Contents

 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………..
…….3

 Function of piles ………………………………………………………………………………

4

 Classification of piles …………………………………………………………….…………

5

- Classification of pile with respect to load transmission and

functional behavior……………………………………………………………….…5

 End bearing piles………….................................................…5

 Friction or cohesion pile……………………………………………...…5

 Cohesion piles……………………………………………..
……….6
 Friction piles…………………………………………………………
6
 Combination of friction piles and cohesion piles.…6

- Classification of pile with respect to type of

material……………….7

 Timber piles …………………………………………………………………..7

 Concrete piles………………………………………………………………..8
 Pre- cast concrete Piles…………………………………….….8
 Cast in place Concrete piles………………………..……..10

1
  Steel piles………………………………………………………………..…..14
 Composite piles……………………………………………………….…..15

- Classification of pile with respect to effect on the

soil…………….16

 Driven piles…………………………………………………………….……16
 Bored piles ……………………………………………….…………………17

 LOAD ON PILES ……………………………………………………………….…………..…18

 Pile arrangement …………………………………..………………………….…18

 PILE INSTALATION METHODS………………………………………………………….20

 Pile driving methods (displacement piles)…………………………….……20

 Drop hammers…………………………………………………………..
…….20
 Pile driving by vibrating………………………………………….
………..22
 Boring methods ( non-displacement piles)…………………………….….22
 Continuous Flight Auger (CFA)……………………………….………..23
 Underreaming…………………………………………………………….…..24

 References……………………………………………………………………………………26

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Introduction:

When it becomes impossible to provide the suitable surface foundation

for a structure; the use of pile foundations becomes necessary, this situation
arose from either the soil condition or the order of bottom layers, the nature
of the loads transferred to the soil or the nature of the site and operational
conditions

Many factors prevent the selection of surface foundation as a suitable

foundation such as the nature of soil and intensity of loads, we use the piles
when the soil have low bearing capacity or in building in water like bridges
and dams

The main components of the foundation are the pile cap and the piles.
Piles are long and slender members which transfer the load to deeper soil or
rock of high bearing capacity avoiding shallow soil of low bearing capacity.
The main types of materials used for piles are Wood, steel and concrete.
Piles made from these materials are driven, drilled or jacked into the ground
and connected to pile caps. Depending upon type of soil, pile material and
load transmitting characteristic piles are classified accordingly.

Pile foundations have been used as load carrying and load transferring
systems for many years. In the early days Timber piles were driven in to the
ground by hand or holes were dug and filled with sand and stones. Steel
piles have been used since 1800 and concrete piles since about 1900.

The industrial revolution brought about important changes to pile driving

system through the invention of steam and diesel driven machines. More
recently, the growing need for housing and construction has forced

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authorities and development agencies to exploit lands with poor soil
characteristics. This has led to the development and improved piles and pile
driving systems. Today there are many advanced techniques of pile
installation.

Function of piles:

As other types of foundations, the purpose of pile foundations is:

- To transmit the buildings loads to the foundations and the ground soil
layers whether these loads vertical or inclined
- To install loose cohesion less soil through displacement and vibration.
- To control the settlements; which can be accompanied by surface
foundations.
- To increase the factor of safety for heavy loads buildings

A structure can be founded on piles if the soil immediately beneath its

base does not have adequate bearing capacity. If the results of site
investigation show that the shallow soil is unstable and weak or if the
magnitude of the estimated settlement is not acceptable a pile foundation
may become considered. Further, a cost estimate may indicate that a pile
foundation may be cheaper than any other compared ground improvement
costs.

In the cases of heavy constructions, it is likely that the bearing capacity

of the shallow soil will not be satisfactory, and the construction should be
built on Piles can also be used in normal ground conditions to resist
horizontal loads. Piles are a convenient method of foundation for works over
water, such as jetties or bridge piers.

4
Classification of piles

Classification of pile with respect to load transmission and functional

behavior

- End bearing piles (point bearing piles)

- Friction piles (cohesion piles )
- Combination of friction and cohesion piles

End bearing piles

These piles transfer their load on to a firm stratum located at a

considerable depth below the base of the structure and they derive most of
their carrying capacity from the penetration resistance of the soil at the toe of
the pile (see figure 1). The pile behaves as an ordinary column and should be
designed as such. Even in weak soil a pile will not fail by buckling and this
effect need only be considered if part of the pile is unsupported, i.e. if it is in
either air or water. Load is transmitted to the soil through friction or
cohesion. But sometimes, the soil surrounding the pile may adhere to the
surface of the pile and causes "Negative Skin Friction" on the pile. This,
sometimes have considerable effect on the capacity of the pile. Negative
skin friction is caused by the drainage of the ground water and consolidation
of the soil. The founding depth of the pile is influenced by the results of the
site investigate on and soil test.

