Theoretical and Practical Discussion of
the Design, Testing and Use of Pretensioned
Prestressed Concrete Piling
by G. C. Strobel' and John Heald 2
INTRODUCTION
Many foundations for highway
bridge structures in Nebraska and
other Great Plains States in the Unit-
ed States rest on piling. Most fre-
quently, rock formations are at such
great depths that it becomes neces-
sary to use friction or displacement
piling which obtain their support
strength from strata and soils
through which the piling are driven.
The search for a satisfactory eco-
nomical displacement pile in Ne-
braska has been a constant and con-
tinuing process. Piling were either
incapable of large design or carry-
ing capacities, uneconomical, or too
heavy and massive for light weight
pile driving equipment. The aver-
age small bridge projects, for which
normal pile driving equipment must
be designed, are projects on which
from 2,000 to 4,000 lineal feet of
piling per bridge are required.
In 1954, three factors contributed
greatly to the initial use of pre-
stressed concrete piling on highway
bridge structures in Nebraska. These
factors were, the unsatisfactory driv-
ing of various types of displacement
piling; the introduction and use of
prestressed concrete piling in the
United States; and the major revi-
sion and updating at that time of
1. Deputy State Engin{ler
Nebraska Department of Roads
Lincoln, Nebraska
2. Sales Manager
Nebraska Prestressed Concrete Co.
Lincoln, Nebraska
~ 22
construction methods and standard
specifications for the Nebraska De-
partment of Roads.
The problem of unsatisfactory
driving of various types of displace-
ment piling was serious and costly
as borne out by frequent pile col-
lapses in driving and numerous
broken, split and twisted piling.
These failures had to be extracted.
Precast concrete piling had been
used for some time, however their
great mass contributed to the early
acceptance of the lighter and more
easily handled prestressed concrete
piling.
As mentioned the third factor
which contributed greatly to early
acceptance and use of prestress con-
crete piling was the revision of
standard specifications in Nebraska.
This actually turned out to be a key
factor in the satisfactory use of the
product. The old 1937 standard spec-
ifications, to which many subsequent
revisions had been made, still per-
mitted the use of swinging pile
driving leads for what was consid-
ered the normal or small pile driv-
ing project. This was the source of
many pile driving difficulties. The
old standard specifications also per-
mitted the use of gravity type ham-
mers. The revised specifications re-
quired that pile driver leads be
constructed in such a manner as
to afford freedom of movement of
the hammer and shall be rigged to
insure support of the pile during
driving. The support of the pile dur-
ing driving was to be obtained by
PCI Journal
the requirement that the leads
not be hung from lines, but that the
bottom of the leads should be sup-
ported on a firm foundation. Addi-
tional requirements of the standard
specifications required the use of
steam, air, or diesel type pile driv-
ing equipment for concrete piling
and a driving capacity depending
upon the mass to be driven. These
specification requirements contribut-
ed to early success in the use of
prestressed concrete piling because
they also formed the basic criteria
essential to success in driving these
piles. These specifications required
contractors throughout the state to
convert to equipment large enough
and, which actually had a capability
of driving concrete piling. Since very
little steam and air pile driving
equipment was being used in the
state at that time, most contractors
purchased compact operating diesel
pile driving units. This also ap-
peared to be a major factor in early
successful use of prestressed con- Fig. 1. Driving 90 ft. long 14 in. octagonal pre-
stressed pile with, a M·K diesel hammer.
crete piling because the diesel driv-
ers had the ability to drive the mas- other states who have begun the
sive piling through difficult driving use of prestressed piling. A reduc-
strata without any apparent dam- tion in the initial prestress force
age to the pile. would have increased the handling
problems although, on piling driven
DESIGN to rock, more load carrying capacity
In order that a satisfactory han- would be available.
dling and driving pile would result, Figures 2 and 3 indicate an ac-
certain basic preliminary design as- ceptable prestressed concrete pile
sumptions were necessary. No pre- standard plan on which twelve-inch
vious criteria were available, but square to sixteen-inch square, solid
after numerous preliminary calcula- and hollow piling are shown, plus
tions, the basic criteria was adopted octagonal types. The square solid
to use a design concrete prestress types have been used successfully
force of 600 to 700 pounds per in plastic and point bearing stratas.
square inch in the piling. This in- The octagonal tapered piling are
sured sufficient force to properly used in sand, sandy silts, and sand-
handle and drive the piling. The gravel formations. The hollow square
accuracy of this decision is borne piling have been used with limited
out by the successful handling and success. Due to the critical place-
driving of hundreds of piling, and ment requirements of the void dur-
the acceptance of this criteria by ing the manufacture of hollow piling,
September, 1961 23
 " _____"________"---""----""-" "---1
I
I

