Pipe Pile

Pipe piles are available in many sizes, and 12-inch diameter pipe piles have a range
of thicknesses.

From: Geotechnical Engineering Calculations and Rules of Thumb (Second Edition),

2016

Related terms:

Bearing Capacity, Steel Pipe, Wellheads, Skin Friction, Concrete Pile, End Bearing,
Friction Angle, Groundwaters

View all Topics

Pile foundations
Ruwan Rajapakse PE, CCM, CCE, AVS, in Geotechnical Engineering Calculations and
Rules of Thumb (Second Edition), 2016

40.5 Pipe piles

• Pipe piles are available in many sizes, and 12-inch diameter pipe piles have a
range of thicknesses.
• Pipe piles can be driven either open end or closed end. When driven open end,
the pipe is cleaned with a jet of water.

40.5.1 Closed end pipe piles

• Closed end pipe piles are constructed by covering the bottom of the pile with
a steel plate (Figure 40.10).Figure 40.10. Closed end pipe pile.
• In most cases, pipe piles are filled with concrete. In some cases, pipe piles are
not filled with concrete to reduce the cost. If pipe piles were not filled with
concrete, then corrosion protection layer should be applied.
• If a concrete filled pipe pile is corroded, most of the load carrying capacity of
the pile would remain intact due to concrete. On the other hand, an empty
pipe pile would lose a significant amount of its load carrying capacity.
• Pipe piles are a good candidate for batter piles.
• Structural capacity of pipe piles is calculated based on concrete strength and
steel strength. The thickness of the steel should be reduced to account for
corrosion (typically reduced by 1/16 in. to account for corrosion).

A pipe pile is covered with an end cap. The end cap is welded as shown in Plates
40.4–40.8.

Plate 40.4. Open end pipe pile.

Plate 40.5. Closed end pipe pile.

Plate 40.6. Pile hammer.

Plate 40.7. Installed pipe piles.

Plate 40.8. Concrete pipe pile.

• In the case of closed-end driving, soil heave can occur. There are occasions
where open end piles also generate soil heave. This is due to plugging of the
open end of the pile with soil.
• Pipe piles are cheaper than steel H-piles or concrete piles.

40.5.2 Open End Pipe Piles

• Open end pipe piles are driven and soil inside the pile is removed by a water
jet (Figure 40.11).Figure 40.11. Driving of open end pipe piles.(a) Open end
pipe pile is driven. (b) Soil inside the pile is washed out using a water jet. (c)
The pipe is driven more and the procedure is repeated.
• Open end pipe piles are easier to drive through hard soils than closed end pipe
piles (Figure 40.12).Figure 40.12. Driving of closed end pipe piles.(a) Closed
end pipe pile. (b) Open end pipe pile. (c) Soil removed and ready to be driven.

40.5.3 Ideal situations for open end pipe piles

• A soft layer of soil followed by a dense layer of soil (Figure 40.13).Figure 40.13.
Pile in soft soil followed by dense soil.
• Medium dense layer of soil followed by a dense layer of soil (Figure 40.14).-
Figure 40.14. Pile in medium dense soil underlain by dense soil.

40.5.4 Telescoping
Figure 40.15 shows telescoping to improve driving ability.
Figure 40.15. Telescoping to improve driving ability.

• Due to the smaller diameter of the telescoping pipe pile, the end bearing
capacity of the pile would reduce. To accommodate the loss, the length of the
telescoping pile should be increased.

40.5.5 Splicing of pipe piles

Pipe piles are spliced by fitting a sleeve. The sleeve would fit into the bottom section
of the pile as well as the top section (Figure 40.16).

Figure 40.16. Splicing of pipe piles.