Friction or cohesion piles

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 Carrying capacity is derived mainly from the adhesion or friction of the
soil in contact with the shaft of the pile (see fig 2).

Figure 1:End bearing piles Figure 2:Friction or cohesion pile

Cohesion piles

These piles transmit most of their load to the soil through skin friction.
This process of driving such piles close to each other in groups greatly
reduces the porosity and compressibility of the soil within and around the
groups. Therefore piles of this category are sometimes called compaction
piles. During the process of driving the pile into the ground, the soil
becomes molded and, as a result loses some of its strength. Therefore the
pile is not able to transfer the exact amount of load which it is intended to
immediately after it has been driven. Usually, the soil regains some of its
strength three to five months after it has been driven.

Friction piles

These piles also transfer their load to the ground through skin friction. The
process of driving such piles does not compact the soil appreciably. These
types of pile foundations are commonly known as floating pile foundations.

Combination of friction piles and cohesion piles

An extension of the end bearing pile when the bearing stratum is not
hard, such as firm clay. The pile is driven far enough into the lower material
to develop adequate frictional resistance. A farther variation of the end

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bearing pile is piles with enlarged bearing areas. This is achieved by forcing
a bulb of concrete into the soft stratum immediately above the firm layer to
give an enlarged base. A similar effect is produced with bored piles by
forming a large cone or bell at the bottom with a special reaming tool. Bored
piles which are provided with a bell have a high tensile strength and can be
used as tension piles (see fig.3)

Figure 3:under-reamed base enlargement to

a bore-and-cast-in-situ pile

Classification of pile with respect to type of material

Piles are usually made of timber, concrete or steel. Timber can be used
for the manufacture of temporary piles and when the wood is available at an
economical price. Concrete is used for the manufacture of pre-cast concrete
piles, cast in place and pre-stressed concrete piles, while steel piles are used
for permanent or temporary works.

 Timber
 Concrete
 Steel
 Composite piles.

 Timber piles

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 Used from earliest record time and still used for permanent works in
regions where timber is plentiful. Timber is most suitable for long cohesion
piling and piling beneath embankments. The timber should be in a good
condition and should not have been attacked by insects.

For timber piles of length less than 14 meters, the diameter of the tip
should be greater than 150 mm. If the length is greater than 18 meters a tip
with a diameter of 125 mm is acceptable. It is essential that the timber is
driven in the right direction and should not be driven into firm ground. As
this can easily damage the pile. Keeping the timber below the ground water
level will protect the timber against decay and putrefaction. To protect and
strengthen the tip of the pile, timber piles can be provided with toe cover.
Pressure creosoting is the usual method of protecting timber piles.

Advantages and disadvantages of Wood piles

+ The piles are easy to handle

+ Relatively inexpensive where timber is plentiful.

+ Sections can be joined together and excess length easily removed.

-- The piles will rot above the ground water level. Have a limited bearing
capacity.

-- Can easily be damaged during driving by stones and boulders.

-- The piles are difficult to splice and are attacked by marine borers in salt
water.

 Concrete piles

Concrete piles can be divided to pre-cast and cast in place concrete piles:

Pre- cast concrete Piles or Pre fabricated concrete piles

it is formed and reinforced in a high-quality controlled concrete, Usually

used of square (see fig 1-4 b), triangle, circle or octagonal section, they are
produced in short length in one meter intervals between 3 and 13 meters.

8
They are pre-caste so that they can be easily connected together in order to
reach to the required length (fig 1-4 a). This will not decrease the design
load capacity. Reinforcement is necessary within the pile to help withstand
both handling and driving stresses. Pre stressed concrete piles are also used
and are becoming more popular than the ordinary pre cast as less
reinforcement is required.
 

Figure 4:a) concrete pile connecting detail. b) squared pre-cast concert pile

  The Hercules type of pile joint (Figure 5) is easily and accurately cast into the pile
and is quickly and safely joined on site. They are made to accurate dimensional tolerances from
high grade steels.

