TR 335: DEEP FOUNDATIONS TUTORIAL

1. A bored pile with an enlarged base is to be installed in a stiff clay whose characteristic
undrained shear strength (Su) increases linearly by 10kPa to Su of 220kPa at the pile base.
The saturated unit weight of the clay is 21kN/m3. Diameters of the pile shaft and base are
1.05m and 3.00m respectively. The pile extends from a depth of 4m to 22m, the top of the
under-ream being at a depth of 20m. Past experience indicates that skin friction (shaft
adhesion) coefficient α of 0.70 is appropriate for the Clay. Determine the design/ allowable
load of the pile ensuring an overall load factor of 2.0 and a load factor of 3.0 under the base
when shaft resistance is fully mobilized.

2. Thirty six piles, 0.60m in diameter, are spaced at 2.40m centres in a 6x6 group. The piles
extend between depths of 3 and 18m in a deposit of stiff clay 28m thick overlying a bedrock.
The characteristic undrained strength of the clay at a depth of 18m is 145kPa and the average
characteristic value over the pile length is 105kPa. The following have also been determined
for the Clay, α = 0.40, Eu = 65MN/m2, mv = 0.08m2/MN. If the pile group supports a load of
21MN determine; (1) the overall load factor of safety if the pile group’s efficiency is 80%
and (2) the total settlement of the group.

3. A bored pile 750mm diameter and 12m long in to be installed on a site where two layers of
clay exist. The upper firm clay layer is 8m thick and has undrained shear strength of 50kPa.
The lower stiff Clay layer is 12m thick and has undrained shear strength of 120kN/m2.
Determine the working load the pile could support assuming the following; α = 1.0 for firm
clay and α = 0.5 for stiff clay, factor of safety of 1.5 and 3.0 are applied to the overall loads
and base load respectively and top 1m of the firm Clay is ignored due to shrinkage.
For the ground conditions and assumptions described above determine the length of pile
required to support a working load of 1500kN.

4. A bored pile, 900mm diameter and 15m long is to be installed in fissured clay whose
strength increases with depth from 75kPa at ground level and at 4kPa per metre of depth.
Determine the working load the pile could support assuming α = 0.45 and overall factor of
safety of 1.5 and for base of alone of 3.0.

5. A large diameter under-reamed bored pile is to be installed in stiff clay with undrained
shear strength of 125kPa. The main shaft of the pile is 1.5m diameter and the base of the
under-ream is 4.5m diameter with a height of 3.0m and the total length of the pile from
ground level to the base of the under-ream is 27m. Determine the working load the pile could
support assuming the following α = 0.3, adhesion should be ignored over the main shaft of
the pile up to 2 shaft diameters above the top of the under-ream and over the top 1m of the
pile, a factor of safety of 3.0 should be applied to the base load but full mobilisation of shaft
adhesion can be assumed.

*Make all relevant assumptions as you may see necessary.

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