Design of Pile Groups

Reference Manual Chapter 9

 Design of Pile Groups

• Group Capacity (compression loads)

• Group Settlement

• Group Capacity (uplift loads)

• Group Capacity (lateral loads)

9-116
 Design of Pile Groups

• Piles for highway structures are almost

always installed in pile groups.

• The design of a pile group must consider

the group’s axial compression capacity,
settlement, uplift resistance, and lateral
load capacity.
 Design of Pile Groups
The efficiency of a pile group is the ratio of the
ultimate capacity of the group to the sum of the
candidates of the individual piles.
Qug
g 
nQu
Where: g = Pile group efficiency.
Qug = Ultimate capacity of the pile group.
n = Number of piles in the pile group.
Qu = Ultimate capacity of each pile in the pile group.
9-116
 Design of Pile Groups
The group efficiency may be less than 1 for a
pile group driven into a compressible cohesive
soil, or into a dense cohesionless soil underlain
by a weak cohesive deposit.

The group efficiency in cohesionless soils is

generally greater than 1.
Vibratory densification
Densification from displacement
9-118
 Design of Pile Groups

The settlement of a pile group is likely to be

many times greater than that of a single pile
carrying the same load as each pile in the pile
group.

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 Stress Zones from a Single Pile
and Pile Group

9-117
 Overlap of Stress Zones

9-119
Group Capacity in Cohesionless Soils
1. The ultimate axial compression capacity of a pile
group driven in a cohesionless soil may be taken
as the sum of the individual capacities, unless
underlain by a weak deposit, jetted, or predrilled.

2. If underlain by a weak deposit, the ultimate group

capacity is the lesser of the 1) sum of the
individual pile capacities, or 2) the group capacity
against block failure.

3. A minimum center-to-center pile spacing of 3

diameters is recommended. 9-118
Group Capacity in Cohesive Soils

1. For pile groups in clays with undrained

shear strengths less than 95 kPa (2 ksf),
and the cap not in firm contact with the
ground, use a group efficiency ranging
from 0.7 for c-t-c spacings of 3 diameters,
to 1.0 for c-t-c spacings of 6 diameters
(interpolate in between).
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Group Capacity in Cohesive Soils
2. For pile groups in clays with undrained shear
strengths less than 95 kPa (2 ksf), and the cap
in firm contact with the ground, a group
efficiency of 1.0 may be used.

3. For pile groups in clays with undrained shear

strengths greater than 95 kPa (2 ksf),
regardless of pile cap/ground contact, use a
group efficiency of 1.0.
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 Group Capacity in Cohesive Soils
4. Calculate the ultimate pile group capacity
against block failure, and use the lesser
capacity.

5. A center-to-center spacing less than 3

diameters should not be used.

9-120
 Group Capacity in Cohesive Soils
Short-term group efficiencies in cohesive soils 1 to 2
months after installation may be as low as 0.4 - 0.8
due to high driving-induced excess porewater
pressures (results in decreased effective stress).

Pile groups in clays which are loaded shortly after pile

installation should consider the reduced short-term
group capacity.

In critical cases, piezometers should be installed to

monitor porewater pressure dissipation with time.
9-120
 Dissipation of Excess Pore Pressures

+ x - single pile - 25 pile group

- 9 pile group M - 116 pile group
9-121  - 13 pile group - 230 pile group
 Block Failure of Pile Groups

Block failure of pile groups is generally

only a design consideration for pile groups
in soft cohesive soils or in cohesionless
soils underlain by a weak cohesive layer.

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 Three Dimensional Pile Group

9-123
 Block Failure of Pile Groups
Qug = 2D (B + Z) cu1 + B Z cu2 Nc
Qug = Ultimate group capacity against block failure.
D = Embedded length of piles.
B = Width of pile group.
Z = Length of pile group.
cu1 = Weighted average of the undrained shear strength
over the depth of pile embedment for the cohesive
soils along the pile group perimeter.
cu2 = Average undrained shear strength of the cohesive
soils at the base of the pile group to a depth of 2B
below pile toe level.
Nc = Bearing capacity factor. 9-122
 Block Failure of Pile Groups
The bearing capacity factor, Nc, for a
rectangular pile group is generally 9.

However, Nc should be calculated for pile

groups with small pile embedment depths
and/or large widths

Nc = 5 [ 1+D/5B ] [ 1+B/5Z ] ≤ 9

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Lateral Capacity of Pile Groups
LATERAL CAPACITY OF PILE GROUPS

The lateral deflection of a pile group is typically

2 to 3 times larger than the deflection of a
single pile.

