Soil Mechanics II (CE 324)

Tariq Mahmood Bajwa, PhD

NUST, Islamabad, Pakistan
Office: 112 NIT
Email: tariq.bajwa@nice.nust.edu.pk
May 16, 2022

Nature reflects
Ø Pile capacity:

o The load carried by a pile is transmitted to the soil surrounding the pile by:

• friction or adhesion between the soil and the pile surface, and
• the load is transmitted directly to the soil just below pile’s tip.

Qultimate = Qfriction + Qtip

Qultimate = ultimate (at failure) bearing capacity of a single pile

Qfriction = bearing capacity furnished by friction or adhesion between the soil and the pile surface

Qtip = bearing capacity furnished by the soil just below the pile’s tip.

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa / 17/05/2022

Ø Pile capacity:
Qultimate
Qultimate = Qfriction + Qtip 1

Qfriction = f × Asurface

Qtip = q × Atip Qfriction

Qultimate = f × Asurface + q × Atip

Qtip
• In case of end bearing piles, the term Qtip will be predominant, whereas with friction
piles, Qfriction will be predominant.

• Above equation is generalized and applicable for all soils.

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa / 17/05/2022

Ø Points to remember:

Qultimate

Sand + Clay

Qfriction

Qtip

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa / 17/05/2022

 > Critical depth/critical depth of embedment: at which the point resistance (end bearing) = skin friction along its

Ø Pile driven in sand: length.

>Effective vertical pressure: load-carrying capacity that a pile can support due to the soil pressure acting on its
surface area.

• The critical depth Dc is dependent on the field conditions of the sand and the pile’s size.

• 𝑫𝒄 = 10 pile’s diameter for loose sand

• 𝑫𝒄 = 𝟐𝟎 pile’s diameter for dense sand

Figure: Relationship between critical depth and effective vertical pressure

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa / 17/05/2022
Ø Pile driven in sand – Skin friction resistance
Effective horizontal stress Effective vertical stress
𝜎!" on pile surface 𝜎#" on pile surface

s’h = gzK s’v = gz

critical critical
gzK depth depth
Dc Dc

gzK.tan(d)

c b a
/
• f$ A$ = area under σ% diagram×Ktan𝝳×pile circumference
Value of K is assumed to vary between 0.6 and 1.25
/
• f$ A$ = area under σ% diagram×Ktan𝝳×ΠD (Bowles, 1977).

• tand = Coefficient of friction between sand and pile material Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa / 17/05/2022
Ø Pile driven in sand – Coefficient of friction, 𝒕𝒂𝒏 𝜹:

Table: Coefficient of friction between sand and pile materials

Materials 𝑡𝑎𝑛 𝛿

Concrete 0.45
Wood 0.4
Steel (smooth) 0.2
Steel (rough, rusted) 0.4
Steel (corrugated) Use 𝑡𝑎𝑛 𝜙 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑑

• Value of K is assumed to vary between 0.6 and 1.25 (Bowles, 1977).

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa / 17/05/2022
Ø Pile driven in sand – Tip resistance / end bearing:

o The bearing capacity of pile tip (end bearing) is

given by

𝑞89: . 𝐴89: = (𝜎;< . 𝑁=∗ ). 𝐴89:

𝞂’v = effective vertical stress adjacent to pile’s tip

Nq* = bearing capacity factor

o Nq* is related to angle of internal friction (f) of sand, located

in general vicinity of where the pile tip will ultimately rest.

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa / 17/05/2022

Ø Pile driven in sand – Tip resistance / end bearing:

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa / 17/05/2022

Ø Pile driven in sand – Summary

Qultimate = f × Asurface + q × Atip

ü Skin friction

f × Asurface = (pD)× (Area under s v¢ - depth curve)× (K )× (tan d )

ü End/tip bearing

( )
q × Atip = s v¢ × N q* × Atip

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa / 17/05/2022

Ø Pile driven in sand – Problem

• Given:
A concrete pile is to be driven into a medium dense to
dense sand. The pile’s dia. is 12 in. and its embedded
length is 25 ft. Soil conditions are as shown in Fig. No
groundwater was encountered, and the GWT is not
expected to rise during the life of the structure.

• Required:

The pile’s axial capacity if the coefficient of lateral earth

pressure, k, is assumed to be 0.95, and the factor of
safety is 2.
Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa / 17/05/2022
Ø Solution Effective Vertical Pressure, pv

Dc = 20 ft
Depth
2560 lb/ft2

20 ft
2560 lb/ft2

25 ft
Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa / 17/05/2022
Ø Solution

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa / 17/05/2022

Ø Practice problem

• Given
The same conditions as in Example above, except
that ground water is located 10 ft below the ground
surface. Determine

• Required
The pile’s axial capacity if the coefficient of lateral
earth pressure, k, is assumed to be 0.95, and the
factor of safety is 2.

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa / 17/05/2022

Area of pv diagram =0.5 (1280 x 10) + (1280 x 10) + 0.5 (656)10+ 1936 x 5
= 6400 + 12800 + 3280 + 9680 = 32160 ≈ 32,200 lb/ft

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa / 17/05/2022

For concrete (Table 10.4)

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa / 17/05/2022

ü Pile driven in clay – skin resistance/adhesion

Qultimate = f × Asurface + q × Atip

f × Asurface = ac × Asurface

§ The adhesion factor, a, can be determined from

unconfined compressive strength, qu, of clay.

• In case of piles driven in clays, term “ f ” in above

equation is adhesion between the soil and the sides of
the pile.
Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa / 17/05/2022
Ø Pile driven in clay – End bearing

Qultimate = f × Asurface + q × Atip

𝒒𝒕 = 𝒄𝑵𝒄

qt = bearing capacity at pile tip

c = cohesion of the clay located in the general vicinity of where the pile tip will
ultimately rest
Nc = bearing capacity factor and has a value of about 9

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa / 17/05/2022

Ø Pile driven in clay – Summary

Qultimate = f × Asurface + q × Atip

§ Skin friction

f × Asurface = ac × Asurface
§ End/tip bearing

qtip = cN c

Qultimate = acAsurface + cN c Atip

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa / 17/05/2021
Ø Pile driven in clay – Problem
Qdesign =?

GSL

• A 12 in. diameter concrete pile is driven at a site as shown

Clay
in Figure. The embedded length of the pile is 35 ft.
35 ft g = 104 lb/ft3
Estimate the design capacity of the pile using a factor of
qu = 1400 lb/ft2
safety of 2.

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa / 17/05/202

Ø Solution

1 𝑝𝑠𝑓 = 0.0005 𝑡𝑠𝑓 Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa / 17/05/202

Ø Practice problem

Qdesign =?

GSL
• A 12 in. diameter concrete pile is driven at a site as Clay
shown in Figure. Determine the design capacity of the 20 ft g = 105 lb/ft3
pile, using a factor of safety of 2. qu = 1400 lb/ft2

Clay
15 ft
g = 126 lb/ft3
qu = 4000 lb/ft2

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa / 17/05/2022

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa / 17/05/202
Ø Practice problem
Qdesign =360 kN
• A 0.36 m square prestressed concrete pile is
GSL
to be driven in a clayey soil. The design
capacity of the pile is 360 kN. Determine the Clay
necessary length of the pile if the factor of
g = 18.1 kN/m3
safety is 2 L=?
qu = 115 kN/m2

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa / 17/05/2022

Ø Solution
𝑘𝑁
1 ' = 0.00932 𝑡𝑠𝑓
𝑚

Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa / 17/05/2022

Thank you very much / Dr. Tariq Mahmood Bajwa