MADURASRI CONSTRUCTION AND

CONSULTING PVT LTD.

PILE FOUNDATION

1. INTRODUCTION:
An insufficient bearing capacity of the soil to bear a structure will
demand for pile foundation. The pile foundation will be chosen
based on the:

1. Soil Condition
2. Types of Loads acting on the foundation
3. The bottom layers of the soil
4. The site conditions
5. Operational Conditions

The pile foundation consists of pile cap and piles either present in
single or in groups. The loads coming from the superstructure is
transferred safely to the hard strata, soil, and rocks below by
means of piles. Piles are long slender members that can have a
length of more than 15m.

There are many functions provided by the pile foundation that

result in its tremendous applications in construction. Here, we will
discuss the necessity and the functions of pile foundation.

2. When and Where Pile Foundations are Used?

There are certain construction sites that can only go for a pile
foundation because it exclusively satisfies certain needs. Some of
these needs are mentioned below.
1. Pile foundation is needed in areas where the structures
constructed are large & heavy and the soil underlying is weak.
2. In areas where settlement issues are common due to soil
liquefaction or water table issues, pile foundation is a better
choice.
3. In some situations, the sub-soil water table at the site will be so
high that the use of other foundation 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.
4. 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 (earthquake and
wind) forces.
5. 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 off-shore
platforms. These structures will need pile foundations.
6. Pile foundation is necessary for areas where the structure
surrounding has chances for soil erosion. This might not be
resisted by the shallow foundations.
7. When the plan of the structure is not regular the load distribution
also will not be uniform in nature. Employing a shallow
foundation in these cases will result in the differential
 settlement. In order to eliminate differential settlement in such
cases, the pile foundation becomes necessary.
8. Pile foundation is needed near deep drainage and canal lines.
9. The adjacent soil can be confined by means of sheet pile
foundation as shown in figure-2 below.

3. CLASSIFICATION OF DEEP FOUNDATIONS

Deep foundations are classified into three categories:

 Pile foundations
 Well foundations
 Caisson foundations

4. PILE FOUNDATIONS
A pile foundation is defined as a series of columns constructed or
inserted into the ground to transmit loads to a lower level of
subsoil. A pile is a long cylinder made up of a strong material, such
as concrete. Piles are pushed into the ground to act as a steady
support for structures built on top of them. Piles transfer the loads
from structures to hard strata, rocks, or soil with high bearing
capacity. The piles support the structure by remaining solidly
placed in the soil. As pile foundations are set in the soil, they are
more tolerant to erosion and scour.

5. INSTALLATION OF PILE FOUNDATIONS

Piles are first cast at ground level and then hammered or driven
into the ground using a pile driver. A pile driver is a machine that
holds the pile vertical and hammers it into the ground. Blows are
repeated by lifting a heavy weight and dropping it on top of the
pile. Piles should be hammered into the ground until the refusal
point is reached, which is the point where a pile cannot be driven
into the soil any farther. The method of installing a pile is a major
consideration in the structural integrity of pile foundations. The
driven-pile method is an ideal option because it least disturbs the
supporting soil around the pile and results in the highest bearing
capacity for each pile. Since every pile has a zone of influence on
the soil around it, piles must be spaced far enough apart from each
other so that the loads are distributed evenly.

5. 6.CATEGORIES OF PILES
Depending on their function, piles are classified as bearing piles,
friction piles, friction-cum-bearing piles, batter piles, guide piles,
and sheet piles.

Based on the composition of materials, piles are classified as timber

piles, concrete piles, sand piles, or steel piles.
1) Bearing piles are driven into the ground until a hard stratum is
reached. Bearing piles rest on hard strata and act as pillars to
support the structure. Bearing piles allow vertical loads and
transfer the building load to the hard stratum underneath.
2) Friction piles are used when the soil is soft and there are no hard
strata available. These piles are long, and the surfaces are
roughened to increase surface area and increase frictional
resistance. They bear on frictional resistance between their outer
surface and the soil in contact. Friction piles do not rest on hard
strata.
3) Batter piles are driven inclined to resist inclined loads.
4) Guide piles are used in the formation of cofferdams to provide
stable foundations for under-water construction.
 Functions of Pile Foundation
The main functions of the pile foundation in the construction of
structures are enlisted below.

1. 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.
2. The pile foundation can be constructed in cohesionless soil by
undergoing techniques of displacement and vibration methods.
3. Pile foundation helps in reducing the settlement.
4. The pile foundation helps to increase the factor of safety of heavy
load structures or buildings.
5. The pile foundation guarantees the vertical structures above with
safety, security, and reliability.
6. The pile and pile cap arrangement in pile foundation help the load
distribution to be performed in a uniform manner.