9
 Figure 5:Hercules type of pile joint

Advantages and disadvantages of Pre- cast concrete Piles

+ Are easy to splice. Relatively inexpensive.

+ Stable in squeezing ground, for example, soft clays, silts and peats pile
material can be inspected before piling.

+ Can be driven in long lengths.

+ Can increase the relative density of a granular founding stratum.

-- Displacement, heave, and disturbance of the soil during driving.

-- Can be damaged during driving. Replacement piles may be required.

-- Cannot be driven with very large diameters or in condition of limited

headroom.

Cast in place Concrete piles

Cast in place concrete piles are the most type commonly used for
foundations due to the great diversity available for pouring concrete and the
introduction of the pile into the soil. Driving and drilling piles are two types
of cast in place concrete piles; however, the implementation of these piles in
place may be accompanied by some problems such as arching, squeezing
and segregation.

These piles are divided to:

10
 Piles are poured in tubes with underneath heels and left when lifting
the tubes. some of those types:

 Simplex pile: it is a tube of cast of diameter 40 cm, has an

underneath heel, it is banged underground by an automatic
hammer until reaching the arable land for the establishment,
then concrete is poured inside it and banged by another
hammer. In the meantime, the pipe is raised with a certain
amount so as not to enter the soil inside. This pile can bear
about 40 – 50 ton.

 Frankie pile: It is a number of tubes entering each other in

order to easily access to great depths within the earth. A heel of
reinforced concrete can be used and left in the ground to
prevent the entry of cold water pipes. This pile can carry a load
of 50 – 80 ton.

 Vibro pile: It is a steel pipe of diameter 40 cm, has a conical

heel with a separate flange, it is banged underground by an
automatic hammer until reaching the arable land for the
establishment, then the heel is removed and put into a tube,
after that concrete is poured. The tube is moved up and down
(about 80 times per minute) in order to compact concrete. This
pile can bear about 60 ton.

 Strong pile: this pile is largely similar to Simplex pile except

that the bottom heel is made from reinforced concrete covered
with cast heel. This pile can carry a load of 25 – 30 ton.

 Under rimed pile: this pile is used at black clayey soil and
lands of non residual soil, so this soil is very dangerous to be
established on it.

 Piles with open tubes without heel, then concrete are poured inside the
tube. The pipe has a diameter of 40 cm and an average concrete well
of 12 to 15 meters depending on the level of land to be established.
Some these piles:

11
  Strauss pile: Which is very similar to the Simplex pile but
without a heel. Soil can be removed from the tubes by special
devices and concrete is poured instead of soil. The maximum
load that can be carried by these piles is from 20 – 25 ton.

 Kimbersol pile: A well is done of diameter about 80 cm, until

reaching the arable land for the establishment, then the bottom
of the well is compacted using a rounded hammer and filled
with concrete with a ratio of 1 : 5 (cement : sand). This pile can
carry a load of 80 – 120 ton.

 Welfchaulzer pile: a pipe of diameter 30 – 40 cm is banged

until reaching the arable land for the establishment, and the
inside soil is removed, then steel bars are placed and the
opened upper hole is covered tightly Leaving holes to connect
the compressed air so that leachates can be expelled, then
concrete is poured by a ratio 1 : 4.

 Raymond pile: Consists of cylindrical chips inside each other

with a diameter of 40 – 60 cm at the top of the pile and 20 – 28
cm at the bottom. It is banged inside by a Mandrill and the
cylindrical chips are leaved in the soil and filled with concrete.

Advantages and disadvantages of cast-in-place concrete piles

+ Can be inspected before casting can easily be cut or extended to the

desired length.

+ Relatively inexpensive.

+ The piles can be cast before excavation.

+ Pile lengths are readily adjustable.

+ An enlarged base can be formed which can increase the relative density of
a granular founding stratum leading to much higher end bearing capacity.

+ Reinforcement is not determined by the effects of handling or driving

stresses.

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-- Heave of neighboring ground surface, which could lead to re
consolidation and the development of negative skin friction forces on piles..

-- Tensile damage to unreinforced piles or piles consisting of green concrete,

where forces at the toe have been sufficient to resist upward movements.

-- Damage piles consisting of uncased or thinly cased green concrete due to

the lateral forces set up in the soil. Concrete may be weakened if artesian
flow pipes up shaft of piles when tube is withdrawn.

