BUILDING WORLD CLASS CIVIL CAPABILITIES | 3rd July 2018 | Issue - 13

Pile Foundation Classification of Pile foundations:

Pile foundations are deep foundations used when the site The pile foundations are classified based on load carrying characteristic of piles, material of pile construction and type of soil.
has a weak shallow bearing stratum making it necessary to
transfer load to a deeper stratum either by friction or end
bearing principles. Foundations provide support for Based on Load Transmission Based on Material of Pile construction Based on effect of Soil
structures by transferring the load to the rock or layers of
soil that have sufficient bearing capacity and suitable 1. End bearing piles (Point 1. Timber piles 1. Driven piles
settlement characteristics. A wide range of foundation bearing) Timber can be used for shorter depth and manufacture of temporary In this process of driving of pile
types are available, which are suitable for different These transmit most of their loads to the load piles and for permanent ones in regions where timber is readily and into the ground, soil is moved
applications. Foundations are classified mainly as Shallow bearing layer (which can be dense sand or economically available. It is most suitable for long cohesion piling radially when the pile shaft
foundations and Deep foundations. rock). Most of the pile capacity is inferred from and piling under embankments. enters the ground. There may
the end bearing point. 2. Steel piles exist a component of
Steel can be used for marine works. They are suitable for handling movement of soil in the
and driving for piles with prolonged lengths. Their relatively small vertical direction. Hence
cross-sectional area along with the high strength makes penetration driven piles are considered as
easier in firm soil. If it is driven in to a soil with low Ph value, there displacement piles.
Pile foundation

2. Friction piles:
These transmit their load through the layers
through which the piles pass, which is mostly
may occur a risk of corrosion, which can be eliminated by tar coating 2. Bored piles
or cathodic protection. In this process, a void is formed
3. Concrete piles by boring or excavation before
Concrete is used to manufacture precast concrete piles, cast in place pile is introduced into the
and pre-stressed concrete piles. Pre-stressed concrete piles are ground. Piles can be produced
gaining more popularity than the ordinary pre-cast, as less by casting concrete in the void.
reinforcement is required and are commonly used in construction Boring piles are considered as
industry. non-displacement piles.

Different cross sections used for steel piles

Shallow foundations are used where the load imposed by
a structure is low, relative to bearing capacity of surface
soils. Deep foundations are necessary where the
bearing capacity of the surface soil is insufficient to
support load imposed on it and hence they are transferred
to deeper layers with high bearing capacity.
through the surface friction (skin friction) with
the surrounding soils. Here, the piles are driven
to such a depth that the frictional resistance,
which is developed at the side of the piles
equals the load coming on the piles.
4. Composite piles
When a pile consists of a combination of different materials in the
same pile, it is called as Composite pile. For example, part of timber
pile which is installed above ground water might get exposed to
insect attack and decay. So, to avoid this, concrete or steel pile is
used above ground water level, whilst timber is installed for under-
ground water level.

Pile foundations are deep foundations, which are formed

by long slender columnar elements. They consist of two
components: Pile cap and single or group of piles. Pile
foundations are principally used to transfer the load from
super structure, through weak compressible strata or
water on to stronger, more compact, less compressible
and stiffer soil or rock. This type of foundation is used for
large structures and in situations where the soil is not
2. Steel Piles 4. Composite Piles
suitable to prevent excessive settlement.

Pile Installation Methods Pile Construction

Pile Installation Methods
In pile foundations, Installation process and methods of installation are
as important as the design process. During the design of piles,
the installation method and equipment should be carefully selected to
avoid the damages to the pile.
Pile driving methods (displacement piles)
Dropping weight: A hammer with approximately the weight of the
pile is raised to a suitable height and is released to strike the pile head.
Vibration: The amplitude
of vibration used here
should be sufficient to
break the skin friction on
sides of pile. This is best
suited for sandy or
gravelly soils.
Jacking (only for micro
piles): To install jacking
piles, Hydraulic rams are
used to push piles into the
ground
Jetting: To aid the
penetration of piles in to
sand or sand gravel, water
Pile driving using hammer jetting can be employed.
Boring methods (non-displacement piles)
Continuous Flight Auger (CFA): If boring and pouring takes place
simultaneously during pile driving, then they are called CFA piles. Here
the equipment comprises of a mobile base carrier fitted with a hollow
main flight auger, which is rotated and driven into the ground to get the
required depth of piling. This method is especially effective on soft
ground.
Underreaming: This is a special type of auger bored piles, which is used
to exploit the bearing capacity of respective strata by providing an
enlarged base. The soil can stand open unsupported to employ this
technique.
Underreaming tool open Continuous Flight Auger process
position
Cast-in-place piles are made in the following steps:
1. Hammer a thin-walled steel tube into the ground
2. Remove all earth left inside the tube
3. Lower a steel reinforcement cage into the tube
4. Cast the pile by pouring wet concrete into the tube
The thin walled steel tube is called the casing, and only serves to
form a secure mould for casting concrete that is free from earth
and debris. It has no structural role to play after the casting is
complete.
Some soils are highly cohesive, meaning that if one drills a hole into
the soil that is say 1 foot wide by 50 feet deep, then the soil holds
the shape of the hole and does not collapse into the hole and block
it. If such soil is present at the site, then one does not need to leave
a casing in place: one can use the casing to drill the hole for the pile,
remove it, and then cast the pile in place. This saves cost, as the
same casing tube can be used to drill holes for all the piles.
Precast Driven Piles are first cast at ground level and then
hammered or driven into the ground using a pile driver. This is a
machine that holds the pile perfectly vertical, and then hammers it
into the ground blow by blow. Each blow is struck by lifting a heavy
weight and dropping it on the top of the pile - the pile is
temporarily covered with a steel cap to prevent it from
disintegrating. The pile driver thus performs two functions - first, it
acts as a crane, and lifts the pile from a horizontal position on the
ground and rotates it into the correct vertical position, and second,
it hammers the pile down into the ground.