STRUCTURAL MANUAL

2014 08 28 PILES PAGE 3 - 6

3.3.1 PILE DATA TABLE

A table or a statement entitled "Pile Data" is required on the Foundation Layout

drawing, giving the number, lengths, batter, cross section and type of piles. The
length should be the length measured along the pile between cut-off and tip
elevations given or estimated by the Foundation Engineer, rounded up to the nearest
0.5 m.

Pile notes are required close to the pile data table as appropriate. See also 3.3.3.

Following are typical pile notes for various conditions:

1) PILE SPACING IS MEASURED AT THE UNDERSIDE OF FOOTINGS.

2) PILE LENGTHS SHOWN ARE THE THEORETICAL LENGTHS BELOW

CUT-OFF.

3) THE PILE DRIVING EQUIPMENT SHALL BE APPROPRIATE TO THE

DRIVING CONDITIONS AND CAPABLE OF DELIVERING A MINIMUM
SPECIFIED HAMMER ENERGY OF......kJ.

4) PILES SHALL HAVE REINFORCED TIPS AS PER OPSD 3000.100 or

OPSD 3001.100 TYPE ... OR AS APPROVED *(specify if pile reinforcement
is required, see also 3.1.2.)

5) PILES SHALL HAVE DRIVING SHOES AS APPROVED.

6) PILES SHALL BE FITTED WITH ROCK POINTS AS PER OPSD 3000.201.

(specify if rock points are required, and if so, the type. See also 3.1.2.)

7) PILE SPLICES SHALL BE AS PER OPSD 3000.150 or OPSD 3001.150 AND

IN ACCORDANCE WITH SP 903S01.

* Titus "H" Bearing Pile Points or APF Hard Bite are alternate products that are
acceptable.

3.3.2 PILE DRIVING CONTROL

Pile driving control is a construction technique that is used in the field to control pile
installations and thereby provide some assurance about the validity of design
assumptions.

MTO's principle pile driving control tool is the Hiley Formula. This is an empirical
formula that models pile behaviour by relating the energy of the hammer blow to the
penetration of the pile and rebound of the hammer. That is, it is a monitoring tool, not
a design tool. It provides a reasonable approximation of actual pile resistance (for
piles that are essentially friction-type rather than end-bearing) in non-cohesive soils,
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but not in cohesive soils unless the excess pore water pressures are accounted for
or allowed to dissipate. Note that the hammer has to rebound enough to maintain its
energy per blow and hence the soil must provide sufficient rebound for the Hiley
Formula to be effective.

In order to minimise misinterpretations of the Hiley Formula that have occurred in

practice, Standard Drawing SS103-11 has been revised, and renamed "Pile Driving
Control." Instead of the graphical method that was used in the past, SS103-11 now
gives only a calculation method to determine R, the ultimate pile capacity. The
method of applying the Hiley Formula, as well as some explanatory notes are given
on the standard drawing, and are further elaborated here below.

When applying the Hiley Formula, hammers should be operating at 100% of their
available capacity. That is, for example, controls for diesel hammers should be
turned to full capacity.

The formula for use with drop hammers and single-acting steam hammers is:

n e f WqH
R= ef = 0.75 for drop hammers
C
S+
2
The formula for double-acting, differential-acting steam and diesel hammers is:

n ef E ef = 0.6 to 0.8 for steam hammers

R=
C ef = 1.0 for diesel hammers
S+
2
Diesel hammers are currently the most commonly used type.

ef = efficiency based on gross manufacturer’s rated energy

(typically 0.6 to 0.8)
H = height of free fall of mass [metres]
R = Ultimate Pile Resistance (pile capacity) by Hiley Formula
[kiloNewtons]
S = measured penetration of pile per hammer blow
[millimetres]
C = measured rebound of pile per hammer blow
[millimetres]
E = maximum rated energy of hammer (from Contractor, or tables)
[Joules/blow]
W + Pe
2
n = efficiency of blow =
W +P
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e = coefficient of restitution
e = 0.25 for timber pile using cushion
e = 0.32 for steel pile using cushion
e = 0.55 for steel pile without cushion

P = mass of components receiving blow

(pile+cushion+anvil) [kilograms]

W = mass of components (ram) delivering blow (from

tables) [kilograms]

g = 9.8 [metres per second2]

(a) Design Stage

The requirement for Pile Design is as follows:

Factored Geotechnical Resistance at ULS > Design Load at ULS

Factored Geotechnical Resistance at ULS =

Ultimate Geotechnical Resistance x Resistance Factor

Factored Geotechnical Resistance at ULS: given in the Geotechnical

Report

Ultimate Geotechnical Resistance: established by Geotechnical Engineer,

based on Formulae, Field Testing, or
Assessment

Resistance Factor: the factor by which the Ultimate Geotechnical

Resistance is multiplied to establish the Factored
Geotechnical Resistance at ULS, typically 0.5.

(b) Construction Stage

The requirement for Pile Resistance is as follows:

Ultimate Pile Resistance R > Ultimate Geotechnical Resistance

• The Ultimate Pile Resistance R is calculated in the field by use of

the Hiley Formula, based on measured observations of pile
penetration (S) and rebound (C), and the pile driving characteristics of
energy of hammer and efficiency of blow.
• The Ultimate Geotechnical Resistance = 2 x Design Load at ULS,
and must be given by the designer in the Pile Driving Notes on the
Contract Drawings.
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In the above equation:

R must be greater than 2 x Design Load at ULS

(rather than 2 x Factored Geotechnical Resistance at ULS)

The Design Load at ULS, calculated by the Structural Engineer is always

less than or equal to the Factored Geotechnical Resistance at ULS
established by the Geotechnical Engineer. The factor of 2 needs to provide
safety for the actual ULS Design Load only, in order that the pile not be
driven to an unnecessarily high capacity, risking damage during driving.

• The Design Load at ULS is the maximum factored design load per
pile at the ultimate limit states, calculated by the designer.

During the process of pile driving and its monitoring, if the required Ultimate
Pile Resistance (as calculated by the Hiley Formula) is not reached when
expected at a prescribed elevation or in a depth of stratum bounded by
prescribed elevations, the advice and recommendations of the geotechnical
engineer should be sought and followed.

It should be noted that the Hiley Formula incorporates a factor to account for
hammer efficiency so that the maximum rated energy should be used in the
equation.

MTO's principle alternate pile driving control tool is the pile analyser which
measures force imparted to the pile by measuring acceleration and/or strain
of the pile in response to blows and through wave equation analysis has the
potential to provide a more accurate model of pile resistance. It is used in
critical applications that warrant the higher monitoring costs involved.

3.3.3 PILE DRIVING NOTES

When piles are specified, the pile driving note shall be in the form of one of the seven
listed below.

When reference is made to SS103-11 (Hiley Formula for steam and diesel
hammers), it shall be included in with the drawings, which is usually the case unless
the pile is driven to the bedrock.

Foundation Reports are to indicate which note is applicable.

1. PILES TO BE DRIVEN IN ACCORDANCE WITH STANDARD SS103-11

USING AN ULTIMATE GEOTECHNICAL RESISTANCE OF ....... kN PER
PILE.
2. PILES TO BE DRIVEN IN ACCORDANCE WITH STANDARD SS103-11
USING AN ULTIMATE GEOTECHNICAL RESISTANCE OF...... kN PER
PILE BUT MUST BE DRIVEN BELOW EL ............