Pile Design and Construction Rules of Thumb

Ruwan Abey Rajapakse

• Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9780128042342
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Architecture
• Subtopic: Architecture General

Pile Design and Construction Rules of Thumb presents Geotechnical and Civil Engineers a comprehensive coverage of Pile Foundation related theory and practice. Based on the author's experience as a PE, the book brings concise theory and extensive calculations, examples and case studies that can be easily applied by professional in their day-to-day challenges.

In its first part, the book covers the fundamentals of Pile Selection: Soil investigation, condition, pile types and how to choose them. In the second part it addresses the Design of Pile Foundations, including different types of soils, pile groups, pile settlement and pile design in rock. Next, the most extensive part covers Design Strategies and contains chapters on loading analysis, load distribution, negative skin friction, design for expansive soils, wave equation analysis, batter piles, seismic analysis and the use of softwares for design aid. The fourth part covers Construction Methods including hammers, Inspection, cost estimation, load tests, offshore piling, beams and caps.

In this new and updated edition the author has incorporated new pile designs such as helical, composite, wind turbine monopiles, and spiral coil energy piles. All calculations have been updated to most current materials characteristics and designs available in the market. Also, new chapters on negative skin friction, pile driving, and pile load testing have been added.

Practicing Geotechnical, and Civil Engineers will find in this book an excellent handbook for frequent consult, benefiting from the clear and direct calculations, examples, and cases. Civil Engineering preparing for PE exams may benefit from the extensive coverage of the subject.

• Convenient for day-to-day consults
• Numerous design examples for sandy soils, clay soils, and seismic loadings
• Now including helical, composite, wind turbine monopiles, and spiral coil energy piles
• Methodologies and case studies for different pile types
• Serves as PE exam preparation material

1

Site investigation and soil conditions

Abstract

Geotechnical engineers deal with rocks and soils. Therefore, it is important to understand rock and soil properties. This chapter discussed about the origin of soils and rocks.

Keywords

rock

soil

Earth

augering

pressure

1.1. Origin of rocks and soils

Geotechnical engineers for the most part deal with rocks and soils. Therefore, it is important to understand rock and soil properties. First let us look at the origin of soils and rocks.

What came first: rocks or soils? The answer is rocks. There were rocks on Earth before sands. Let us see how this happened. The universe was full of dust clouds. Dust particles, due to gravity, became small-sized objects. They were known as planetesimals. These planetesimals smashed on to each other and larger planets, such as Earth, were formed.

$\text{Dust}\text{cloud}\to \text{small}\text{planets}(\text{planetesimals})\to \text{collisions}\to \text{planets}$

Many dust clouds can be seen in space with telescopes. The horsehead nebula is the most famous dust cloud. Dust clouds gave rise to millions of smaller planets that smashed on to each other. The early Earth was a very hot place due to these collisions. The Earth was too hot to have water on the surface. All water evaporated and existed in the atmosphere.

Due to extreme heat, the whole Earth was covered in a lava ocean.

1.1.1. Earth cools down

Millions of years later, the Earth cooled down. Water vapor that was in the atmosphere started to fall on the Earth. Rain started to fall on Earth for the first time. This rain could have lasted for millions of years. Oceans were formed and the molten Lava Ocean became a huge rock. Unfortunately, we have not found a single piece of rock that formed from the very first molten lava ocean.

1.1.2. Rock weathering

The flow of water, change in temperatures, volcanic actions, chemical actions, earthquakes, and falling meteors broke rocks into much smaller pieces. Millions of years later, rocks have broken down to pieces so small that we differentiate them from rocks by calling them sand. Hence for our first question, ‘which came first, rock or sand?’ The answer is rocks came first.

$\begin{array}{l}\text{Dust}\text{cloud}\to \text{small}\text{planets}(\text{planetesimals})\to \text{planets}\to \text{lava}\text{ocean}\to \text{lava}\text{ocean}\text{cools}\text{down}\text{to}\\ \text{form}\text{rocks}\to \text{first}\text{rains}\to \text{oceans}\to \text{weathering}\text{of}\text{rocks}\to \text{formation}\text{of}\text{sand}\text{and}\text{clay}\text{particles}\end{array}$

1.1.3. Brief overview of rocks

All rocks are basically divided into three categories. They are as follows:

• igneous rocks

• sedimentary rocks

• metamorphic rocks

1.1.3.1. Igneous rocks

Igneous rocks were formed from solidified lava. Earth’s diameter is measured to be approximately 8000 miles and the bedrock is estimated to be only 10 miles. Earth has a solid core with a diameter of 3000 miles and the rest is all lava or known as the mantle. Occasionally, lava comes out of the Earth during volcanic eruptions, cools down, and becomes rock. Such rocks are known as igneous rocks (Fig. 1.1).

Figure 1.1 The Earth.

Some of the common igneous rocks are as follows:

• granite

• diabase

• basalt

• diorite

Igneous...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• 1: Site investigation and soil conditions
• 2: Geophysical methods
• 3: Groundwater
• 4: Foundation types
• 5: Pile types
• 6: Selection of piles
• 7: Static and dynamic analysis
• 8: Design of driven piles
• 9: Design of bored piles
• 10: Caisson design
• 11: Piles in rock
• 12: Underpinning
• 13: Pile settlement
• 14: Wave equation basics
• 15: Negative skin friction (downdrag)
• 16: Bitumen-coated pile design
• 17: Laterally loaded piles
• 18: Short course on seismology
• 19: Seismic analysis of piles
• 20: Batter pile design
• 21: Pile design software
• 22: Pile driving methods
• 23: Water jetting
• 24: Pile load testing
• 25: Pile construction verification
• 26: Pile identification plan
• 27: As built plans
• 28: Code issues (Eurocode and other building codes)
• 29: Economic considerations and costing
• Subject Index