DEEP FOUNDATIONS
3.3. Ground heave
Ground heave can result from either of the following:
- a swelling phenomenon, e.g. a soil sensitive to
water,
- the installation of displacement piles through
deformable soil that can produce substantial tensile
forces in neighbouring piles.
3.4. Determination of pile resistance to lateral forces
The behaviour of piles loaded horizontally varies conside-
rably according to their slenderness and fixed end condi-
tions at the head of the pile.
For short piles, rupture occurs mainly by plastification of
the soil, whereas for long piles it mainly occurs within the
pile itself.
In such situations, either a stability calculation or a calcu-
lation of the bending moment resistance must be perfor-
med respectively.
The coefficient of sub-grade reaction method allows for
simple mathematical solutions in the case of long piles
subjected to a unit load for a coefficient that is:
- constant with the depth,
- increasing with depth (piles of offshore structures),
3.5. Pile Groups
The group effect refers to the interaction between
closely installed foundations and must be taken into
account when the distance between them is less than
3 diameters. Generally, this effect increases horizontal
and vertical displacements and reduces load bearing
3.6. Calculation of the structural capacity of the pile
The structural capacity of a pile is checked against the
stresses caused by pre-defined loading cases. It takes
account of the materials making up the pile and the
applicable standards or codes.
Soletanche Bachy's PROVERB software is used for
checking sections subjected to loading of any kind in
Nominal section of a pile: Ac
Ac 0,5m 2
0,5m2 < Ac 1,0m2
Ac > 1,0m2
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When displacement piles are installed in soft and plastic
clays, this heave may also be accompanied by a lateral
displacement of the ground that may damage neighbou-
ring piles. In these circumstances, specific installation
procedures should be used.
This allows the assesment of:
- the displacement at the pile head and along the
length of the pile,
- the rotation at the pile head,
- the maximum bending moments developed in the
pile.
Soletanche Bachy HOLPILE software can calculate the
stresses on a pile taking into account any lateral
deformation of the soil.
capacity. Terzaghi's equivalent pile method and similar
approaches can be used to model this interaction.
Soletanche Bachy's PICASSO software can be used for
the design of a group of vertical and/or inclined piles
subjected to forces of any kind.
accordance with the provisions of various reinforced
concrete codes (BAEL BSI, EC2).
For cast-in-place reinforced concrete piles, the minimum
reinforcement section must meet the criteria described in
the following table:
Section area of longitudinal reinforcement: As
As 0,5% Ac
As 0,0025m2
As 0,25% Ac