Pile Foundation Construction Problems and Solutions - Structural Guide

6/26/23, 6:16 PM Pile Foundation Construction Problems and Solutions - Structural Guide
Structural loads, structural analysis and structural design are simply

explained with the worked example for easiness of understanding.
Element designs with notes and discussions have added to get
comprehensive knowledge. Also, construction materials, shoring
system design, water retaining structures, crack width calculations, etc.
have discussed in addition to other aspects.
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Pile Foundation
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Construction
 Pile Design [Things to be
Remembered] Problems and
► Bridge (6)
Solutions
► Construction (31) BY PRASAD ·
► Design (31)
▼ Design and Construction (49) Share
» 11 Methods for Curing of Concrete
» 6 Factors Affecting Curing Time of
Concrete Pile foundation problems and solutions for
» Advantages of Prestressed Concrete the same are discussed in this article. Pile
» Alkali-Aggregate Reaction | What |
construction is a wide subject that needs
How | Avoid
to study in-depth to know the
» All about Mechanical Couplers
shortcomings in the construction.
» All about Workability of Concrete
Privacy - Terms
https://www.structuralguide.com/pile-foundation-construction/ 1/13
» Borehole Investigation | Important However, there is a key aspect to be

facts to be Known remembered and attended during the
» Brick Cracks [types and course]
construction of piles to avoid major issues
» Cantilever Beam - Design and
in the construction.
Construction Aspects
» Cold Joint in Concrete | Why
We can not observe the condition of the
Important to Know
pile or what happens underground with
» Combating Rebar Corrosion : Tips and
Techniques the naked eye. What we can do is just to
» Comprehensive Study on Waterstops follow the correct construction procedures
» Compressive Strength of Concrete to make sure we are doing the quality
and Concrete Testing control and quality assurance.
» Concrete Column Forms [Design &
Construction] Though the pile foundations are
» Concrete Crack Repair - Methods & designed by an expert in the subject, the
Procedures
pile could fail if not constructed correctly.
» Concrete Pouring Steps and
Techniques Let’s discuss each of the construction
» Concrete Slump Classes
problems in detail.
» Construction Joints in Concrete
Structures
» Control Joints in Concrete [a deep
Pile Setting Out
study]
One of the most important works to be
» Cover to Reinforcement Bars
done at the beginning of the construction
» Design Considerations for Coastal
of a pile.
Structures
» Destructive Testing of Welds | Detail
If this goes wrong, everything that we do
Study
» Excavation for Foundation [shallow
will be subjected to the initial error.
and deep]
It is true that we can not always maintain
» Flat Slab - types and design aspects
» How to Carry out Slab Inspection
the precision of the setting out to the
Correctly exactly coordinated given in the drawings.
» How to Compact Soil | Available However, at least, it shall be made sure to
Methods be with the acceptable limit of tolerance.
» Inclined Column Design
» Key Factors Affecting Strength of In most of the guidelines, pile construction
Concrete tolerance is specified as 75mm. However,
» Lintel [a comprehensive study on different guidelines specify different
types of lintel]
ranges based on the nature of
» Load Bearing Wall Structural
construction.
Engineers Overview
» Method of Strengthening Concrete
The following table states the range of
Column
tolerances acceptable in the construction.
» Methods of Setting Out of Slabs
» Non-Destructive Testing of Welds | Code Allowable Tolerance

Structural Guide
» Pile Foundation Construction 4% of diameter or 75mm;
ACI-336
Problems and Solutions whichever less
» Plinth Beams [impact on structure]
100mm; for pile
» Properties of Hardened Concrete
diameter(D) ≤ 1000mm
» Rebar Weight | per m per foot
» Screed Concrete
0.1D for 1000<D≤1500
» Self Compacting Concrete
» Shear key [ Purpose, types, design, 150mm D>1500
construction details]
BS EN 1536
» Slab Foundations - what is it Design for rake less than
» Slab Types - deep review on types, 1 in 15 limit to 20mm/m
design and construction
» Slump Test of Concrete | Measure of Design with rake of
Workability of Concrete between 1 in 4 and 1 in
» Strengthening of Concrete Beam 15 limit to 40mm/m
» Tallest Buildings in the World
» Types of Beams CP4 75mm
» Types of Concrete Blocks
» Types of Concrete Joints [ A Detailed Not more than 1 in 75
Study] from the vertical or 75mm
» Welding Inspection - What it is and
Deviation of up to 1 in 25
How it done BS 8004
► Design Loads (5) permitted for bored piles
► Design to BS 5950 (4) drilled at rakes of up to 1
► Design to BS 8110 (14) in 4
► Design to EC2 (13)
► Design to EC3 (5)
► Foundation Design (47) If the pile tolerance is within the limit, the
► Geotechnical Design (18) construction of the pile is accepted. The
► Materials (105) structural designer shall be considered the
► Post Tension (4) acceptable tolerance in his design.
► Project Management (28)
► Retaining Structures (16) For example, if the acceptable tolerances
► Road (1) for pile deviation are 75mm, the
► Seismic Design (16) superstructure shall be designed for the
► Servisibility Design (17)
same. We cannot change the location of
► Special Designs (29)
the column through the pile is shifted.
► Structural Detaling (15)
► Structural Failures (8) Then we have to design the ground beam
► Testing (16)
if there are two or single pile to carry the
column loads. When there are three or
more piles, it could be considered for the