> Read full chapter

Bridge foundations
V. Modeer, ... T. Cooling, in Innovative Bridge Design Handbook, 2016

6.1.2 Pipe piles

Pipe piles can be fabricated as extruded or rolled thin-walled pipe piles, spiral welded
steel, extruded steel, and rolled steel (ASTM A252, Standard Specification for Welded
and Seamless Steel Pipe Piles). The available size range of pipe piles and the stiffness
that can be increased by increasing the pipe wall thickness has made them desirable
for major bridge foundations. Pipe piles can also be driven with closed end and
filled with reinforced concrete as a structural element. Depending on location, the
corrosion of steel wall can be a concern and should be accounted in sizing the
pipe. Typically, pipe piles greater than 1 m in diameter are open end. Driving very
large 3-m-and-larger-diameter piles became available as a result of the offshore
foundation construction (Figures 23.5 through 23.7). Pile driving equipment became
available for these piles also as a result of the need to drive the large piles for the
offshore industry. There is a likelihood that thin-walled pipe piles used for friction
and end bearing could be damaged during driving if the pile and hammer system is
not matched properly. Wave equation analyses should be performed for thin-walled
pipe pile driving to determine driving stresses for a given pile and hammer system
in a given soil profile.

Figure 23.5. Driving 1.82-m-diameter, 85-m-long open-end pipe piles for the New
Tappan Zee Bridge over the Hudson River, New York(courtesy New York State
Thruway Authority).

Figure 23.6. Driving 2.5-m piles for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge with
hydraulic impact hammer(courtesy California DOT).

Figure 23.7. Menck, MHU1700T hammer(courtesy California DOT).

> Read full chapter

Bitumen-coated pile design
Ruwan Rajapakse, in Pile Design and Construction Rules of Thumb (Second Edition),
2016

16.7 Case study: bitumen-coated piles

16.7.1 24 pipe piles

Concrete-filled pipe piles were used to support the abutment. These piles were
extended to the bedrock. Initial calculations were done to investigate the possibility
of ending the piles in the sand layer. The settlements were found to be too large if
they were to be ended in the sand layer. The capacity of the piles was estimated to
be 150 tons per pile (Fig. 16.10).

Figure 16.10. Case study: bitumen coated piles.

16.7.2 Why pipe piles

The clay layer would undergo settlement due to the fill above. When the clay layer
settles, it would carry the piles down with it creating negative skin friction (downdrag)
on piles. The negative skin friction forces could be as high as 100 tons per pile. The
capacity of the piles is not more than 150 tons per pile. The effective capacity (the
capacity that is useful) of the pile will be 50 tons per pile. This is not economical.
A bitumen coating (1/8 thick) was used to reduce the downdrag. Bitumen-coated
piles were placed on bored holes. Holes were bored and the piles were placed inside
the hole.

Note: H-piles have lesser perimeter area compared to similar pipe piles. Hence,
H-piles would have less downdrag. On the other hand, H-piles are much more
expensive than pipe piles (without bitumen coating). A cost comparison between
bitumen-coated pipe piles and H-piles was done and bitumen-coated pipe piles
were selected.

> Read full chapter

Design of driven piles

Ruwan Rajapakse, in Pile Design and Construction Rules of Thumb (Second Edition),
2016

8.6 Recommended guidelines for pile design

American Society of Civil Engineers(ASCE) has provided the following guidelines for
pile foundation design (ASCE, 1997):

8.6.1 Steel piles

• Steel pipe piles should have a minimum yield strength not less than 35,000 psi.

• Structural steel piles should conform to ASTM A36, ASTM A572, and ASTM
A588.
• Steel pipe piles should conform to ASTM A252.

• Steel-encased cast-in situ concrete piles should conform to ASTM A252, ASTM
A283, ASTM A569, ASTM A570, or ASTM A611.
• The allowable design stress in steel should not be more than 35% of the
minimum yield strength of steel.

8.6.2 Minimum dimensions for steel pipe piles

• Pipe piles should have a minimum outer diameter of 8 in.

• Minimum wall thickness of 0.25 in. is recommended for pipe diameters of

14 in or less. Minimum wall thickness of 0.375 in. is recommended for pipe
diameters greater than 14 in.
• Steel pipe piles with lesser wall thickness are allowed when the pipe piles are
filled with concrete.
8.6.3 Concrete piles

8.6.3.1 Reinforced precast concrete piles

• Diameter or minimum dimension measured through the center should not be

less than 8 in.
• Minimum 28 day concrete strength (fc ) = 4,000 psi.

• Minimum yield strength of rebars = 40,000 psi.

• The allowable design stress in concrete should not be more than 1/3 of the
minimum concrete strength.
• The allowable design stress in steel should not be more than 40% of the
minimum yield strength of steel.