TYPE I AND 1T TYPE lll AND 12'

ELEVATIONS

nl'f: :!ILl

• H
- 17,
~IZ
•
-"LD5tll"

•• "'"'""
a>
_.,
INI"t
TWO "', 'k.ll _.,
u

.."'
.I
.
"-
~ 'IZI
r:tiT~ ..-:,..., ---NOTES._..
lml!il! Load Otuac/7 ~il Slraml e.pw/s 10, !50 povnds"
t
t: .707 L
L
I 293L~ (m!ial Load on ew-17 M/fl Slr.ifld ~v.-ls I<I_ (lO(l povn<ls.
Slr~f(qlli of Concrd<! hfor~ rd~ii.N of Preslre.ss mvslt>J!40()(}psi
SlrMJIIi of ~ncrele before hand/tog Ptle mvsl bt' 4ilOOps/.
ONE POINT ~ UP All w;rt' spiral mvsl bl? cold-drilwn skd /or Concrl'le reinf-

Ijo7?,l "fiB~ ' L l"?onj orcing and salisfy !he It's/ of ASTM ,t/-3Z.
Tl?t' m;n;mvm v!ltmille sfr,ss of Preslresst;?p s!..,; sltal//Je
?501 ooo psi,
TWO POt NT PICK UP The mimm11m yK>Io' slreog/17 a! tJ. 2% o/(sel of !hepr.-slresst.Jy
skd shalf bl' t!'i!-6 of i!wmimmvm vllimal<' slrMg/1;.
All rein/orctng sf,..-; SNII "-' deformed bars.

fig. 2. Standard plan of precast prestressed concrete bearing piling.

minor flotation has been encoun- quired in the pile driving, it ap-
tered. This produces an eccen- peared reasonable, that prestressed
tric pile which causes eccentricity in concrete piling should also be per-
driving and minor tension cracks mitted an approved splice. For this
can occur transverse to the axis of reason sleeve pile splices were de-
the piling. veloped and tested in flexure by
Since competitive piling were per- testing a 10 ft. long simply support-
mitted the use of pile splices to re- ed section. Deflections were meas-
duce the length of driver leads re- ured at three points along the span.
24 PCI Journal
 •~
. .. .
dQE,lfi5} - . ._,_ .
.· .· . ·
.. .
~,..

~a ~
. ... . iilf"·. . -
·- : ·.. . . o·ilf"
. . . . ... a =~ .:.·.·.:,:
. ..-..
,.~

..., a\..
~ . . ·..
. ·.··.. -'"a.

;~~TRANO 1V1re spiral ft~ ~TRANO -£"01 ~ Wlrespi'ro/-t~~TRAND

TYPE I TYPE n

,.,. ,.,. • • I •• .,

·! [i~~
,.~

l~,·a ~·.'14"~wld~ i1JPJf~ .

