are large and heavy and
the soil underlying is weak. In certain areas we experience construction problems such as
high amount of water table or soil liquification, which may lead to the premature settlement
of the structural building causing cracks or even structural foundation failure, in this instance
it will be more suitable to use a pile foundation.

Two figures above illustrate the weak upper soil

In some situations, the sub-soil water table at the site will be so high that the use of other
foundations will be affected badly. In such a situation, pile foundations can be easily
penetrated through the water and extended until a hard stratum is reached. Moreover,
Structural building may be subjected to lateral external forces such as weather forces, fire or
Earthquakes which may cause the structure to bend leading to devastating damage to the
foundation of the building causing the foundation to fail, pile foundations help prevent this
bending moment and keep the structural integrity intact, more importantly helping the
structure stay cohesive
Figure 3- Where and when to use pile foundation (dailycivil.com)

Structures might be subjected to horizontal forces that will bring effect to the foundation. The
use of pile foundation help in resisting this bending action along with supporting the vertical
load coming over the foundation. Hence pile foundation is needed for the construction of
earth water retaining structures and building structures highly subjected to lateral forces.

Figure 4 below illustrates the effect of horizontal forces

The pile foundation is necessary to resist the uplift forces created due to water table rise or
any other cause. Uplift forces are more common in the construction of transmission towers
and offshore platforms. These structures will need pile foundations.
In the case that we are constructing in an area that experiences large amount of rainfalls, soil
erosion will be a leading or major factor for foundation or structural failure, this might not be
resisted by shallow foundations, as the soil around the foundation area will be washed away
gradually exposing the foundation, applying pile foundation will prevent this catastrophic
even, because we will be able to elevate the building, by doing so, allowing the water to pass
below it, this makes pile foundation to be one of the most essential deep foundation in the
construction industry .

Figure 5 below illustrate soil erosion

For areas that have sloping landscapes, using regular foundation such as shallow foundation
may lead to a differential settlement, this is because the load distribution of the structure will
not be uniform in nature which may cause structural failure in the long run, to prevent this we
can install pile foundation. Pile foundation is needed near deep drainage and canal lines.
Figure 6- Pile foundation on a slope (decorexpro.com)

The soil where shrinks and swells considerably with the change in moisture content are called
expansive soil. Expansive soils may be present at the site of a proposed structure. Expansive
soils shrink and swell depending on their moisture content which may increase and decrease.
If shallow foundations are used in such condition, the structure may suffer considerable
damage due to settlement of foundation. Hence, pile foundations are considered as alternative
when piles are extended beyond the stable soil zone, Which is where shrinking and swelling
doesn’t occur

Figure 4
FUNCTIONS OF PILE FOUNDATION:

The principal function of the pile foundation is to transmit the loads coming over it safely to
the ground. The transmission is performed whether it is vertical or horizontal or inclined
loads. The pile foundation can be constructed in cohesionless soil by undergoing techniques
of displacement and vibration methods. Pile foundation helps in reducing the settlement. The
pile foundation helps to increase the factor of safety of heavy load structures or buildings.
The pile foundation guarantees the vertical structures above with safety, security, and
reliability. The pile and pile cap arrangement in pile foundation help the load distribution to
be performed in a uniform manner

Reference list

1. Desai, R. and Desai, R., 2021. Necessity of Pile Foundation!. [online] GharPedia.

Available at: <https://gharpedia.com/blog/necessity-pile-foundation/> [Accessed 13
August 2021].
2. Medium. 2021. Importance of pile foundation and types of pile foundations. [online]
Available at: <https://medium.com/@groundengineeringltd/importance-of-pile-
foundation-and-types-of-pile-foundations-edbeae21e7c7> [Accessed 13 August 2021].