606 Chapter 11: Pile Foundations

Check Pile-Head Deflection

From Eq. (11.104),

4 KD (5000) (0.254)
Å 4EpIp Å (4) (207 3 106 ) (123 3 1026 )
b5 5 4 5 0.334

bL 5 (0.334) (25) 5 8.35

From Figure 11.33b for bL 5 8.35, by extrapolation the magnitude of
xz (z 5 0)KDL
<8
Qg

a b (5000) (0.254) (25)

10
xz (z 5 0)KDL 1000
Qg 5 5 5 39.7 kN
8 8
Hence, Qg 5 39.7 kN(* 419.3 kN) . ■

11.17 Pile-Driving Formulas

To develop the desired load-carrying capacity, a point bearing pile must penetrate the dense
soil layer sufficiently or have sufficient contact with a layer of rock. This requirement cannot
always be satisfied by driving a pile to a predetermined depth, because soil profiles vary. For
that reason, several equations have been developed to calculate the ultimate capacity of a pile
during driving. These dynamic equations are widely used in the field to determine whether a
pile has reached a satisfactory bearing value at the predetermined depth. One of the earliest
such equations—commonly referred to as the Engineering News (EN) Record formula—is
derived from the work—energy theory. That is,

Energy imparted by the hammer per blow 5

(pile resistance)(penetration per hammer blow)

According to the EN formula, the pile resistance is the ultimate load Qu , expressed as

WRh
Qu 5 (11.105)
S1C

where
WR 5 weight of the ram
h 5 height of fall of the ram
S 5 penetration of pile per hammer blow
C 5 a constant
 11.17 Pile-Driving Formulas 607

The pile penetration, S, is usually based on the average value obtained from the last
few driving blows. In the equation’s original form, the following values of C were recom-
mended:
For drop hammers,

C 5 25.4 mm if S and h are in mm

For steam hammers,

C 5 2.54 mm if S and h are in mm

Also, a factor of safety FS 5 6 was recommended for estimating the allowable pile ca-
pacity. Note that, for single- and double-acting hammers, the term WRh can be replaced
by EHE , where E is the efficiency of the hammer and HE is the rated energy of the
hammer. Thus,

EHE
Qu 5 (11.106)
S1C

The EN formula has been revised several times over the years, and other pile-driving
formulas also have been suggested. Three of the other relationships generally used are tab-
ulated in Table 11.16.
The maximum stress developed on a pile during the driving operation can be esti-
mated from the pile-driving formulas presented in Table 11.16. To illustrate, we use the
modified EN formula:
2
EWRh WR 1 n Wp
Qu 5
S 1 C WR 1 Wp

In this equation, S is the average penetration per hammer blow, which can also be
expressed as
25.4
S5 (11.107)
N

where
S is in mm
N 5 number of hammer blows per 25.4 mm of penetration
Thus,

EWRh WR 1 n2Wp
Qu 5 (11.108)
(25.4>N) 1 2.54 WR 1 Wp

Different values of N may be assumed for a given hammer and pile, and Qu may be
calculated. The driving stress Qu>A p can then be calculated for each value of N. This
608 Chapter 11: Pile Foundations

Table 11.16 Pile-Driving Formulas

Name Formula
2
EWRh WR 1 n Wp
Modified EN formula Qu 5
S 1 C WR 1 Wp
where E 5 efficiency of hammer
C 5 2.54 mm if the units of S and h are in mm
Wp 5 weight of the pile
n 5 coefficient of restitution between the ram
and the pile cap

Typical values for E

Single- and double-acting hammers 0.7–0.85
Diesel hammers 0.8–0.9
Drop hammers 0.7–0.9

Typical values for n

Cast-iron hammer and concrete
piles (without cap) 0.4–0.5
Wood cushion on steel piles 0.3–0.4
Wooden piles 0.25–0.3

Danish formula (Olson and EHE

Flaate, 1967) Qu 5
EHEL
É 2A pEp
S1

where E 5 efficiency of hammer

HE 5 rated hammer energy
Ep 5 modulus of elasticity of the pile material
L 5 length of the pile
A p 5 cross-sectional area of the pile

EHE
Janbu’s formula (Janbu, 1953) Qu 5
Kur S
lr
≤
Å
where Kur 5 Cd ¢1 1 11
Cd
Wp
Cd 5 0.75 1 0.14 ¢ ≤
WR
EHEL
lr 5 ¢ ≤
A pEpS2
 11.17 Pile-Driving Formulas 609

procedure can be demonstrated with a set of numerical values. Suppose that a prestressed
concrete pile 24.4 m in length has to be driven by a hammer. The pile sides measure
254 mm. From Table 11.3a, for this pile,