~· .
·· · · · · .· ·· · · · : zla · ·• 2i"a

:~t"'CO!d-drow~
O •.
wn
.:._• 01 ~TRAHDW/rf:SfJIWI..J: 01 ~TRAHO .J:t~ ~TRAND Wire Spiro/ ...l."t~ ~TRANI)
II I II I

TYPE :m TYPE ISr

TYPE l [ TYPE lZ[

SECTION A-A

Prt:sfressed sfronds as
"ndlcafed tvr pile fype.
..
'/4"~Cold·drown wire spiro

-
,_ .... ,.
...,__....,.
ilrflli«Muu ...'JIM
- ---tlfP.I'::~U

No. G bars fo a/fernole TYPICAL ELEVATION- PILE

wifh prt:sfressM strands.
SECTION 8-B

Fig. 3. Standard plan of precast prestressed concrete bearing piling.

September, 1961 25
 rBl-~
r - - - - - - - - - - - 1 2 ' 4 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___, H-T
-~1-0"~
TEST NO. I

7"
ii ~~~~~~~~~--·----,
WELD

l_
...
- - - 12'-0.. ~-

TEST NO. 2

r CAlL[ TENSIONED
TO 15,000 POUNDS -
1---- 3Co" --t----- &Co" ---------j WELD

r~ 6'
--=4=-~ ~
r~o"
i ~il-" PLATE, BENT WELD
AND WELDED
I
f - - - - - - - - - 1 2 ·0· - - - - - -
1
A.S SHOWN-·

TEST NO. 3
NOTE· FOft fURTHEft DETAILS OF PILING
SEE STANDARD PLAN NO. 1720·C·RI, TYPE I

Fig. 4. Test specimens used for flexure tests of prestressed concrete piling.

12'·0"
L 6'·0"
IIEAD Of TESTING MACHINE~ j
A
T'v rT
WPOINT A VPOINT 8

H POINT C~
h I 1--.

~ 1:::31' ).,

0
i 0

I I I \__ 1--- r--PLATEII Of

lt=-~ --+-+ ----4

T!STINe lilAC~ liE

-- 2'·7" l 2'·7"

3'-ol"--+---3~o:f • -
s'-o" l s'-o"
I
Fig. 5. Details of testing apparatus for flexure tests of prestressed piling.

L .
 Tests were made of two-6 ft. pile
sections joined by a 6 ft. sleeve,
which was fabricated from ~ in.
thick steel plates for one test and
%6 in. thick steel plates for a second
test. Figure No. 4 shows the type of
sleeve splice which was tested and
indicates the use of 2%6 in. cables.
These cables were tensioned to 15,-
000 pounds each, which simulated
an end bearing of 15 tons per pile.
This appeared to be the minimum
which might ever be specified in
future bridge projects. Figure No. 5
indicates the test setup and position-
ing of the deflection gages and Fig-
ure No. 6 is a graph of Load plotted
against Midspan Deflection for the
two splice sleeves being tested and
for the test of a 12-inch square pile
without a splice. These tests indi-
cated a desirability to specify a ~
in. thick steel plate sleeve or per-
haps one fabricated from even heav-
ier plates, if an unspliced condition
is to be assimulated.
PILE LOAD TESTS
The simultaneous introduction of
prestressed concrete piling and die-
sel pile drivers caused a number of
problems relative to driving corre-
lation. The actual energy delivered
~ r-----~-----.----~-----,.-----.------.~~~----
by diesel hammers to a pile is vari-
able and frequently slightly in
doubt.
In order to gain some information
to the solution of this problem, the
Nebraska Department of Roads con-
ducted numerous pile load tests to
obtain some insight into the energy
being delivered to the pile under
different conditions of driving. Fig-
ure No. 7 shows typical Load-Settle-
ment curves developed to arrive at
usable pile driving formulas and to
establish reasonable energy figures
for diesel hammers.
The pile load test shown in Fig-
ure No. 7 indicates that the calcu-
lated bearing by formula should be,
4.6E ( W )
p = S+0.1 X -(W+M)
E=KWH
K = 1.8 (H-1)
(Hm)
H = stroke in feet
H.n = 8.0 feet
P = safe load in tons
W = weight of hammer
M = weight of pile plus weight
,of cap in tons
E =energy per blow in foot-tons,
and S = average penetration in
inches per blow for last
10 blows.

