Piled foundations :

General descriptions of pile types There is a large variety of types of pile used
for foundation work. The choice depends on the environmental and ground conditions,
the presence or absence of groundwater, the function of the pile, i.e. whether
compression, uplift or lateral loads are to be carried, the desired speed of
construction and consideration of relative cost. The ability of the pile to resist
aggressive substances or organisms in the ground or in surrounding water must also
be considered. In BS 8004, piles are grouped into three categories:
(1) Large displacement piles: these include all solid piles, including timber and
precast concrete and steel or concrete tubes closed at the lower end by a shoe or
plug, which may be either left in place or extruded to form an enlarged foot.
(2) Small displacement piles: these include rolled-steel sections, open-ended tubes
and hollow sections if the ground enters freely during driving.
(3) Replacement piles: these are formed by boring or other methods of excavation;
the borehole may be lined with a casing or tube that is either left in place or
extracted as the hole is filled.
Driven and cast-in-place piles : These are widely used in the displacement pile
group. A tube closed at its lower end by a detachable shoe or by a plug of gravel
or dry concrete is driven to the desired penetration. Steel reinforcement is
lowered down the tube and the latter is then withdrawn during or after placing the
concrete. These types have the advantages that: (1) the length can be varied
readily to suit variation in the level of the bearing stratum; (2) the closed end
excludes groundwater; (3) an enlarged base can be formed by hammering out the
concrete placed at the toe; (4) the reinforcement is required only for the function
of the pile as a foundation element, i.e. not from considerations of lifting and
driving as for the precast concrete pile; and (5) the noise and vibration are not
severe when the piles are driven by a drop hammer operating within the drive tube.
Driven and cast-in-place piles may not be suitable for very soft soil conditions
where the newly placed concrete can be squeezed inwards as the drive tube is
withdrawn causing 'necking' of the pile shaft, nor is the uncased shaft suitable
for ground where water is encountered under artesian head which washes out the
cement from the unset concrete. These problems can be overcome by providing a
permanent casing. Ground heave can damage adjacent piles before the concrete has
hardened, and heaved piles cannot easily be redriven. However, this problem can be
overcome either by preboring or by driving a number of tubes in a group in advance
of placing the concrete. The latter is delayed until pile driving has proceeded to
a distance of at least 6.5 pile diameters from the one being concreted if small (up
to 3mm) uplift is permitted, or 8 diameters away if negligible (less than 3 mm)
uplift must be achieved.22 The lengths of driven and cast-in-place piles are
limited by the ability of the driving rigs to extract the drive tube and they
cannot be installed in very large diameters. They are unsuitable for river or
marine works unless specially adapted for extending them through water and cannot
be driven in situations of low headroom.