PILE FOUNDATION &

METHODS OF INSTALLING
PILE FOUNDATIONS
 PILE
FOUNDATION
▶ Pile foundation, a kind of deep foundation, is actually a slender column or long cylinder made of materials such as
concrete or steel which are used to support the structure and transfer the load at desired depth either by end bearing
or skin friction.

▶ They are formed by long, slender, columnar elements typically made from steel or reinforced concrete, or
sometimes timber. A foundation is described as 'piled' when its depth is more than three times its breadth.

▶ Pile foundations are usually used for large structures and in situations where the soil at shallow depth is
not suitable to resist excessive settlement, resist uplift, etc.
 When to Use Pile Foundation

▶ When the groundwater table is high.

▶ Heavy and un-uniform loads from superstructure are imposed.
▶ Other types of foundations are costlier or not feasible.
▶ When the soil at shallow depth is compressible.
▶ When there is the possibility of scouring, due to its location near the river bed or seashore, etc.
▶ When there is a canal or deep drainage systems near the structure.
▶ When soil excavation is not possible up to the desired depth due to poor soil condition.
▶ When it becomes impossible to keep the foundation trenches dry by pumping or by any other measure due to heavy
inflow of seepage.
Types of Pile Foundation
 Types of Pile Foundation

Sheet Piles Load Bearing Piles

▶ Usually, they resist lateral pressure from loose soil, the ▶ This type of pile foundation is mainly used to transfer the
flow of water, etc. They are used for cofferdams, trench vertical loads from the structure to the soil. These
sheeting, shore protection, etc. foundations transmit loads through the soil with poor
▶ They are not used for providing vertical support to the supporting property onto a layer which is capable of
structure. They are usually used to serve the following bearing the load.
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.
 Types of Pile Foundation
End Bearing Piles
▶ The loads pass through the lower tip of the pile. The bottom
end of the pile rests on a strong layer of soil or rock. Usually,
the pile rests at a transition layer of a weak and strong slayer.
▶ The total capacity of end bearing pile can be calculated by
multiplying the area of the tip of the pile and the bearing
capacity of at that particular depth of soil at which the pile
rests.
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.
▶ Friction can be developed for the entire length of the pile
or a definite length of the pile, depending on the strata of
the soil.
▶ The surface area of the pile multiplied by the safe friction
force developed per unit area determines the capacity of
the pile.
 Types of Pile Foundation
Timber Piles
▶ Timber piles are placed under the water level. They last for
approximately about 30 years. They can be rectangular or
circular in shape. Their diameter or size can vary from 12
to 16 inches. The length of the pile is usually 20 times of
the top width.
▶ They are usually designed for 15 to 20 tons. Additional
strength can be obtained by bolting fish plates to the side
of the piles.
Steel Piles
▶ Steel piles may be of I-section or hollow pipe. They are
filled with concrete. The size may vary from 10 inches to
24 inches in diameter and thickness is usually ¾ inches.
Because of the small sectional area, the piles are easy to
drive. They are mostly used as end-bearing piles.
 Types of Pile Foundation

Pre-cast Concrete Pile Cast-in-Place Concrete Piles

▶ The precast concrete pile is cast in pile bed in the ▶ This type of pile is constructed by boring of soil up to the
horizontal form if they are rectangular in shape. Usually, desired depth and then, depositing freshly mixed concrete
circular piles are cast in vertical forms. Precast piles are in that place and letting it cure
usually reinforced with steel to prevent breakage during there.
its mobilization from casting bed to the location of the
foundation.
▶ After the piles are cast, curing has to be performed as per
specification. Generally curing period for pre- cast piles is
21 to 28 days.
METHODS OF PILING

Methods of pile boring Methods of piling driving

• Rotary Bored Piling • Dropping weight
• Flight auger bored piles • Explosion
• Tripod bored piles
• Vibration
• Jacking (restricted to micro-piling)
• Jetting
 Rotary bored piling

Compact powerful track and lorry mounted rotary bored

pile equipment Capabilities
Enable Foundation Piling to provide edge of highway, Diameters: 500 mm; depths up to 35 m.
bridge abutment and restricted access bored piling Oscillated casing, polymers or bentonite.
solutions. Alternative engineered solutions.
Advantages:
• Fast Applications
• Cost Effective Continuous bored pile walls.
• On-site relocation Hard / soft secant bored pile walls.
Piling into rock or banded rock strata.
Piling adjacent to roads and railways.
Installation of permanent liners and Kingpost
walls
 Continuous Flight Auger bored piles
(CFA)
• It is the quietest form of piling and is suitable for forming piles in most types of soil.
• Provides an economic, quick, low noise and vibration solution for constructing piles for medium to highly loaded structures.
• Eliminates the need to employ support fluid or casings in cohesive soils, non-cohesive or water bearing soils. The process can
be used for environmentally sensitive sites and/or working near existing structures.
• Advances in rig technology have revolutionised our capabilities.