120000

0400 0500 0600 Q'l'OO 0800 0900

DEFLECTION !INCHESI

Fig. 6. Midspan deflections during flexure tests of prestressed piling.

September, 1961 27
 Subsequent load tests and the Energy in foot-tons for McKern-
need to simplify engineering inspec- an-Terry DE-30 or Delmag
tion in the field has resulted in D-12 hammers vary in accord-
adaptation of the following pile ance with the following table:
driving formula for steel "H", steel H ( Stroke) E (Energy)
shell and timber piling: 8 Feet 10 Foot-tons
7 Feet 9 Foot-tons
6 Feet 8 Foot-tons
5 Feet 7 Foot-tons
Concrete piling bearing calculations 4 Feet 6 Foot-tons
have been simplified to,
In addition to load testing of pil-
7.0E W ing to substantiate design or calcu-
p = S+0.1 X W+M (3 ) lated bearings, at some major proj-
ects, where quantities are sufficient
The energy (E) denoted in formu- to justify the expense, piling are
las ( 2) and ( 3) above for certain tested to determine design pile bear-
diesel hammers is as follows: ings for plan preparation prior to
taking of bids to avail the State of
Type of Diesel savings realized by keen competi-
Hammer Energy tion. One such load test program
Link-Belt 12K 7.5 foot-tons was conducted at 72nd and Grover
McKernan- See table for Streets in West Omaha, Nebraska.
Terry DE-30 stroke The following tabulation gives some
Delmag D-12 See table for results determined from the pile
stroke driving data:

TABULATION NO. 1
Calculated
Bearing Calculated Design
Penetration Yield<•J (tons) Shear<"J Bearing<')
No. Kind of Pile below ground (tons) by Formula (tons) (tons)
1. Step Taper, Concrete
---
Filled, 143/s" Butt,
85fs" Tip 45'-4" 90 52<•) 112.3 35
2. Step Taper, Concrete
Filled, 163/s" Butt,
103/s" Tip 43'-1" 105 60<") 124.2 35
3. Monotube, Concrete
Filled, 12" Butt,
30' Tapered Section 79'-4" 220 80<'J 205.8<"J 70
4. 14" Octagonal Pre-
stressed Concrete
20' Tapered to 10" Tip 43'-0" 195 48<') 128.1 70
5. 12" Diameter Straight
Sided Shell, Concrete
Filled 43'-0" 85 35<'J 113.7 35
6. Monotube, Concrete
Filled, 12" Butt,
30' Tapered Section 43'-1%" 90 43<'J 97.8 35
28 PCI Journal
7. 10" x 42 lb. Steel "H" 43'-0" 55 35(') ll4.4 (g)

8. 10" x 42 lb. Steel "H" 79'-10%" 165 34(f) 224.4(d) 55

9. 12" Diameter Straight
Sided Shell, Concrete
Filled 79'-9" 160 90(') 238.2(d) 55
10. 14" Octagonal Pre-
stressed Concrete
20' Tapered to 10" Tip 79'-ll%" 305 40(') 265.5(d) 70
II. 12" Square Prestressed
Concrete Uniform
Section 43'-2" 95 33(c) 144.8 35
12. 12" Diameter Drilled-
In-Place Concrete 43'-0" 95 35

NOTES:
a. Yield is based on maximum load supported by pile with net settlement of one-
forth inch or less.
b. Average undisturbed shear strength ( s) is equal to one-half the unconfined com-
pressive strength.
Point resistance = 9 sA (silts)
= 18 sA (sands)
c. Design bearings used in the actual footing pad designs detailed on the construc-
tion plans.
d. s = 0.80 T./sq. ft. From 0-77 feet
s = 1.90 T./sq. ft. From 77-80 feet
P- 4.5 E W
e. - S+0.1 x W+M
P = safe load in tons,
W = weight of hammer or ram in tons,
M = weight of pile plus weight of cap in tons,
E = energy per blow in foot-tons,
and S =average penetration in inches per blow for last 10 blows.

f. p = __:3_!__ X~
S+0.1 W+M
(Notations as above)
g. This pile was not incorporated in the design.

