Deep Foundations

Kaidy Duarte
  A deep foundation is one that transfers building loads
What is Deep past the weak soil further down to the competent soil
and/or rock. This type of foundation is best suited to
Foundation? taller buildings and structures that are heavy and
require adequate support.
  Deep foundations can be used to support new or existing
structures. They are connected to the structure and can be
installed prior to building construction or as underpinning
elements for existing structures.
 When ground water table is high

Uses of Deep  When the soil is at shallow depth

 When there is a canal or deep drainage systems near the structure
Foundation  When its impossible to keep the foundation trenches dry.
 Upper soils are weak, structural loads are high; required spread
footings are too large.
 Design and construction of earth-retaining structures and
foundations of tall structures that are subjected to high wind or to
earthquake forces.
Why do we
choose Deep  We tend to use deep foundations when the soil conditions don’t
support shallow foundation. It basically comes down to type of soil
Foundation over & water table. Compared to shallow foundations, deep
foundations are suitable for more adverse soil conditions and less
Shallow constraint.
Foundation
 Based on Function

Classification Of
Pile
Foundations
Load End Bearing Friction Soil Pile
Sheet Pile
Bearing Pile Pile Pile Compactor
 Sheet pile is mostly used to provide lateral support. Usually, they resist
lateral pressure from loose soil, the flow of water, etc. They are usually
used for cofferdams, trench sheeting, shore protection, etc. They are
not used for providing vertical support to the structure. They are
Sheet Pile usually used to serve the following purpose-
 Construction of retaining walls.
 Protection from river bank erosion.
 Retain the loose soil around foundation trenches.
 For isolation of foundation from adjacent soils.
 For confinement of soil and thus increase the bearing capacity of the
soil.
Load Bearing  This type of pile is mostly used to transfer vertical loads from the
Pile structure to the soil. They transmit loads through the soil with
poor supporting property onto a layer which is capable of bearing
the load.
 End Bearing Piles Friction Piles
End Bearing
When Piles transfer load of the building When piles transfer the loads only by
and Friction through a soft soil strata to a suitable
bearing stratum at greater depths then
means of skin resistance without any
end bearing then the piles are called a
Piles it is called a bearing pile friction pile
End bearing pile, the loads The load is taken by the hard strata Load is taken by the friction developed
between side of the pile and
pass through the lower tip surrounding ground
of the pile. As a result, the
Hard strata is essentially required Hard strata is not essentially required
pile acts as a column and
safely transfers the load to It is used to transfer load through water It is used to transfer loads through a
the strong layer. or soft soil depth of friction
Friction Pile transfers the
load from the structure to
the soil by the frictional
force between the surface
of the pile and the soil
surrounding the pile such as
stiff clay, sandy soil, etc.
  Sand compaction piles are one of the potential methods for
improving ground stability, preventing liquefaction, reducing
settlement and similar applications. 

Soil Compactor
Piles
 Based on Material
and Construction
Method

Classification
Of Pile
Foundations Timber Pile Concrete Pile Steel Pile Composite Pile

• Untreated • Pre-cast Piles • Hollow Pile

• Treated • Cast In Place
Pile
  Timber piles prove economical hit supporting light structures to
be located in compressive soils constantly saturated with water. 
Timber Pile  Transmission of load through timber piles takes place by the
frictional resistance of the ground and the pile surface. Timber
piles prove economical hit supporting light structures to be
located in compressive soils constantly saturated with water. 

Advantages
• They are economical.
• They can be driven rapidly and as such there
is great saving in time in execution of piling
work
• On account of their elasticity timber piles can
be recommended for sites where piles are
likely to the subjected to unusual lateral
forces.
Disadvantages
• They have low bearing capacity
• They are liable to decay or deteriorate by sail
water or insects.
• Timber piles must be cut off below the
permanent ground water level to prevent
them from decay and thus if the water table
at a site is at a greater depth, extra cost of
excavation needed to provide the pile cap
may render the choice uneconomical.
 Concrete Piles and drilled shafts are an important category of foundations.
Concrete Pile Despite their relatively high cost, they become necessary when we want to
transfer the loads of a a heavy superstructure (bridge, high rise building, etc.) to
the lower layers of soil. 

Different types of concrete piles are used for different applications. Cast-in-place

concrete piles, or driven shafts are two great examples of how the can be
produced (made) and installed. When choosing a pile type, one should generally
consider the following conditions:
1. Poor quality of upper soil layers
2. When we have expansive soil in construction site
3. To resist uplift forces
4. To resist lateral loads (horizontal)
5. Bridge abutment and piers
 The precast concrete pile is cast in pile bed in the horizontal form if
they are rectangular in shape. After the piles are cast, curing has to be
performed as per specification, they can withstand high pressure
loads as well as high tensile loads.
Pre-Cast Pile Advantages Disadvantage
• Provides high resistance to chemical and • They are difficult to mobilize.
biological cracks. • As they are not available for readymade
• They are usually of high strength. purchase, it can cause a delay in the
project.