8.6.3.2 Prestressed concrete piles

• Diameter or minimum dimension measured through the center should not be

less than 8 in.
• Minimum 28 day concrete strength = 4,000 psi.

• Minimum yield strength of rebars = 40,000 psi.

• The effective prestress should not be less than 700 psi.

• The allowable axial design compressive stress applied to the full cross-section
should not exceed 33% of the specified minimum concrete strength minus
27% of the effective prestressed force.

8.6.3.3 Concrete filled shell piles

• Diameter or minimum dimension measured through the center should not be

less than 8 in.
• Minimum 28 day concrete strength = 3,000 psi.

• Minimum yield strength of re-bars = 40,000 psi.

• Thin shells less than 0.1 in. thick should not be considered as load-carrying
members.
• The allowable design stress in concrete should not be more than 1/3 of the
minimum concrete strength.
• The allowable design stress in steel should not be more than 40% of the
minimum yield strength of steel.

8.6.3.4 Augered pressure-grouted concrete piles

• Diameter should not be less than 8 in.

• Minimum 28 day concrete strength (fc ) = 3,000 psi.

• Minimum yield strength of rebars = 40,000 psi.

• The allowable design stress in concrete should not be more than 1/3 of the
minimum concrete strength.
• The allowable design stress in steel should not be more than 40% of the
minimum yield strength of steel.

8.6.3.5 Maximum driving stress

• Maximum driving stress for steel piles = 0.9 fy (for both tension and compres-
sion): fy = yield strength.
• Maximum driving stress for timber piles = 2.5 × (z) (here, z = allowable design
strength of timber piles).
• Maximum driving stress for precast concrete piles = 0.85 fc for compression;
= 3(fc )1/2 for tension; fc  = 28 day concrete strength
• Maximum driving stress for prestressed concrete piles = (0.85fc  − fpe) for
compression (fpe = effective prestress, force).
• Maximum driving stress for prestressed concrete piles = (3(fc )1/2 + fpe) for
tension (fpe = effective prestress force).

> Read full chapter

Geotechnical data and piles design

Mohamed A. El-Reedy Ph.D., in Marine Structural Design Calculations, 2015

Example 6.7
Calculate the composite pipe pile of Figure 6.22, where the actual moment of inertia
is described as follows:
Figure 6.22. Composite pipe pile of Example 6.7.

Do1=1800 mm
Di1=1730 mm
Do2=1600 mm
Di2=1540 mm
I1=π[(Do1)4 – (Di1)4]/64=7,5601,916,209 mm4
I2=45,607,749,335
It=I1+I2=1.2121×1011 mm4
A1=π[(Do1)2 – (Di1)2]/4=194,071.8862 mm2
A2=147,969.014 mm2
AG=339,998.8649 mm2

The equivalent composite pile is

I=1.2121×1011 mm4
Do=1800 mm
Di={[I (64)/π] – ( Do)4}0.25=1683.28 mm
t=Do – Di=58.36 mm
Area=π[(Do1)2 – (Di1)2]/4= 319,317.75 mm2
Elastic modulus for steel, Es=210,000 MPa
Elastic modulus for grout, EG=30,000 MPa
Et={Es [(Do1)2−(Di1)2]+Es (Do2)2−(Di2)2}+EG [(Di1)2−(Do2)2]/Do=32,235 MPa

> Read full chapter

Design, construction and installation

of support structures for offshore wind
energy systems
K. Lesny, W. Richwien, in Wind Energy Systems, 2011
Monopiles
Monopiles are usually steel pipe piles (see Fig. 16.2). They extend above the water lev-
el where the tower is connected with a so-called transition piece (see section 16.5.1).

16.2. Monopiles for the North Hoyle wind farm (© RWE Innogy GmbH).

Acting as an extension of the tower into the subsoil, the monopile is the simplest
foundation solution, but at the same time it shows a very complex load transfer
behaviour as it has to carry the whole environmental and operational loading. The
loading is predominantly transferred into the subsoil by lateral bedding as the
amount of vertical loading and torsional moments in contrast to horizontal loading
and bending moments is very small. The pile head is freely supported and the pile is
flexible with a full or partial restraint in the soil. This concept is depicted in Fig. 16.3.
Near-surface soil layers with a sufficient bearing capacity are therefore of vital
importance for the lateral load transfer.
16.3. Load transfer behaviour of monopole foundations.