Figure No. 8 shows plottings of stratas that more useful information

the preliminary drive sample data,
pile driving information, and load-
settlement data for one pile in the
test pile group in West Omaha. Sim-
ilar data was developed for all pil-
ing in this program.
It is only through the continued
programs of additional and advanced
research, such as pile load tests to
substantiate calculated results and
competitive pile testing in similar
September, 1961
will be gained for substructure de-
signs. This data and accompanying
economic comparisons will make
better future use of pile capacities.
MANUFACTURING
The majority of prestressed con-
crete piles are manufactured by the
long line method, using multiple
strand jacking for the prestressing
29
 NOlES: ·-o- LOAD TEST NO. I PILE SHELL EMPTY
--+-LOAD TEST I\J0.2 PILE SHELL FILLED WITH CONCREIE
PILE LEI\JGTH =49 FEET.
150 PILE SHELL DIAMETER •12 o/4"
PILE SHELL THICKNESS-0.14"
LOADING DATA
135
LD. TE5l NO. I INITIAL LOAD WAS 32TONS
THEN 11\lCREASED BY 8TOI\l
INCREMEI\115 AT I HR.
INTERVALS 11LL 120 IONS
\1) WAS REACHED WITH PILE
2 105 SHELL EMPTY. 120 T LOAD
0
1- HELD fOr;> 26 HR. 45 MIN.
SETTLEMENT FOR LAST
Cl 90 24 HR. WAS 0.11• NO SETTLE-
<(
0 MENT FOR LAST 17 ~HR.
.J
·LT. TEST N0.2 INITIAL LOAD WAS 32 TONS
...J 75
<( lHEIN 11\JCREASED By 8 TON
::l INCREMENTS AT I HR.
tJ<( 60 INTERVALS TILL 136 TONS WAS
REACHED WITH PILE SHELL
FILLED WITH CONCRETE.
45
136T LOAD HELD fOR 24HR.
SETTLEMENT WAS 0.032•
30 IN THAT 24 HR5.

LOAD SETtLEMENT CURVES

PILE NO.3 PIER NO.2
PROJ. SG-187C6) DOUGLAS COUN1Y
SlATE ROAD BENI\liNGTON-OMAHA
DATE JULY 1957
0.1 02 0.3 0.4 0.5 PLOTTED By C.S.
ACTUAL SETILEMENl, INCHES
Fig. 7. Load-settlement curves for determination of pile driving formulas.
 r--£/av. 1093.':!
i Cfalj,, very silfy/anjo V) 0
~
2o', Duff ToZ5;tntzn ran w
-Eirzv.I028.3 1100 --,---- I: . I
Cl-;ty, tan,s/lqhl/ll.si/lu, JOg~-------- ----r--------- --------- ~ 2 ~
L::::;. r-:::::s=:
::: ~ =--·:~-~ =~:~~=-:-__ ----+------1
sltg1i'lly .sc;nciy b?i/ow 76~ ~-..... ~ ~ !'-....
"" [r-_:- E/eP.IOJO,:!J z ,:0
:---.:::::
[ ~pn~ mrzclium, s/lghl/'1
ciO'f<JO'f btZIOI!l 78'
Ele v./014.3
.4
r- .5 - - -
zw
" r-=::::::-, ~
.....
Sand,meclium1 cl12an. 1070 1-t-+--1---- --t,-
\-+-----11------1 ,1(, 1---- --- ~
I---
._~
-£/eii.I0/3.6 ~ .7 1-
Gra Ya/1 s(~'?hf'JI ;i!.f.;l_ z0 10601--t---+----+---+-+-+---lf------1 w RETE;S1- f-1
fe~7f..Yrr/::Jt~m '!a':,'(/5
to •12~'f
-Eiav. IOIZ.3
coars12 grarol.
;; ( ~
l
r- 1050 1---'~++--1----+--"·""'+---- ------·
_j
r-
t-
lll
.8
.9
1.0
r------
j_
----
Sane/, medium, clean. ~ IMOr.l~---+---1--~---~
~--~- 0 50 100 150 2.00 2.50 300