TYPES OF PILES BASED ON SHAPE AND COMPOSITION

 MINIMUM DEPTH OF FOUNDATION
Depth of foundation generally depend on two factors soil load
bearing capacity and types of foundation. Load bearing capacity of
poor soil has greater depth of foundation and load bearing capacity
strong soil have less of foundation.

There is two types of foundation shallow type and deep type,

generally Shallow Foundation is provided in the soil which have
higher load bearing capacity and pile Foundation is provided in the
soil which have less load bearing capacity.

Minimum depth of foundation: minimum depth of foundation is

around 5 feet for a small residential building from ground level or
at least 1.50 times the width of footing.

In cold climates the depth of footing is Kept at a minimum of 1.50m

below surface because of possible frost action.

How to Determine Depth of Foundation?

General factors to be considered for determining depth of foundation
are:
 1. Load applied from structure to the foundation
2. Bearing capacity of soil
3. Depth of water level below the ground surface
4. Types of soil and depth of layers in case of layered soil
5. Depth of adjacent foundation
The minimum depth of foundation should be considered to ensure
that the soil is having the required safe bearing capacity as
assumed in the design. However, it is advised to carry out soil
investigation before deciding on depth of foundation.

Soil investigation report will suggest the foundation depth based on

the type of structure, soil properties, depth of water table, and all
other variable that should be considered. Soil investigation report
provides bearing capacity of soil at different levels and at different
location.

When the soil investigation report is not available, the depth of

foundation should be selected such that it is not affected by
swelling and shrinking of soil due to seasonal changes. Depth of
foundation should also consider the depth of water table to prevent
and scour below the ground.

For foundation near existing foundation, it must be ensured that

pressure bulbs of foundations do not coincide if the depth of new
foundation has to be taken below the depth of existing foundation.

The foundation should not be contracted at shallow depth

considering the frost action in cold countries.

Rankine's formula provides the guidance on minimum depth of

foundation based on bearing capacity of soil.
 Rankine's Formula

Where, h = minimum depth of foundation

P = gross bearing capacity

= density of soil
= angle of repose or internal friction of soil.

The above formula does not consider the factors discussed above
and just provides the guidance on minimum foundation depth,
assuming that the foundations are not affected by factors such as
water table, frost action, types and properties of soil etc. as
discussed above. This formula does not consider the loads from the
structure on the foundation.

In the Rankine's formula, it can be seen that foundation depth

depends on the bearing capacity of soil, so, if the bearing capacity
of soil increases, the depth of foundation also increases.

Foundation Depth Calculation

Gross bearing capacity of soil = 300 kN/m2

Density of Soil = 18 kN/m3
Angle of repose = 30 Degrees

Then minimum depth of Foundation

h = 1.85m.

DRAWING FOR PILE FOUNDATION.

SECTIONAL DRAWING OF PILE FOUNDATION
 Steel Quantity for Pile Foundation
PILES:
DEPTH OF THE PILE: 20 FEET
DIAMETER OF PILE: 16 INCH
REINFORMENT DETAILS:
# 8 NO’S – 12 MM DIA BAR @ 8” C/C.
# 8 MM DIA HELICAL REINFORCEMENT @ 8” C/C.
STEEL DETAILS:
TOTAL LENTH OF ONE ROD = 40 FEET
NO OF RODS IN 1 BUNDLES OF 12 MM DIA BAR = 5 NO’S
NO OF RODS IN 1 BUNDLES OF 8 MM DIA BAR = 10 NO’S
WEIGHT OF 1 BUNDLE OF STEEL FOR 12 MM DIA BAR = 53.4 KG
WEIGHT OF 1 BUNDLE OF STEEL FOR 8 MM DIA BAR = 47 KG
QUANTITY:
8MM DIA BAR REQUIRED = 3 B.
12MM DIA BAR REQUIRED = 23 B.

SL.NO DESCRIPTION QUANTITY WEIGHT TOTAL COST TOTAL

IN KG WEIGHT COST
1 8 MM DIA 3 47 141 KG 84 RS 11,844
BUNDLES
2 12 MM DIA 23 53.4 1228.2 KG 84 RS 1,03,168.8
BUNDLES
TOTAL - 26 100.4 1369.2 84 1,15,012.8
BUNDLES
QUANTITY OF CONCRETE FOR PILE
CONCRETE FOR 1 PILE = 0.878 M*3.
TOTAL CONCRETE = 0.878 * 23 = 21.217 M*3.
APPROXIMATE COST FOR 22 M*3 = 4500 * 22 = 99,000.

THANK
YOU!