-- Light steel section or Pre-cast concrete shells may be damaged or distorted

by hard driving.

-- Cannot be driven where headroom is limited.

-- Time consuming; cannot be used immediately after the installation.

-- Limited length.

Bored and cast in -place (non -displacement piles)

+ Length can be readily varied to suit varying ground conditions.

+ Can be installed in very large diameters.

+ End enlargement up to two or three diameters are possible in clays.

+ Material of piles is not dependent on handling or driving conditions.

+ Can be installed in very long lengths.

-- Concrete is not placed under ideal conditions and cannot be subsequently

inspected.

-- Water under artesian pressure may pipe up pile shaft washing out cement.

-- Cannot be readily extended above ground level especially in river and

marine structures.

-- Boring methods may loosen sandy or gravely soils requiring base grouting
to achieve economical base resistance.

13
Steel piles

Made of sectors in the form of H, X or of thick pipes (see fig. 6). They
are suitable for handling and driving in long lengths. Their relatively small
cross-sectional area combined with their high strength makes penetration
easier in firm soil. They can be easily cut off or joined by welding. If the pile
is driven into a soil with low pH value, then there is a risk of corrosion, but
risk of corrosion is not as great as one might think. Although tar coating or
cathodic protection can be employed in permanent works.

It is common to allow for an amount of corrosion in design by simply

over dimensioning the cross-sectional area of the steel pile. In this way the
corrosion process can be prolonged up to 50 years. Normally the speed of
corrosion is 0.2-0.5 mm/year and, in design, this value can be taken as
1mm/year
 

a) X- cross-section b) H - cross-section c) steel pipe

Figure 6 Steel piles cross-sections

Advantages and disadvantages of Steel piles

+ The piles are easy to handle and can easily be cut to desire length.

+ Can be driven through dense layers. The lateral displacement of the soil
during driving is low (steel section H or I section piles) can be relatively
easily spliced or bolted.

+ Can be driven hard and in very long lengths.

+ Can carry heavy loads.

-- The piles will corrode,

-- Will deviate relatively easy during driving.

14
-- Are relatively expensive.

Composite piles

Combination of different materials in the same of pile. As indicated

earlier, part of a timber pile which is installed above ground water could be
vulnerable to insect attack and decay. To avoid this, concrete or steel pile is
used above the ground water level, whilst wood pile is installed under the
ground water level (see figure 7).

  

Figure 7: Protecting timber piles from decay:

a) by pre-cast concrete upper section above water level.
b) by extending pile cap below water level

Classification of pile with respect to effect on the soil

A simplified division into driven or bored piles is often employed.

15
  Driven piles

Driven piles are considered to be displacement piles. In the process of

driving the pile into the ground, soil is moved radially as the pile shaft enters
the ground. There may also be a component of movement of the soil in the
vertical direction. 

Figure 8: driven piles

 Bored piles

Bored piles (Replacement piles) are generally considered to be non-

displacement piles a void is formed by boring or excavation before piles is
16
produced. Piles can be produced by casting concrete in the void. Some soils
such as stiff clays are particularly amenable to the formation of piles in this
way, since the bore hole walls do not requires temporary support except
cloth to the ground surface. In unstable ground, such as gravel the ground
requires temporary support from casing or bentonite slurry. Alternatively the
casing may be permanent, but driven into a hole which is bored as casing is
advanced. A different technique, which is still essentially non-displacement,
is to intrude, a grout or a concrete from an auger which is rotated into the
granular soil, and hence produced a grouted column of soil.

There are three non-displacement methods: bored cast- in - place piles,

particularly pre-formed piles and grout or concrete intruded piles.

The following are replacement piles:

 Augered
 Cable percussion drilling
 Large-diameter under-reamed
 Types incorporating pre caste concrete unite
 Drilled-in tubes
 Mini piles

17
LOAD ON PILES

Piles can be arranged in a number of ways so that they can support load
imposed on them. Vertical piles can be designed to carry vertical loads as
well as lateral loads. If required, vertical piles can be combined with raking
piles to support horizontal and vertical forces.

Often, if a pile group is subjected to vertical force, then the calculation of

load distribution on single pile that is member of the group is assumed to be
the total load divided by the number of piles in the group. However if a
group of piles is subjected to lateral load or eccentric vertical load or
combination of vertical and lateral load which can cause moment force on
the group which should be taken into account during calculation of load
distribution.