=::~ - ~{:_. . - - lr- - - -

--Eirz~.101/. 8
PILE LOAD IN IONS
fj~flle'3~a:!rft 1~'1/,'f LOAD-DEFLECIION
In par'lsancilj ---
y;:,E/12~.1008.3
Clcty, icm, vuq :Jand<! w :[
""' ~o ~and'f clay<tl./; 5a'hcl
. grades med7ul'rl. 1010 f---- - -· - - -~
£i<zv.IOOS:3
Sdfld, mao/fum, 100l31----- - - --- ---
I- .sllqhl1'i sl!f':J.
E/ev. 1003.3
1000 30 Go 10 zo ao

HOLE NO.2 BLOWS/FT ON SAMPLER BLOWS/11\J. ON PILE

15' South of South 1Zsf Pi/a PILE DATA DRIVING DATA
V)
TIME IN HOURS 14' Octagonal Prrzstrrzssr;:c/ Pile D~IYr;:n wifh M£ Kiarnctn- Tarr'f
w O::mcNzfa Pile DE<30 Oiesal llammer
I
v Composad of fhe following secfions: Qafad Enrzrg'f J81000Ff.-Lbs.
s !-GO' LQmgfh wtfh ;:o' Toperad sec/ion Walghf of Ram 2.,800 Lbs.
z and 40' consfcrnf s,zcfion Weigh! of Driving Cap 900 Lbs.
1- 1-c!"JJJ;,' Lrznqlh of conslanf sacfion .flpproximafe weight of plk
zw TasfPile No. T-10 affinal penafraflon 16,900 Lbs.
~ Lenqlh -in- place 8/!.JI~· Df'iving lime 2 hours -10 minutrzs
w Pencz fraflon !xzlow ground 79~1/Je.'
_j
1- Cui- off a/eva/ion /0'?5.41
r-
w Tip ala val! on- 1013.45 72!J5i S1REE1 SOUTH OF GROVER ST.
U)
TIME- DEFLECTION Pi/q Driran May4anc:18,f9591J.f,zsfacl OMAHA' NEBRASK~
Jul':f G, 718 and J/ugusf 1,2and3, 1951J.
"',.... Fi9. 8. 14 in~h octagonal prestressed concrete pilin9 load test,
strands. Forms are simple bottom
pallets and side forms with cross-
ties at the top. The piles are rein-
forced spirally with 1/z in. rod bent
into a continuous spiral circling the
outside of the pretensioning strands.
The majority of pretensioning bear-
ing piles are either square or octago-
nal in cross-section. The small di-
ameter piles are solid and the larger
diameter piles have cored holes.
The recent joint AASHO-PCI com-
mittee has developed pile standards
which are of square and octagonal
cross-sections and of dimensions from
10 in. to 24 in. in 2 in. increments.
Driving tips can be blunt or tap-
ered to suit driving conditions. The
build up of piles is normally accom-
plished with a mild steel reinforced
connection. The AASHO-PCI stand-
ards state "The minimum area of
reinforcing steel shall be F/z of the
gross cross-section of concrete. Place-
ment of bars shall be in a symmetri-
cal pattern of not less than four
bars." A typical pile build up may
consist of 8 number 6 bars 3 ft. long
embedded into the head of the pile.
(fig. 3). If the pile has to be
lengthened one method is to break
away the top of the pile exposing
the tie bars and spirals. The splice
bars are then embedded and the
additional length of pile is poured
in place on top of the original pile.
Tops of all concrete piles are usu-
ally protected during driving by
some type of cushioning between
the top of the pile and the hammer.
This assures distribution of the ham-
mer blow and tends to alleviate
shock and eccentric driving. The
most common type of cushioning is
a 6 in. layer of softwood or a 2 in.
layer of laminated plywood. These
cushions must be replaced during
driving before they become so com-
pressed that they do not supply the
desired cushioning effect. Sometimes
32
two or more cushions are needed
in driving one long pile.
The typical pile cross-sections are
relatively simple to manufacture.
Prestressed concrete piles can be
used when combined with splicing
techniques in any lengths and in
most all ground conditions.
GENERAL NOTES
Prestressed concrete piles have
several properties which make them
preferable to other types for many
applications. They withstand severe
driving conditions without cracking
or spalling. A non-prestressed con-