Capabilities
Low vibration.
Restricted access and head room.
Casing installation to 15 m and bored depth up to 30 m.
Diameters all sizes up to 600 mm

Applications
Restricted access sites noise and vibration sensitive work.
Inter-bedded sequences of clays and sands.
Water bearing cohesion less strata.
Bearing piles.
Small restricted access retaining walls
 Boring Methods
Continuous Flight Auger (CFA)
▶ Equipment comprises of a mobile base carrier fitted with a ▶ On reaching the required depth, highly workable concrete is
hollow-stemmed flight auger which is rotated into the pumped through the hollow stem of the auger, and under the
ground to required depth of pilling. To form the pile, pressure of the concrete the protective cap is detached.
concrete is placed through the flight auger as
withdrawn from the ground. it ▶ While rotating the auger in the same direction as during the
is boring stage, the spoil is expelled vertically as the auger is
▶ The auger is fitted with protective cap on the outlet at the withdrawn and the pile is formed by filling with concrete.
base of the central tube and is rotated into the ground by the top
mounted rotary hydraulic motor which runs on a carrier attached ▶ In this process, it is important that rotation of the auger and
to the mast. flow of concrete is matched that collapse of sides of the hole
above concrete on lower flight of auger is avoided. This may
lead to voids in filled with soil in concrete.
▶ The method is especially effective on soft ground and
enables to install a variety of bored piles of various

diameters that are able to penetrate a multitude of soil

conditions. Still, for successful operation of rotary auger the soil
must be reasonably free of tree roots, cobbles, and boulders, and
it must be self-supporting.
 Tripod bored piles

Using sectional temporary casing to support unstable ground

Employed in a wide range of ground conditions providing an
effective solution to the problems associated with pile
installation for restricted access and limited headroom sites
where high loads are to be supported.
Most components can be manually handled and very little
mechanical assistance is require to negotiate stairways and
corridors for making tripod rigs.

Capabilities
Diameters from 250 mm to 750 mm.
Depths up to 35 m
Sectional casing
PILE DRIVING
METHODS
Drop Hammer Method of Pile Driving

▶ A hammer with approximately the weight of the pile is raised a suitable height in a guide and released to strike
the pile head.

▶ There are FIVE main types of drop hammers:

▶ Drop Hammer
▶ Single-acting steam or compressed-air hammers
▶ Double-acting pile hammers
▶ Diesel hammers
▶ Vibratory hammers
Drop Hammer Method of Pile Driving

▶ The drop hammer in the pile driving equipment consists of a

heavy ram in between the leads. The ram is lifted up to a
certain height and released to drop on the pile. This type is slow
and therefore not in common use. It is used in the cases where
only a small number of piles are driven.
Drop Hammer Method of Pile Driving

▶ Single-acting steam or compressed-air comprise a massive

weight in the form of a cylinder. Steam or compressed air
admitted to the cylinder raises it up the fixed piston rod. At the
top of the stroke, or at a lesser height which can be controlled by
the operator, the steam is cut off and the cylinder falls freely on
the pile helmet.
▶ Double-acting pile hammers can be driven by steam or
compressed air. A piling frame is not required with this type of
hammer which can be attached to the top of the pile by leg-
guides, the pile being guided by a timber framework.
Diesel Hammer Method of Pile Driving

▶ The diesel hammer is a small, light weight and highly mobile.

They use gasoline for fuel. To start the operation, the ram is
raised, and the fuel is injected. As the ram is released, the ram
falls and compresses air and fuel. The air and fuel becomes hot
because of the compression and the air-fuel mixture is ignited.
The resulting explosion
1. Advances the pile and
2. Lifts the ram. If the pile advance is very great as in soft soils, the
ram is not lifted by the explosion sufficiently to ignite the air-fuel
mixture on the next cycic, requiring that the ram be again
manually lifted.
 Pile Driving by Vibrating

▶ Vibratory hammers are usually electrically powered or hydraulically powered

and consists of contra-rotating eccentric masses within a housing attaching to the
pile head.

▶ The principle of the vibratory driver is two counter-rotating eccentric weights. The
driving unit vibrates at high frequency and provides two vertical impulses, one up and
one down. The downward pulse acts with the pile weight to increase the apparent
gravity force. These hammers have reduced driving vibrations, reduced noise, and
great speed of penetration.
▶ The amplitude of the vibration is sufficient to break down the skin friction on
the sides of the pile.
▶ Vibratory methods are best suited to sandy or gravelly soil.
 Hammer Selection

Generally the size of hammer is more important factor than type of hammer. A heavy pile should be driven by a heavy hammer delivering large energy.
Each type of hammer has its use under suitable conditions, The advantages and disadvantages of each type are summarized below:

Single-acting hammer : They are advantageous when driving heavy piles in compact or hard soils; the heavy ram striking at - low velocity produces least
damage due to impact. The disadvantages are low driving speed and large headroom requirement.
Double-acting hammer: They are generally used to drive piles of light or moderate weight in soils of average resistance against driving. This type of
hammer can drive piles at fast speed, requires less headroom and can be used to extract piles by turning them [i.e. the double-acting hammer] upside down.
Diesel hammer: They are similar in application as double-acting hammers, but driving may become difficult in extremely soft ground.
Vibratory hammer: They have fairly good results in silty and clayey deposits. They are used in heavy clays or soils with appreciable numbers of
boulders. See above for other advantages.