piles, and an increase in the pile load due
to the movement towards the column shall
be taken in to account when pile capacity
is evaluated.
When the deviation is greater than the

acceptable limit for any type of pile
arrangement in the pile cap, it shall be
checked after the construction, and
necessary adjustment shall be made.
Designing the ground beams for the
eccentricity where possible, check the pile
capacity increase with the movement of
piles, check the pile caps for new
eccentricity, etc should be done by the
designer.
Excavation of Pile and

Socketing
There are many issues that we need to
look into when the pile excavation or
drilling is done.
Let’s discuss each of them one by one.
Deviation of the Steel Casing
The steel casing is placed when the

condition of the groud is very weak
and collapsing cannot be stored by
the bentonite fill. The depth of the
casing could be up to the termination
of the soft soil such as peat.
The Center of the casing could

deviate when place due to the
collapsing during its placement. Even
though the center of the casing is
checked after it placed, it could be

inclined.
In addition, during the excavation,

the position of the casing could be
deviated from its original position due
to the lack of lateral stiffness of the
soil.
It could be avoided by inserting the

casing up to a reasonable depth in
the hard soil layer and checking the
position of the casing before and
after concreting.
Tolerances could be checked as per

the relevant standard or as indicated
in the above table.
Collapse of the Excavtion
Collapsing of the soil is inevitable in

the pile foundation construction.
However, it can be minimized by
controlling the density of the
bentonite slurry.
Periodic checking shall be done to

make sure the density is within the
acceptable limit.
Excessive Water in the Pile
Since the excavation continues

beyond the groundwater table, water
will seep into the excavation.
The bentonite level shall be

maintained regularly to avoid the
water seeping to the pile. Since the
density of the bentonite is higher
there is less chance of movement of
water.
In addition, the density of the

bentonite shall be checked regularly,
and if required necessary adjustment
shall be done the maintain the
required density of bentonite.
Lateral Movement and Uplifting of

Adjacent Piles
In general, the spacing of the pile is

maintained around 2.5 – 3 times the
pile diameter.
There are possibilities for the

movement of surrounding piles when
the pile casings are driven.
It shall be done with much care and

doing it with much control, lateral
movement could be
minimized/avoided.
Settlements
There will be excessive vibration in

the ground due to the pile driving.
Even though it maintains the

vibration within the acceptable limit,
still the effect of the vibration could
cause settlement of the adjacent
structures.
Especially, the structures founded on

shallow foundations could settle in
the construction of the pile. Further,
excessive vibration could cause a
severy issue.
The settlement of the structure may

lead to cracking and even the old
structure or improperly constructed
structures could collapse.
Therefore, based on the nature of

construction, vibration shall be
minimized as much as possible. The
use of new tools, the use of electric
drilling machines, etc could reduce
the vibration.
In Adequate Socketing and

Termination
Pile design drawings specify the

socketing depth in the drawings.
However, it is a challenging task to
decide the starting point and
termination point of the socketing
depth.
The socketing depth of a pile is

decided based on several factors.
Some of them are information
gathered from the borehole log, rate
of the penetration in the rock, rock
sample observation, etc.
Further, onsite tests such a point

load test could be done to find the
strength of the rock. It can be
correlated with the end bearing of the
rock. Thus, we can identify the
condition of the rock, and
accordingly, the termination could be
decided.
Poor Cleaning of Pile Toe
It is a must to clean the pile to

adequately. Cleaning of the pile is
called the flushing.
It can be done based on the

parameters obtained by testing the
bentonite. We can not see the toe of
the pile. So how we decide the pile is

cleaned.
The bentonite in the excavation

taken out and cleaned by a machine
and remove the washed sand and
mud. It gained pumped from the top
of the excavation. Bentonit taken for
cleaning from the toe of the pile.
This process is continued until it

satisfies that there is no mud/sand in
the bentonite.
The tests such as mud balance,

marsh balance, and sand content are
tested in the flushing process.
Characteristics for Bentonite Suspensions
Stages
Ready
Test
Property Unit for Before
Fresh Equipment
Re- Concreting
use
Mud
Density g/ml <1.10 <1.25 <1.15
Balance
Marsh
32- Marsh
Viscosity sec 32-60 32-50
50 Funnel
(946 ml)
Sand Sand
% N/A N/A <4
Content content
7 to 7 to
pH n.a. pH meter
11 12
The ranges specified in the above

table could be maintained before
concreting. The values may vary
from specification to specification.
The project specification shall be

referred for the date.
Concreting Problems
The issues usually observed during
construction and are highlighted as
follows.
In Adequate Strenght of the