crete pile will crack as it recoils
from a heavy hammer blow. When
the hammer strikes, its force creates
compression in the pile which caus-
es an elastic shortening. As soon as
the energy of the hammer is ex-
pended and there is no force to
maintain the elastic shortening, the
pile springs back to its original
length. By the time it reaches its
original length it has gathered mo-
mentum causing further elongation
which in turn creates tensile stresses
in the pile. Under a heavy hammer
blow these tensile stresses cause
cracks, and under repeated blows
spalling develops. Prestressed con-
crete piles are fabricated with suffi-
cient compressive stress to off-set
the tensile stresses caused by recoil.
Experience indicates that an initial
compressive stress of between 600
psi and 700 psi is normally sufficient
for this purpose. Where especially
severe driving conditions exist the
magnitude of the prestress force
should be increased. Final determi-
nation of the amount required is a
matter of trial and experience with
the existing driving conditions.
Taking into account the tensile
stresses obtained during driving, it
is the writers opinion that the die-
sel hammers which have recently
PCI Journal
become popular for pile driving, of the same dimensions. In the pre-
are far superior to other types of stressed pile the entire cross-section-
driving equipment previously used, al area of the concrete contributes
that is, the steam and the drop ham- to the moment of inertia, while in
mer. the reinforced concrete pile the con-
The diesel hammer delivers blows crete in the tensile side has no
at a far higher rate of speed than function and only reinforcing con-
a steam or drop hammer; it might tributes to the moment of inertia.
be that this high speed of blows This additional moment of inertia
does not allow the concrete to reach is important in piles whose capaci-
the tensile stresses caused by the ties are determined by their slender-
elongation due to recoil before the ness ratio.
next blow hits the pile.
It is also the writers opinion, that, Reference
there are cases where considerably Preston, H. Kent, Practical Prestressed
less than 600 psi compressive stress Concrete, McGraw-Hill Book Co.
is desirable in piling. Piling for sup-
port of sewer pipe, support of build-
ing slab, or small commercial build-
ings can be made 6, 8, or 10" square
with as little as 200 psi compressive
stress, assuming that the pile lengths
are very short and that the stresses
due to driving are light.
Prestressed concrete piles are easy
to lift and transport. Their compres-
sive stress enables them to resist a
large bending moment, so that they
can be lifted with simple one or two
point picks where reinforced con-
crete piles of the same dimensions
require complicated rigging from
multi-point picks. Transportation by
pole trailer in lengths of up to 90
ft. has been accomplished and they
also have been transported by rail
car where the stresses due to hump-
ing of the cars are quite intense and
might cause serious damage to other
products. see fig. 9.
Prestressed concrete piles are dur-
able because they are crackless.
They are seldom cracked by driv-
ing or handling and even if they
should be, their compressive stress
would keep the cracks tightly closed
once the pile is in place. Because
of this a prestressed concrete pile
has a much higher moment of iner- Fig. 9. Typical load of piles on a rail car show-
ing ease of handling and transporting prestressed
tia than the reinforced concrete pile piling.
September, 1961 33