Piles in trailing rows of pile groups have

significantly less lateral load resistance than
piles in the lead row.

Laterally loaded pile groups have a group

efficiency less than 1.
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LATERAL CAPACITY OF PILE GROUPS

The lateral capacity of an individual pile in a

group is a function of its position (row) in the
group, and the c-t-c pile spacing.

A p-multiplier, is used to modify p-y curve

Laterally loaded pile groups have a group

efficiency less than 1.

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LATERAL CAPACITY OF PILE GROUPS

The lateral capacity of an individual pile in a

group is a function of its position (row) in the
group, and the c-t-c pile spacing.

A p-multiplier: 0.8, 0.4, & 0.3 (thereafter)

9-150
 TABLE 9-19 LATERALLY LOADED PILE GROUPS STUDIES

Soil Test Center to Calculated Deflection Reference

Type Type Center Pile p-Multipliers, Pm For in mm
Spacing Rows (in)
1, 2, & 3+
51 Brown et al,
Stiff Clay Field Study 3b .70, .50, .40
(2) (1987)
30 Brown et al,
Stiff Clay Field Study 3b .70, .60, .50,
(1.2) (1987)
600 at
Medium Scale Model- Moss
3b .60, .45, .40 50 cycles
Clay Cyclic Load (1997)
(2.4)
25-60 Rollins et al,
Clayey Silt Field Study 3b .60, .40, .40
(1.0 - 2.4) (1998)

V. Dense 25 Brown et al,

Field Study 3b .80, .40, .30
Sand (1) (1988)

M. Dense 76 McVay et al,

Centrifuge Model 3b .80, .40, .30
Sand (3) (1995)

M. Dense 76 McVay et al,

Centrifuge Model 5b 1.0, .85, .70
Sand (3) (1995)

Loose 76 McVay et al,

Centrifuge Model 3b .65, .45, .35
M. Sand (3) (1995)
Loose 76 McVay et al,
Centrifuge Model 5b 1.0, .85, .70
M. Sand (3) (1995)
Loose 25-75 Ruesta et al,
Field Study 3b .80, .70, .30
F. Sand (1-3) (1997)
 Lateral
Load

Lateral
Load Third &
Subsequent
Second Front
Row Row
Rows

ps
Pm ps

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Single Pile Model p-y Curves for Group
 STEP BY STEP DESIGN PROCEDURE
FOR LATERALLY LOADED PILE GROUPS
STEP 1 : Obtain Lateral Loads.

STEP 2 : Develop p-y curves for single pile.

a. Obtain site specific single pile p-y curves from

instrumented lateral pile load test at site.

b. Use p-y curves based on published correlations with

soil properties.

c. Develop site specific p-y curves based on in-situ test

data.
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STEP 3 : Perform LPILE Analyses.
a. Perform LPILE analyses using the Pm value for each row
position to develop load-deflection and load-moment data.

b. Based on current data, it is suggested that Pm values of 0.8

be used for the lead row, 0.4 for the second row, and 0.3
for the third and subsequent rows. These
recommendations are considered reasonable for center to
center pile spacing of 3b and pile deflections at the ground
surface of .10 to .15b. For larger c-t-c spacings or smaller
deflections, these Pm values should be conservative.

c. Determine shear load versus deflection behavior for piles in

each row. Plot load versus pile head deflection results
similar to as shown in Figure 9.69(a).
9-155
STEP 4: Estimate group deflection under lateral load.

a. Average the load for a given deflection from all piles in

the group (i.e., each of the four rows) to determine the
average group response to a lateral load as shown in
Figure 9.69(a).

b. Divide the lateral load to be resisted by the pile group by

the number of piles in the group to determine the
average lateral load resisted per pile.

c. Enter load-deflection graph similar to Figure 9.69(a) with

the average load per pile to estimate group deflection
using the group average load deflection curve.
9-155
 STEP 5: Evaluate pile structural acceptability.

a. Plot the maximum bending moment determined from

LPILE analyses versus deflection for each row of piles as
illustrated in Figure 9.69(b).

b. Check the pile structural adequacy for each row of

piles. Use the estimated group deflection under the lateral
load per pile to determine the maximum bending moment
for an individual pile in each row.

c. Determine maximum pile stress from LPILE output

associated with the maximum bending moment.

d. Compare maximum pile stress with pile yield stress.

STEP 6: Perform refined pile group evaluation that
considers superstructure substructure
interaction.
ANY QUESTIONS ?