Cast in Place Concrete Pile is constructed by boring of soil up to the desired

depth and then, depositing freshly mixed concrete in that place and letting it cure
there. This type of pile is constructed either by driving a metallic shell to the
ground and filling it with concrete and leave the shell with the concrete or the shell
is pulled out while concrete is poured.
Cast In Place Advantages Disadvantage
Pile • The shells are light weighted, so they are
easy to handle.
• If the pile is un-reinforced and uncased, the
pile can fail in tension if there acts and
• No possibility of breaking during uplifting force.
installation. • It is difficult to construct cast in situ piles
where the underground water flow is
heavy.
  Steel piles are large I-sections or hollow pipes that are filled with concrete.
 Because of the small sectional area, the piles are easy to drive. They are
mostly used as end-bearing piles.
 Useful for situations where precision is needed for levelling and where ground
disturbance is to be kept to a minimum.
Advantage Disadvantage
• They are easy to install.  • Prone to corrosion.
They can reach a greater depth • Has a possibility of deviating while
Steel Piles comparing to any other type of pile.  driving.
• Can carry heavy loads. • Comparatively expensive.
• Can penetrate through the hard layer
of soil due to the less cross-sectional
area. 

A hollow steel support pile having both ends open, and structured to be rapidly driven
into soil under low torque conditions with strong soil support and without disturbing
surface soil
 Steel Pile
being driven
into the
ground:
  Composite Piles are those piles of two different materials are
driven one over the other, so as to enable them to act together to
perform the function of 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.
Composite Pile
  Cofferdams come into play when there is a need to temporarily
control the movement of water – whether through damming,
diversion or dewatering – most contractors agree that
a cofferdam system (also coffer dams) are the best alternative.
They are readily available in numerous configurations, easy to
transport and install, cost efficient, and environmentally sensitive.
 Types of cofferdams:
Cofferdams 1. Rock-fill cofferdam
2. Single-walled cofferdam
3. Double-walled cofferdam
4. Crib cofferdam
5. Cellular cofferdam
Rock-fill Embankment
This cofferdam type is made of rock-fill. A typical section rock-fill cofferdam is better than the earth fill. These are very
pervious and are usually provided with an impermeable membrane of soil to reduce seepage. The crest and upper part of
impermeable membrane are provided with a rap to protect against the wave action.
Double-Wall sheet piles
This type of cofferdam is suitable when it is required to exclude water over 36 feet. This consists of two straight, parallel
vertical wall of sheet piling tied to each other and the space between them filled with soil. Double-Wall sheet pile cofferdam
higher than 7.5 feet should be strutted. Sometimes an inside berm is provided. Consequently, this helps to keep the phreatic
surface within the berm.
Cellular Cofferdams
A cellular cofferdam is constructed by driving sheet piles of special shapes to form a series of cells. The cells are
interconnected to form a watertight wall. These are filled with soils and, as a result, provide stability against the lateral
forces. There are two types of cellular cofferdams, namely diaphragm type and circular type.
Single-walled Cofferdam 
This type of cofferdam is used in places where the area to be enclosed is very small and the depth of water is more, say 4.5
to 6 m timber pile known as guide piles are first driven deep into the firm ground below the river bed. 
Crib Cofferdam 
In deep waters where it is difficult to penetrate the guide piles or sheet piles into the hard bed below, crib cofferdam is used.
In this type of construction, the sheet piles are supported by a series of wooden cribs. A
Cofferdam Construction Process
  A caisson is a watertight structure which is used as an “anchor” for
a foundation. Think of it like this, you need to build a pier. That pier
Caisson can be floating or fixed. If it’s a fixed pier you’ll use a caisson as the
base of the structure on the floor of the body of water.
  Open caissons are best used in areas that have soft clay and
minimal potential for obstructions to appear. Open caissons do
not have a top or a bottom.
 Box caissons which are exactly what you might expect –
Types of watertight boxes with an open top that can receive the pier when
it’s in place.
caissons  Pneumatic caisson is a watertight box or cylinder-like structure
that is closed at the top and open at the bottom, resting on the
bed of the waterbody. They are used for underwater construction
of foundations for bridge piers, abutments in rivers, and
foundations for large multi-story buildings.