A p 5 645 3 1024 m2

The weight of the pile is

A pLgc 5 (645 3 1024 ) (24.4 m) (23.58 kN>m3 ) 5 37.1 kN

If the weight of the cap is 2.98 kN, then

Wp 5 37.1 1 2.98 5 40.08 kN

For the hammer, let

Rated energy 5 26.03 kN-m 5 HE 5 WRh

Weight of ram 5 22.24 kN

Assume that the hammer efficiency is 0.85 and that n 5 0.35. Substituting these values
into Eq. (11.108) yields

(0.85) (26.03 3 1000) 22.24 1 (0.35) 2 (40.08)

c d 5
9639.08
£ §
Qu 5 kip
25.4 22.24 1 40.08 25.4
1 2.54 1 2.54
N N

Now the following table can be prepared:

Qu Ap Qu/Ap
N (kN) (m2) (MN/m2)

0 0 645 3 10 24 0
2 632 645 3 10 24 9.79
4 1084 645 3 10 24 16.8
6 1423 645 3 10 24 22.06
8 1687 645 3 10 24 26.16
10 1898 645 3 10 24 29.43
12 2070 645 3 10 24 32.12
20 2530 645 3 10 24 39.22

Both the number of hammer blows per inch and the stress can be plotted in a
graph, as shown in Figure 11.34. If such a curve is prepared, the number of blows per
inch of pile penetration corresponding to the allowable pile-driving stress can easily be
determined.
Actual driving stresses in wooden piles are limited to about 0.7fu . Similarly, for con-
crete and steel piles, driving stresses are limited to about 0.6fcr and 0.85fy , respectively.
In most cases, wooden piles are driven with a hammer energy of less than 60 kN-m.
Driving resistances are limited mostly to 4 to 5 blows per inch of pile penetration. For con-
crete and steel piles, the usual values of N are 6 to 8 and 12 to 14, respectively.
610 Chapter 11: Pile Foundations

40

30

Qu /Ap (MN/m2)
20

10

0
0 4 8 12 16 20 Figure 11.34 Plot of stress versus
Number of blows /25.4 mm (N) blows>25.4 mm.

Example 11.14
A precast concrete pile 0.305 m 3 0.305 m in cross section is driven by a hammer.
Given
Maximum rated hammer energy 5 40.67 kN-m
Hammer efficiency 5 0.8
Weight of ram 5 33.36 kN
Pile length 5 24.39 m
Coefficient of restitution 5 0.4
Weight of pile cap 5 2.45 kN
Ep 5 20.7 3 106 kN>m2
Number of blows for last 25.4 mm of penetration 5 8
Estimate the allowable pile capacity by the
a. Modified EN formula (use FS 5 6)
b. Danish formula (use FS 5 4)
Solution
Part a
2
EWRh WR 1 n Wp
Qu 5
S 1 C WR 1 Wp
Weight of pile 1 cap 5 (0.305 3 0.305 3 24.39) (23.58 kN>m3 ) 1 2.45
5 55.95 kN
 11.18 Pile Capacity For Vibration-Driven Piles 611

Given: WRh 5 40.67 kN-m

(0.8) (40.67 3 1000) 33.36 1 (0.4) 2 (55.95)
Qu 5 3 5 2697 kN
25.4
8 1 2.54 33.36 1 55.95
Qu 2697
Qall 5 5 < 449.5 kN
FS 6

Part b
EHE
Qu 5
EHEL
Ä 2A pEp
S1

Use Ep 5 20.7 3 106 kN>m2

EHEL (0.8) (40.67) (24.39)

Å 2A pEp Å 2(0.305 3 0.305) (20.7 3 106 kN>m2 )
5 5 0.01435 m 5 14.35 mm

(0.8) (40.67)
Qu 5 25.4
< 1857 kN
8 3 1000 1 0.01435
1857
Qall 5 < 464 kN ■
4

11.18 Pile Capacity For Vibration-Driven Piles

The principles of vibratory pile drivers (Figure 11.7e) were discussed briefly in Section 11.4.
As mentioned there, the driver essentially consists of two counterrotating weights. The
amplitude of the centrifugal driving force generated by a vibratory hammer can be given as

Fc 5 mev2 (11.109)

where
m 5 total eccentric rotating mass
e 5 distance between the center of each rotating mass and the center of rotation
v 5 operating circular frequency
Vibratory hammers typically include an isolated bias weight that can range from 4 to
40 kN. The bias weight is isolated from oscillation by springs, so it acts as a net downward
load helping the driving efficiency by increasing the penetration rate of the pile.
The use of vibratory pile drivers began in the early 1930s. Installing piles with vibra-
tory drivers produces less noise and damage to the pile, compared with impact driving.
However, because of a limited understanding of the relationships between the load, the rate
of penetration, and the bearing capacity of piles, this method has not gained popularity in
the United States.