KEC International Limited

PILE FOUNDATION
31st March 2020

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What is Pile foundation?
 Pile foundation means a construction for the foundation of a
abutment or pier which is supported on piles

 Pile is like a column that is driven into the foundation soil

or constructed inside the foundation soil

Where it is adopted?

 Pile foundation are adopted when the loose soil extended to great
depth and structural elements that transfer loads through weak,
compressible soils to underlying competent soils or rock. 
Why we perform Pile foundation?

 To support static and seismic loads.

 To support compressive, tensile and lateral loads.

 Where the bearing capacity of soil found less than the design load of
the superstructure.
Classification of Piles
 Based on the function :-
• End Bearing pile

• Friction pile
• Compaction pile
• Tension pile or Uplift pile
• Anchor pile
• Fender Pile
• Batter pile
• Sheet Pile
Classification of Piles
 Based on the material & composition :-
•Concrete pile
• Timber pile
• Steel pile
Based on the method of installation :-
• Driven pile
• Cast - in – situ
• Driven and cast - in - situ pile
Bearing Piles

 Driven into the ground until a hard stratum is reached

 Acts as pillars supporting the super structure and transmitting
the load to the ground
 Piles, by themselves do not support the load, rather acts as a
medium to transmit the load from the foundation to the resisting
sub stratum
Friction Piles

piles are driven at a site where soil is weak or soft to a considerable

depth and it is not economical or rather possible to rest the bottom end
of the pile on the hard stratum
 Load is carried by the friction developed between the sides of the
pile and the surrounding ground (Skin friction)
 The piles are driven up to such a depth that skin friction
developed at the sides of the piles equals the load coming the piles
Friction Piles

 Skin friction should be carefully evaluated and suitable factor of

safety applied
 The load carrying capacity of friction pile can be increased by
 Increasing dia of the pile
 Increasing depth of pile
 Increasing the number of piles (group of piles)
 making surface of the pile rough
Friction pile
Classification of Piles

Anchor piles :-
Piles are used to provide anchorage against horizontal pull from
sheet piling wall or other pulling forces
Batter piles :-
Piles are driven at an inclination to resist large horizontal and
inclined forces
Fender Piles :-
Piles are used to protect concrete deck or other water front
structures from the abrasion or impact caused from the ships or barges
Classification of Piles

Compaction piles :-
when piles are driven in granular soil with the aim of
increasing the bearing capacity of the soil , the piles are termed as
compaction piles
Sheet Piles

 Sheet piles are never used to provide vertical support but mostly
used to act as retaining walls. They are used for the following purposes
 To construct retaining walls in docks, and other marine
works
 To protect erosion of river banks
 To retain the sides of foundation trenches
 To confine the soil to increase its bearing capacity
 To isolate foundation from adjacent soils
Sheet piles
Timber Piles

 Transmission of load takes place by the frictional resistance of

ground and the pile surface
 Economical to support light structures
 Piles are driven with the help of pile driving machine in which
drop hammers delivers blows on the pile head
Concrete Piles

 Concrete piles are two types :-

a) Pre cast piles
b) Bored cast - in - situ piles
a) Pre cast piles :-
Reinforced concrete piles, molded in circular, square, rectangular, or octagonal form
Cast and cured in the casting yard then transported to the site of driving
If space available it can be cast and cured near site
Function of a reinforcement in a pre cast piles id resist to the stress during handling,
driving and final loading on the pile rather than strengthen the pile to act as a
column
Pre cast piles
Bored cast - in - situ Piles

The Boring method is adopted for in-situ piles in soil or soft/Hard rock
Various boring methods are given following
 Rotary drilling methods
 Direct mud circulation method
 Chisel and bailer method
 Continuous flight auger method
Rotary drilling method

Rotary bored piling uses a machine with specially designed drilling tools
, buckets and grabs to remove soil and rock . With every four or five
turns of flight, the auger is bored into the ground , withdrawn, and the
spoil removed until the design depth is reached
Hydraulic Rotary bored pile drilling rig