Concrete
Generally, piles are cast from the

grade 30 concretes. This value may
vary from country to country.
Inadequate compressive strength of

the concrete in the pile leads to
severe issues in the construction.
Since the pile is an underground

structure, it is very difficult to rectify. If
the real application of load exceeds
the pile capacity, additional piles
could be constructed.
Voids in the Concrete
Since the self compacting concrete

is poured into the pile, no vibration is
required. Further, due to the depth of
the pile, it is very difficult to vibrate
the concrete for the better
commotion.
Due to the construction issues,

cavities could be created in the pile.
It could be due to the poor quality of
the concrete and inconsistency in the
workability of the concrete.
Regular checking and monitoring the

quality of concrete could avoid these
issues.
Mixing Concrete with Bentonite
Concrete is poured in a way that it

does not mix with the bentonite.
Initially, the tremie place in the tore of

the excavated pile. Then concrete is
poured into the tremie. After that
tremie is lifted slowly allowing the
concrete to flow out.
Then again the tremie is filled with

concrete. Then the tremie is slightly
lifted allowing concrete to move out
gradually. This process is to continue
in the pile concreting.
We always keep the end of the

tremie within the fresh concrete and
we never lift the tremie into the top
level of the pile concrete during the
concreting process.
We try to retain the end of the tremie

at least 1-1.5m within the fresh
concrete to avoid fresh concrete
mixing with bentonite.
Bulging and Necking
Concrete could bulge or it could

necking during the construction.
Necking of the pile cold exposes the

reinforcement cage and it leads to
reduce the cross-section area of the
pile.
Reduction of the pile cross-sectional

area of the pile leads to reduce the
load-carrying capacity of the pile.
Rise of Temperature of Concrete
The rise of the temperature of the

pile shall be tested at least at the
beginning of the piling construction
work.
The first pile could be checked from

the strain gages and temperature
variation could be monitored.
Based on the outcome of the data

analysis, concrete could be adjusted.
Reinforcement Cage
Movement
Lifting of Reinforcement Cage
The reinforcement cage could be

lifted if the rate of pouring of concrete
is high. Therefore, concrete pouring
shall be done in a controlled manner.
Once the case is lifted, we cannot

lower it. Lifting the cage beyond the
socketing length causes sever issue
in the pile construction.
It could lead to abandoning the pile.
Lack of Cover to the Reinforcement
Lateral movement of the

reinforcement cage could lead to
exposing it from one side. It could be
due to the collapsing the soil from
one side of the pile excavation.
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6/26/23, 6:16 PM Pile Foundation Construction Problems and Solutions - Structural Guide

Structural loads, structural analysis and structural design are simply

CATEGORIES DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

Shear key [ Purpose, types, design,

» Borehole Investigation | Important However, there is a key aspect to be

» Non-Destructive Testing of Welds | Code Allowable Tolerance

more piles, it could be considered for the

When the deviation is greater than the

Excavation of Pile and

Let’s discuss each of them one by one.

Deviation of the Steel Casing

The steel casing is placed when the

The Center of the casing could

checked after it placed, it could be

In addition, during the excavation,

It could be avoided by inserting the

Tolerances could be checked as per

Collapse of the Excavtion

Collapsing of the soil is inevitable in

Periodic checking shall be done to

Excessive Water in the Pile

Since the excavation continues

The bentonite level shall be

In addition, the density of the

Lateral Movement and Uplifting of

In general, the spacing of the pile is

There are possibilities for the

It shall be done with much care and

There will be excessive vibration in

Even though it maintains the

Especially, the structures founded on

The settlement of the structure may

Therefore, based on the nature of

In Adequate Socketing and

Pile design drawings specify the

The socketing depth of a pile is

Further, onsite tests such a point

Poor Cleaning of Pile Toe

It is a must to clean the pile to

It can be done based on the

the pile. So how we decide the pile is

The bentonite in the excavation

This process is continued until it

The tests such as mud balance,

Characteristics for Bentonite Suspensions

The ranges specified in the above

The project specification shall be

In Adequate Strenght of the

Generally, piles are cast from the

Inadequate compressive strength of

Since the pile is an underground

Voids in the Concrete

Since the self compacting concrete

Due to the construction issues,

Regular checking and monitoring the

Mixing Concrete with Bentonite

Concrete is poured in a way that it

Initially, the tremie place in the tore of

Then again the tremie is filled with

We always keep the end of the

We try to retain the end of the tremie

Bulging and Necking

Concrete could bulge or it could

Necking of the pile cold exposes the