PILE

FOUNDATION
PILE FOUNDATION
 It is a foundation unit that provides support for
a structure by the toe resistance (end
resistance) in a competent soil or rock at some
depth below the structure and/or by the shaft
resistance (skin resistance) in the soil or rock in
which it is placed.

Figure 1-1 End bearing piles Figure 1-2 Friction or cohesion pile
CLASSIFICATION OF PILES
Piles may be classified in a number of ways
based on different criteria:
(a) Function or action
(b) Composition and material
(c) Installation
Classification Based on Function or Action:
Piles may be classified as follows based on the function or action:
End-bearing piles
• Used to transfer load through the pile tip to a suitable bearing
stratum, passing soft soil or water.
Friction piles
• Used to transfer loads to a depth in a frictional material by means
of skin friction along the surface area of the pile.
Tension or uplift piles
• Used to anchor structures subjected to uplift due to
hydrostatic pressure or to overturning moment due to
horizontal forces.
Anchor piles
• Used to provide anchorage against
horizontal pull from sheet piling or water.
Compaction piles
• Used to compact loose granular soils in order to increase
the bearing capacity. Since they are not required to carry
any load, the material may not be required to be strong;
in fact, sand may be used to form the pile. The pile tube,
driven compact the soil, is gradually taken out and sand
is filled in its place thus forming a ‘sand pile’.
Fender piles
• Used to protect water-front structures
against impact from ships or other floating
objects.
Sheet piles
• Commonly used as bulkheads, or cut-offs
to reduce seepage and uplift in hydraulic
structures.
Batter piles
• Used to resist horizontal and inclined
forces, especially in water front structures.
Laterally-loaded piles
• Used to support retaining walls, bridges,
dams, and wharves and as fenders for
harbour construction.
Classification Based on Material and Composition:
Piles may be classified as follows based on material and composition:
Timber piles
• These are made of timber of sound quality. Length may be up to about 8 m;
splicing is adopted for greater lengths. Diameter may be from 30 to 40 cm.
Timber piles perform well either in fully dry condition or submerged
condition. Alternate wet and dry conditions reduce the life of a timber pile; to
overcome this, creosoting is adopted. Maximum design load is about 250
kN.
ADVANTAGES:
• Easy handling
• non corrosive material
• If permanently submerged then fairly resistant
to decay

DISADVANTAGES:
• May require treatment to prevent decay,
insects, and borers from damaging pile.
• Easily damaged during hard driving
• Inconvenient to splice.
Steel piles
• These are usually H-piles (rolled H-
shape), pipe piles, or sheet piles (rolled
sections of regular shapes). They may
carry loads up to 1000 kN or more.
ADVANTAGES:
• High axial working capacity.
• Wide variety of sizes.
• Easy on-site modifications.
• Fairly easy to drive.
• Minimal soil displacements.
• Good penetration to hard materials
DISADVANTAGES:
• High cost
• Difficulty in delivery
• Relatively higher corrosion
• Noisy driving
Concrete piles
• These may be ‘precast’ or ‘cast-in-situ’. Precast piles are reinforced
to withstand handling stresses. They require space for casting and
storage, more time to cure and heavy equipment for handling and
driving. Cast-in-situ piles are installed by pre-excavation, thus
eliminating vibration due to driving and handling.
ADVANTAGES:
• High capacity
• Relatively inexpensive
• Usually durable
• Corrosion resistant in any environment

DISADVANTAGES:
• Handling, splicing and transportation
difficulties(for precast piles)
Composite piles
• These may be made of either concrete and timber or
concrete and steel. These are considered suitable when
the upper part of the pile is to project above the water
table. Lower portion may be of untreated timber and the
upper portion of concrete. Otherwise, the lower portion
may be of steel and the upper one of concrete.
Classification Based on Method of Installation:
Piles may also be classified as follows based on the method of
installation:
Driven piles
• Timber, steel, or precast concrete piles may be driven into position
either vertically or at an inclination. If inclined they are termed
‘batter’ or ‘raking’ piles. Pile hammers and pile-driving equipment are
used for driving piles.
Cast-in-situ piles
• Only concrete piles can be cast-in-situ. Holes are drilled
and these are filled with concrete. These may be
straight-bored piles or may be ‘under-reamed’ with one
or more bulbs at intervals. Reinforcements may be used
according to the requirements.
Driven and cast-in-situ piles
• This is a combination of both types. Casing or shell may
be used.
• Driven cast in-situ concrete piles are constructed by
driving a closed-ended hollow steel or concrete casing
into the ground and then filling it with concrete. The
casing may be left in position to form part of the pile, or
withdrawn for reuse as the concrete is placed
USE OF PILES
The important ways in which piles are used
are as follows:
• To carry vertical compressive loads,
• To resist uplift or tensile forces, and
• To resist horizontal or inclined loads.
PILE DRIVING
• The operation of forcing a pile into the
ground is known as ‘pile driving’. The
oldest method and the most widely
used even today is by means of a
hammer. The equipment used to lift
the hammer and allow it to fall on to
the head of the pile is known as the
‘pile driver’.
Pile hammers are of the following types:
Drop hammer
• This is the simplest type. The hammer, ram or
monkey is raised by pulley and which and allowed to
fall on the top of the pile. The drop hammer is simple
but very slow and is used for small jobs only.
Single-acting hammer
• In this type, the hammer is raised by steam or
compressed air and is allowed to drop on to
the pile head. The hammer is usually heavy
and rugged, weighing 10 to 100 kN. The height
of fall may be about 60
Double-acting hammer
• In this type, steam or air pressure is employed to lift the ram
and then accelerate it downward. The blows are more rapid;
from 90 to 240 blows per minute, thus reducing the time
required to drive the pile, and making the driving easier. The
weight of the ram may be 10 to 25 kN.
Diesel hammer
• This works on the internal combustion of diesel oil. Energy is provided
both for raising the hammer and for downward stroke. This type is self-
contained, economical, and simple. The energy delivered per blow is
relatively high, considering the weight of the hammer, as it is developed
by a high-velocity blow. The disadvantage is that the energy per hammer
blow varies with the resistance offered by the pile and is difficult to
evaluate. Thus, the diesel hammer is best adopted to conditions where
controlled energy is not critical.
Vibratory hammer
• The driving unit vibrates at high frequency and thus, the
driving is quick and quiet. A variable speed oscillator is used
for the purpose of creating resonance conditions. This allows
easy penetration of the pile with a relatively small driving
effort.