Piles arrangement

Normally, piles foundations consist of pile cap and a group of piles. The
pile cap distributes the applied load to the individual piles which, in turn,.
Transfer the load to the bearing ground. The individual piles are spaced and
connected to the pile cap or tie beams and trimmed in order to connect the
pile to the structure at cut-off level, and depending on the type of structure
and eccentricity of the load, they can be arranged in different patterns.
Figure bellow illustrates the three basic formations of pile groups.
 

18
 a) PILE GROUP CONSIST b) PILE GROUP CONSIST c) SYMMETRICALLY
OF ONLY VERTICAL OF BOTH VERTICAL AND ARRANGED VERTICAL
PILES RAKING PILES AND RAKING PILES

Q = Vertically applied load

H = Horizontally applied load
Figure 9: Basic formation of pile groups

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PILE INSTALATION METHODS

The installation process and method of installations are equally

important factors as of the design process of pile foundations. pile
installation methods are installation by pile hammer and boring by
mechanical auger.

In order to avoid damages to the piles, during design, installation

Methods and installation equipment should be carefully selected.

If installation is to be carried out using pile-hammer, then the following

factors should be taken in to consideration:

 the size and the weight of the pile

 the driving resistance which has to be overcome to achieve the
design penetration
 the available space and head room on the site
 the availability of cranes and
 the noise restrictions which may be in force in the locality.

Pile driving methods (displacement piles)

Methods of pile driving can be categorised as follows:

1. Dropping weight
2. Explosion
3. Vibration
4. Jacking (restricted to micro-pilling)
5. Jetting

 Drop hammers

20
 A hammer with approximately the weight of the pile is raised a suitable
height in a guide and released to strike the pile head. This is a simple form of
hammer used in conjunction with light frames and test piling, where it may
be uneconomical to bring a steam boiler or compressor on to a site to drive
very limited number of piles.

There are two main types of drop hammers:

 Single-acting steam or compressed-air hammers

 Double-acting pile hammers

1. 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.
2. Double-acting pile hammers can be driven by steam or compressed
air. A pilling 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. When used with a pile frame, back
guides are bolted to the hammer to engage with leaders, and only
short leg-guides are used to prevent the hammer from moving
relatively to the top of the pile. Double-acting hammers are used
mainly for sheet pile driving.
 

21
 Figure10: Pile driving using hammer

 Pile driving by vibrating

22
 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 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.

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.

Boring methods ( non-displacement piles)

 Continuous Flight Auger (CFA)

Equipment comprises of a mobile base carrier fitted with a hollow-

stemmed flight auger which is rotated into the ground to required depth of
pilling. To form the pile, concrete is placed through the flight auger as it is
withdrawn from the ground. The auger is fitted with protective cap on the
outlet at the base of the central tube and is rotated into the ground by the top
mounted rotary hydraulic motor which runs on a carrier attached to the mast.
On reaching the required depth, highly workable concrete is pumped through
the hollow stem of the auger, and under the pressure of the concrete the
protective cap is detached. While rotating the auger in the same direction as
during the boring stage, the spoil is expelled vertically as the auger is
withdrawn and the pile is formed by filling with concrete. In this process, it
is important that rotation of the auger and 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.

23
 During operation little soil is brought upwards by the auger that lateral
stresses are maintained in the soil and voiding or excessive loosening of the
soil minimize. However, if the rotation of the auger and the advance of the
auger are not matched, resulting in removal of soil during drilling-possibly leading to collapse
of the side of the hole.

Figure 11: CFA Process

 Underreaming

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. Stiff and to hard clays, such as the London clay, are ideal. In its
closed position, the underreaming tool is fitted inside the straight section of
a pile shaft, and then expanded at the bottom of the pile to produce the
underream shown in fig. 12.Normally, after installation and before concrete is casted, a
man carrying cage is lowered and the shaft and the underream of the pile is inspected.

24
Figure 12: a)hydraulic rotary drilling equipment b) C.F.A, c)undrreaming tool open position

25
References:

- Pile foundation design, Ascalew Abebe & Dr Ian GN Smith, Napier

University.

- ‫ دار الراتب الجامعية‬،‫ اسامة مصطفى الشافعي‬، 2 ‫جـ‬،‫األساسات‬

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_foundation

- http://foundation-specialists.com/bored%20piles.htm

- http://www.alhandasa.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-76817.html

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