Up to now monopiles have only been installed in water depths up to about 25 m
with correspondingly moderate wave loading. Deeper water and the accompanying
increase in loading, as well as higher performance wind turbines, directly result
in greater diameters and embedment lengths of a monopile and may lead to
uneconomic and technically unfavourable design solutions.

> Read full chapter

Geotechnical Data and Pile Design

Mohamed A. El-Reedy Ph.D., in Offshore Structures, 2012

Skin Friction and End Bearing in Cohesive Soils

Traditionally, piles for an offshore structure platform are pipe pile. If the pipe pile
penetrates cohesive soils, the shaft friction, f (in kPa), at any point along the pile may
be calculated by:

(4.14)

where = a dimensionless factor and c = undrained shear strength of the soil at the
point in question.

The factor can be computed by:

(4.15)
with the constraint that ≤1.0, where = c/p, for the point in question and p is the
effective overburden pressure at the point in question (in kPa). For underconsoli-
dated clays, clays with excess pore pressures undergoing active consolidation, can
usually be taken as 1.0.

The appropriate methods for determining the undrained shear strength, c, and
effective overburden pressure, p , including the effects of various sampling and
testing procedures, are important. As the number of pile-load tests is not enough
in soils having c/p ratios greater than three, Equation (4.15) should be applied with
some engineering judgment for high c/p values. The same engineering judgment
should be applied for deep-penetrating piles in soils with high undrained shear
strength, c, where the computed shaft frictions, f, using Equation 4.14 above, are
generally higher than previously specified in API RP2A. In the case of very long piles,
some reduction in pile capacity occurs, because the shaft friction may reduce to some
lesser residual value on continued displacement.

For piles end bearing in cohesive soils, the unit end bearing, q (in kPa), may be
computed by:

(4.16)

It is obvious that in open-driven piles the shaft friction, f, acts on both the inside and
outside of the pile. The total resistance is the sum of the external shaft friction, the
end bearing on the pile wall annulus and the total internal shaft friction or the end
bearing of the plug, whichever is less.

If the pipe pile is considered to be plugged, the bearing pressure may be assumed
to act over the whole cross-section of the pile. For unplugged piles, the bearing
pressure will be calculated on the pile wall annulus only. Whether a pile is considered
plugged or unplugged may be based on static calculations. For example, a pile could
be driven in an unplugged condition but act plugged under static loading.

In some cases, piles are driven in undersized drilled holes, piles are jetted in place
or (in some minor projects) the piles are drilled and grouted in place. In these
situations, the soil disturbance resulting from installation will affect the shaft friction
values. In general, f should not exceed values for driven piles; however, in some cases
for drilled and grouted piles in overconsolidated clay, f may exceed these values.

In determining f for drilled and grouted piles, the strength of the soil-grout interface,
including potential effects of drilling mud, should be considered. As discussed by
Kraft and Lyons (1974), a further investigation and check should be made of the
allowable bond stress between the pile steel and the grout.

The shaft friction values, f, in the cohesive layers should be as given in Equation
(4.14). End-bearing values for piles tipped in cohesive layers with adjacent weaker
layers may be as given in Equation (4.16), assuming that the pile achieves penetration
of two to three pile diameters or more into the layer in question and the tip is
approximately three pile diameters above the bottom of the layer, to avoid punch
through.

Some modification in the end-bearing resistance may be necessary if these distances

are not achieved.

> Read full chapter

Applications of PCC Piles for Highway

and High-Speed Railway Construction
in China
Han-long Liu, in Ground Improvement Case Histories, 2015