Rig machine Kelly

Direct mud circulation method
 This method is involves the circulation of mud from the pile bore directly to the
bentonite pit where the pump reuses the bentonite slurry leaving alone the settled
mud
 DMC method is fairly cheaper method to install pile
 The apparatus basically comprises a Tripod with pulley, DMC rig, winch machine,
wire rope, chisel, drill pipes, tremie pipes, DMC rod , vertical pump and pit where
bentonte powder is mixed with fresh water
 Chisel is the main boring tool and the DMC rod are simple extensions which
deliver the depth as well as cover the bore depth with bentonite suspension
Direct mud circulation system

DMC circulation system Tripod winch machine

Direct mud circulation system

Chisel DMC rod

Direct mud circulation system

DMC method in ROB marine piling works

Piling activities

 Following activities using for bored cast-in-situ pile construction

 Soil Investigation
 Setting out pile points
 Preparation for rig movement
 Pre boring
 Permanent casing/liner fixing
 Polymer/Bentonite mixing process
 Reinforcement cage tying process
 Boring process
 Socketing & Termination of bore hole
 Reinforcement cage lowering
 Tremie pipe lowering
 Flushing
 Concreting
Soil Investigation
Soil investigations are required to evolve various soil/rock parameters at the
proposed project location in order to carry out engineering analysis
Broad objectives of the investigations are as follows.
• To evaluate geo-technical parameters of soil/rock at the proposed
borehole locations
• To assess the engineering parameters and to estimate bearing capacity
of soil
• To recommend suitable foundation systems
• To evaluate the aggressiveness of soil due to chemical content in the
deposits
To measure the effect of groundwater on steel and other materials
• and draw up recommendations for preventive measures.
Soil Investigation
Soil investigations boreholes shall be terminated as per following criteria, whichever
occur is earlier
 When the depth of drilling reaches 50.0m in all kind of soils.
 
 When depth of drilling in weak rock (stratum where RQD <=25%)
reaches 18.0 m depth
 
 When depth of drilling in medium rock (stratum where 25% <RQD
<50%) reaches 10.0 m depth
 
 When diamond bit drilling in hard rock (stratum where RQD>=50%)
reaches 5.0 m depth.

RQD means – ROCK QUALITY DESIGNATION

Permanent casing/liner fixing & Boring process

Permanent casing/liner fixing Boring process

Polymer/Bentonite mixing process

Polymer/Bentonite circulation arrangement

 Polymer properties requirements

Stages
Property Unit Before Test Equipment
Fresh Ready for re-use
Concreting
Density g/cc 1.00-1.04 Equal or <1.05 Equal or <1.06 Mud Balance

Marsh
Sec 65 - 140 55 - 140 50 - 140 Marsh Funnel
Viscosity

Ph 11 – 12 11 - 12 7-12 pH Strips
Sand Content % <2% Equal or < 3% Sand Content Set

The required quantity of polymer shall be mixed with fresh water by air agitating system
Approximately for 1cum of water 1kgs of polymer required to fulfill the polymer properties
Bentonite mixing process
 bentonite is a clay of montmorillonite group. When the dispersion is left to
stand undisturbed, it forms thin jelly like mass or membrane , which helps in
stabilization of bore. When the jelly is agitated it becomes fluid again
 The specific gravity of the freshly prepared bentonite suspension should be
between 1.03 to 1.10 g/ml
 The density of bentonite suspension after contamination with material in
bore hole may rise up to 1.25g/ml, which should be brought back to 1.12g/ml by
flushing before concreting
 There are two stages use of bentonite suspension
a) flushing during boring
b) flushing for cleaning the bore hole after completion of boring
Boring Process
a) Position the rig over the established pile point. Check the accuracy of the point
by comparing it with other reference points
b) Diameter of the cutting tool shall not less than the required pile diameter more
than 75mm
c) After rig positioning drive the permanent steel casing or liners up to harden soil
d) Stabilize the bore hole during boring process using polymer/bentonite
e) Take soil samples from each intermediate soil strata
f) Finally end of the boring process upon reaching the designated boring depth
g) Check the borehole depth through sounding chain
Socketing & Termination criteria of pile bore hole
 In the piling specifications, socketing in solid/hard rock is usually specified for termination
criteria. Rock socketing is mainly done to utilize the full structural capacity of piles
 Larger diameter(1000mm, 1200mm, 1500mm) of bored piles are being used to carry heavy
loads from super structures. so they are essentially to be taken to bed rock level and are to be
socketed into rock
 Piles on rocks carry the load by point bearing. To ensure the proper contact between base of
pile into hard rock by cutting through weathered and soft rock
In present practice socketing the piles in rocks are following
In Hard rock - 1D Minimum
In weathered rock – 2D
In soft rock – 3D
Reinforcement cage lowering & Tremie pipe lowering

