Pile foundation is used to transfer the
weight of the building or structure deep in the ground for giving more
stability to the structure. A pile is a vertical structure of the pile foundation,
which is driven deep into the ground at the building site. Under the normal
soil conditions, the pile resists the vertical uplifts and horizontal loads.
That is why they are used to support heavy load of tall building, bridge
abutments etc.
The need for pile foundation comes when
the upper layer of the soil is very weak and this layer cannot support the
weight of the building to be constructed on the soil. The pile is then pushed
into the ground to bypass the weaker layers and get to the strong layer deep in
ground. Pile foundation is also imperative when over land structure has heavy
load like high rising building or bridge or water tank
Types
of pile foundation –
End bearing piles and friction piles
In the end bearing piles, pile foundation the bottom part of
the pile is rested on the strong layer or on some rock for support of the
bulling. The weight of the entire building is then on the pile which is resting
on the strong foundation. This pile is inserted deep enough to bypass the
weaker layers of the soil and go into strong layers. The length to which end
bearing pile will go will depend on the soil investigation and soil testing by
engineers.
Friction pile works by different method.
Friction pile spreads the weight of the building to the soil by friction method.
The load supported by a friction pile is directly proportional to its length in
the ground.
Since piles are carrying lot of load,
they are designed very carefully. The engineers first study the soil; the piles
are inserted in, to ensure that the weight which is placed on the soil is
within its carrying capacity. Every pile which is inserted into the soil has an
influence area around it. The other pile should be placed outside its influence
area. This kind of placement is done to distribute the weight of the building
over the entire soil rather than allow it to concentrate in narrow area.
Engineers geotechnical
services also put several
piles together and then put a cap on them to unit them. This cap is made from concrete
and provides a base over the several piles. This base is then use for erecting Column
of the building. This weight of the column is distributed over the piles underneath.