22.2.2 Construction method

Cast-in-situ, rather than precast concrete pipe piles, are used. This is because it is
difficult to transport and install large diameter precast pipe piles without affecting
the integrity of the pile, particularly when the piles are not reinforced. As the PCC
pipe pile is intended to be used mainly for improving the bearing capacity and
reducing the settlement of soft ground, it would be possible to jack in casings to cast
the concrete pile in situ. For this purpose, a special pile driving machine, a PCC piling
machine, was designed to install the PCC pipe (Liu et al., 2003a). A picture of the
piling machine in action is shown in Fig. 22.1. An annular steel casing that is made
of two coaxial steel tubes is used as a form to case the hollow pile. The annular casing
is closed ended. A cutting shoe made of steel plates, as shown in Fig. 22.2, is used
to close the end. To facilitate installation, the inner and outer tubes are staggered
to form a cutting edge of 30° (see Fig. 22.2). The diameter of the outer casing and
the nominal diameter of the pipe pile ranges from 1.0–1.5 m. The diameter of the
inner casing is chosen to be 200–300 mm smaller than the outer casing so the wall
thickness of the pipe pile can be controlled between 100 and 150 mm.
Figure 22.1. PCC piling machine.

Figure 22.2. The cutting shoe used to close the annular steel casing.

The PCC pile installation sequence is shown in Fig. 22.3. The annular casing is first
erected on the PCC piling machine (Fig. 22.3(a)) and is initially pushed and then
vibro-driven into the ground (Fig. 22.3(b)). The rate of jacking is dependent on the
ground conditions. The length of the piles depends on the design requirement.
After the casing reaches the desired depth, concrete is poured into the annular
of the casing (Fig. 22.3(c)). The slump ratio of the concrete is controlled within
50–100 mm. After this, the steel casing is withdrawn from the ground by vibro means
(Fig. 22.3(d)). When the casing is being pulled up, the plates that seal the tip of the
casing (shown in Fig. 22.2) will be open.
Figure 22.3. PCC pile installation sequence: (a) positioning casing, (b) driving the
casing, (c) pouring concrete, (d) extracting casing, and (e) formation of the pile.

The standard withdrawal procedure has been stipulated in Technical Specification,

JGJ/T213 (2010). It requires the withdrawing rate to be controlled within 1.0–1.2-
 m/min under normal circumstances. However, a slower rate of 0.6–0.8 m/min
should be used for loose to medium loose sand layer. The casing should vibrate for
10 sec before withdrawal. Subsequently for every 1 m withdrawal, the pulling should
be stopped temporarily to vibrate the casing for 5–10 sec until the casing is com-
pletely withdrawn. The vibratory effect applied to the casings during withdrawing
also helps the concrete to be compacted. The maximum depth of the PCC pile is
controlled by the height of the PCC piling machine and is normally within 25 m.
If piles longer than the height of the piling machine are used, welding of casings
is required. This will reduce the installation speed. When necessary, a circular steel
reinforcement cage can also be used to reinforce the top part or the entire length
of the pile. When the casing is removed, the top 0.5 m soil inside the PCC pile is
excavated and filled with lean concrete to form a pile cap.

> Read full chapter

Deepwater Structural Design

Peter Aird, in Deepwater Drilling, 2019

Method
Drilled and grouted (cemented) axial capacity is based on the API RP 2A-WSD static
(time independent) method for computing the ultimate bearing capacity of pipe
piles, casings, and conductors. The ultimate bearing capacity of for a given depth,
Qd, below the seafloor, is the sum of the bearing capacity due to the skin friction on
the conductor's embedded surface and the end bearing capacity on the tip as shown
in Eq. (8.11)
 Axial capacity for drilled and grouted pipe installations

(8.11)where:•Qf = Skin friction resistance capacity•Qp = Total end bearing capacity•f =

Unit skin friction capacity•As = Side Surface Area of Conductor (Embedded Section)
= πDL•q = Unit end bearing capacity•Ap = Gross end area of conductor

When applying the above equation to compute ultimate bearing capacity, the end
bearing capacity is assumed insignificant in comparison to end load result. A
modified formula for total bearing capacity of the installed structural pipe Eq. (8.12)
is used:

Modified axial capacity for drilled and grouted pipe installations

(8.12)

The unit skin friction capacity, f, calculated at any point along the pipe, Eq. (8.13):

Modified Unit skin friction capacity, f, at any given point along installed pipe length

(8.13)where• = empirical strength factor•Su = Undrained Soil Shear Strength at the

point in question

For normally consolidated soil conditions, the empirical strength factor is given by
0.5 ≤   ≤ 1.0 in accordance with the API RP 2A-WSD methods.

> Read full chapter

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