Reinforcement cage lowering Tremie pipe lowering

Reinforcement cage & Tremie pipe lowering
a) Lower reinforcement cage into the borehole vertically, without disturbing the
sides of the bore hole
b) Sufficient cover blocks all around cage requires
c) Adequate stiffener bars required to avoid cage sideways
d) Stiffeners, stirrups and laps welding is mandatory to prevent cage brekage
e) Commonly tremie pipe dia is around 200mm
f) Tremie pipes shall be lowered one after another by threaded system
g) Connect a hopper to the top of tremie pipe. After that close the joint between
hopper and tremie pipe with steel plug
h) Tremie chart should be maintained
Tremie pipe & Concreting

Tremie pipe & Hopper Concreting

Concreting of Pile
a) The concrete shall be checked for consistency (slump of 150 to 200mm)
b) Prevent interruption of concreting from the start of the process till the end
c) Tremie bottom is embedded into the previously placed concrete for minimum
depth 2m for avoid concrete mixing with polymer/bentonite
d) Rate of concrete pouring shall not be less than 6m/hour to ensure compaction
by hydraulic static head
e) Pile concreting atleast 60 to 90cm above the cutoff level to ensure good
concrete for proper embedment into pile cap
f) Placing of pile concrete shall be done within 6hrs
Concrete mix design for pile concrete

Ingredients Weight per 1cum

Cement 420 kgs

w/c ratio 0.35
Water 147 kgs

Fine aggregate 732 kgs

Coarse aggregate 20mm 718 kgs
Coarse aggregate 12.5mm 473 kgs
Admixture 0.70 %
Bipolar concrete penetrating corrosion 2 kgs
inhibiting admixture (CPCIA)
Pile load test
Pile load test usually carried out to fulfill one or some of the following objectives:-
 To determine ultimate and safe load on piles
 To countercheck results from static and pile driving formula
 To determine the load settlement behavior of a pile, especially in
the region of the anticipated working load that the data can be used
in prediction of group settlement
 To verify structural soundness of the pile

Types of load tests

a) Vertical load test
b) Pull out test
c) Lateral load test
Pile load test
Types of tests :-
a) Initial load test
c) Routine load test

Methods of application of load tests are categorized as :-

Stress test :-
a) Maintained load method (static vertical test)
b) Constant rate of penetration method
c) Cyclic load method
d) Dynamic load test
Strain test :-

a) Low strain integrity test

b) Cross hone sonic logging integrity test
Vertical load test

Kentledge method
Vertical load test (kentledge method)

Beam fixing arrangement Jack setup Dial gauge fixing

Vertical load test

Anchorage method
Dynamic pile load test
Lateral pile load test
Pile integrity test
It is a Non destructive testing of piles. The tests is to find out structural soundness
of pile especially for those large diameter of concrete piles:-
Examples of structural soundness
 Honeycomb in the pile
 Compressive strength of the concrete pile
 Consistency of the concrete in pile

Methods of Pile integrity tests

a) Low strain integrity test
b) Cross hole sonic logging integrity test
Pile integrity test

Low strain integrity test

Pile integrity test

Cross hole sonic logging integrity test

Pile integrity test

Cross hole sonic logging integrity test

Pile integrity test

Cross hole sonic logging integrity test graph result