Efficiency
Hammer Type
(ɳh)
Single and double acting
0.7 - 0.85
hammer
Diesel hammers 0.8 - 0.9
Drop hammers 0.7 - 0.9
Jetting

▶ To aid the penetration of piles in to sand or sandy gravel, water jetting may be employed.
However, the method has very limited effect in firm to stiff clays or any soil containing
much coarse gravel, cobbles, or boulders.
Under reaming

▶ A special feature of auger bored piles which is sometimes used to enable to

exploit the bearing capacity of suitable strata by providing an enlarged
base. The soil has to be capable of standing open unsupported to employ
this technique.
▶ In its closed position, the under reaming tool is fitted inside the straight
section of a pile shaft, and then expanded at the bottom of the pile to
produce the under ream shown in fig.
▶ Normally, after installation and before concrete is cast, a man carrying cage
is lowered and the shaft and the under ream of the pile is inspected.
Types of Pile Driving Equipments
Types of Pile Driving Equipments

▶ Types of Pile Driving Equipments

▶ Piling rigs
▶ Piling winches
▶ Hanging leader
▶ Hammer guides
▶ Piling hammer
▶ Helmet, driving cap, dolly, and
packing
 Piling Rigs

▶ It composed of a series of leaders, which are

consist of tabular element or hard box, placed
and fixed on a crane base as it can be seen
from figure. Not only does the leaders support
the hammer and the pile but also guide them
when the pile is forced into the ground.
 Piling Winches

▶ The prime goal of piling winches is to lift the hammer and piles in addition to support tools that responsible for leader
raking and rotation.

▶ There are different piling winches with different capacity for instance winches with double or triple drums possess
satisfactory controlling and pile driving speed whereas one drum winch does not have that advantage. So, the former
type would be favored provided that handing and driving piles with great speed is required.
 Hanging Leader

▶ Hanging leaders are specifically designed to be hanged from the jib of a crane. A steel strut,
which its length can be varied as per requirements of construction site, provides a stiff
connection from the leader foot to the machine bed frame.
▶ Moreover, crane or excavator winch units are utilized to lift the hammer and piles using
separate drums.
▶ Finally, it is substantially crucial to practice utmost precaution to hanging leader stiffness
particularly in the case of long sloped pile driving since intolerable deformation would lead
to eccentric hammer blow and possibly cause pile fracture.
 Hammer Guides

▶ When it is intended to remove hanging leaders or piling frames completely, rope suspended
leaders which are commonly guided by timber or steel formwork, would be considered.
▶ In this technique, an independent crane needed to control the pile and establishing the guide
and hammer. it is necessary to set and secure the guide properly in order to avoid movements
specifically in the during raking pile installation. This is because serious fatigue stress would
generate if the thrust is not centered properly and the guide might deteriorate.
▶ Finally, it is required to prevent disproportionate bending stress development in guide and piles
because it leads to undesired results. for example, when heavy hammer is attached to the upper
end of a long pile which is driven at flat angle of rake, excessive bending stress may be
generated at support point in the guide. This problem might be tackled by providing suitable
support for the pile at proper position.
 Piling Hammer

▶ There are several factors that greatly influence the decision to choose
suitable piling hammer. For example, pile size and weight, the
resistance of the ground which should be overcame in order to obtain
specified penetration, construction site space availability, noise
limitation that might be imposed at certain areas, and availability of
cranes.
▶ As for input data required for drivability analysis, piling hammer
producer provided necessary data about efficiency and energy feature
of the piling hammer. It should be bore in mind that piling hammer
efficiency is not a constant and it is affected by number of factor for
example mechanical condition of the hammer and operation
temperature.
▶ It should be known that the mechanical condition does not influence
the efficiency of piling drop hammer. That is why dynamic pile
analysis is carried out and its results would be used to assess the
influence of different factor on the piling hammer efficiency.
Helmet, Driving Cap, Dolly and Packing

▶ Helmet is a cast steel that placed over the pile to hold the dolly that placed
between the pile and the hammer to avoid pile head deterioration that may
cause by pile driving hammer.
▶ Dolly, which is square at the bottom and round at the top, is placed in a square
recess at the top of the helmet. Their selection is dependent on the driving force.
▶ As far as packing is concerned, it is placed between pile top and the helmet in
order to protect the former from the hammer blow. Different types of packing
include paper sacking, thin timber sheet, coconut mapping, and sawdust in
bags.
▶ Regarding driving cap, it is provided as a protection for steel bearing piles. It is
necessary to place the driving cap tightly otherwise the pile cap would suffer
deterioration. That is why it is fitted with a recess for hardwood or plastic dolly
and with steel wedges to fix the cap tightly on its position.