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CHAPTER 5
Pile groups under compressive loading
5.1 Group action in piled foundations
The supporting capacity of a group of vertically loaded piles can, in many situations, be considerably less than the sum of the
capacities of the individual piles comprising the group. In all cases the elastic and consolidation settlements of the group are
greater than those of a single pile carrying the same working load as that on each pile within the group. This is because the
zone of soil or rock which is stressed by the entire group extends to a much greater width and depth than the zone beneath the
single pile (Figure 5.1). Even when a pile group is bearing on rock the elastic deformation of the body of rock within the
stressed zone can be quite appreciable if the piles are loaded to their maximum safe capacity.

Fig. 5.1 Comparison of stressed zones beneath single pile and pile group

(a) Single pile (b) Pile group

Group action in piled foundations has resulted in many recorded cases of failure or excessive settlement, even though loading
tests made on a single pile have indicated satisfactory performance. A typical case of foundation failure is the single pile
driven to a satisfactory set in a compact or stiff soil layer underlain by soft compressible clay. The latter formation is not
stressed to any significant extent when the single pile is loaded (Figure 5.2a) but when the load from the superstructure is
applied to the whole group, the stressed zone extends down into the soft clay. Excessive settlement or complete general shear
failure of the group can then occur (Figure 5.2b). A classic example of this action is the foundation failure of the Charity
Hospital at New Orleans described by Terzaghi and Peck(5.1). The building was constructed on about 20000 timber piles
7.9m long driven through a soft compressible soil and terminating in a 1.8m layer of dense sand underlain by 50m or more of
soft compressible clay. A test pile was loaded to about 300kN and the settlement under the test load was only 6.5mm. A
working load of 150kN was adopted, but during and after erection of the building the group settled. A movement of more
than 300mm was observed over a period of 2 years after construction, and severe damage was caused to the steel frame and
stone cladding.
The allowable loading on pile groups is sometimes determined by the so-called efficiency formulae, in which the efficiency
of the group is defined as the ratio of the average load per pile when failure of the complete group occurs, to the load at
failure of a single comparable pile. The various efficiency ratios are based simply on experience without any relationship to
soil mechanics principles. For this reason the author does not consider this to be a desirable or logical approach to the
problem and prefers