GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING DESIGN - II

CENG 5072

Tensay Gebremedhin (PhD, PE)

tensay@[Link]
[Link]@[Link]

School of Civil Eng’g

College of Technology and Built Environment
Addis Ababa University
Oct. 07, 2025
 Content
1. Introduction to Deep Foundations
– Need for Deep Foundations
– Types of Deep Foundations
– Relevant Ground Investigation Technics
2. Pile Foundations
– Introduction and Classification
– Single Pile Capacity
– Negative Skin Friction
– Pile Group Action
– Pile Settlement
– Design of Pile Caps
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 Content
- Analysis and Design of Laterally Loaded Piles
- Analysis and Design of Batter Piles
3. Retaining Systems
– Introduction
– Rigid Retaining Walls
• Gravity Walls
• Cantilever Walls
– Flexible Retaining Walls
• Sheet Pile Walls
• Braced Cuts
– Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) Walls
– Shoring Pile Design
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 Content
– Cofferdams
4. Geosynthetics
– Types of Geosynthetics
– Properties of Geosynthetics
– Design Applications

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 1. DEEP FOUNDATIONS
•

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 1. Introduction to Deep Foundations
- Need for Deep Foundations
• Use of shallow foundations fails to be its practicality …
- Example: …
- Types of Deep Foundations
– Pile foundation
– Pier foundations
– Drilled-Shaft foundations
– Caisson foundations
– Bouyance-Raft foundations
– Cofferdam (How?)

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 1. Introduction to Deep Foundations
- Need for Deep Foundations
• Use of shallow foundations fails to be its practicality …
• Example: …
- Types
• Pile foundation
• Pier foundations
• Drilled-Shaft foundations
• Caisson foundations
• Bouyance-Raft foundations
• Cofferdam (How?)
- Relevant Ground Investigation Techniques
- …

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 2. PILE FOUNDATIONS
2.1 Introduction and Classification
• Pile foundations are relied upon to transfer the load acting on the
superstructures in situations …
• They are vertical or slightly inclined structural members that are
made of steel, concrete, timber and/ or a combination that can be
either driven or cast-in-situ.
• The upper part of the pile connected to the superstructure is
referred to as the pile head (pile cap).
• The middle part is called the shaft, the lower is the pile tip.
• The pile cross section can either be maintained throughout the
length of the pile or it can be tapered to a rather pointed pile.
• The cross section can be circular, octagonal, hexagonal, square,
triangular, or H-shaped.
• Pipe piles can be either open-ended or close-ended.
• Used to transmit surface loads to lower levels in the soil mass. 8
 2. PILE FOUNDATIONS … Cont’d
2.1.1 Introduction …
• This transfer may be by vertical distribution of the load along the
pile shaft or a direct application of load to a lower stratum through
the pile point.
• A vertical distribution of the load is made using a friction (or
floating) pile and a direct load application is made by a point, or
end-bearing, pile.
• This distinction is purely one of convenience since all piles carry load
as a combination of side resistance and point bearing except when
the pile penetrates an extremely soft soil to a solid base.

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2.1.1 Introduction…
•

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 2.1.2 Classification of Pile Foundations
2.1.2 Classification …
• Piles can be classified based on:
1) Length to diameter ratio, L/D:
✓ Long piles and sort piles.
• A short pile is assumed the ratio to be less than ***10/15? & how
about its behavior?
• The load transferred to the tip of the pile is significant Why?
• Distinction between short and long?
• Long pile … loses its significance under lateral loads, but when
subjected to …, the frictional load on the sides of the pile bears a
significant part to the total load applied at the top.
2) Position of loads:
✓ Vertical piles or inclined piles (batter piles or raker piles)

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2.1.2 Classification of Pile Foundations … Cont’d

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 2.1.2 Classification of Pile Foundations … Cont’d
3) Method of installation:
✓ driven piles, cast-in-situ piles or driven and cast-in-situ piles
• Driven piles may be a precast concrete, steel or others which are
transported to the construction area that will be driven using a pile
hammer (mechanically or hydraulically).
• When a pile is driven in to a granular soil, the soil so displaced,
equal to the volume of the driven pile, compacts the soil around
the sides since the displaced soil particles enter the soil spaces of the
adjacent mass which leads to densification of the soil mass.
Accordingly, an increase in the frictional resistance between the pile
and the soil will happen and then to an increase in the pile
capacity.

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 2.1.2 Classification of Pile Foundations … Cont’d
• Cast-in-situ piles are made of concrete and are constructed by
making holes in the ground to the required depth and then filling
the hole with concrete with or without reinforcement bars as per to
the design requirements of the structure.
• They may be under-reamed at certain intervals like in expansive
soils, uplift forces and others to improve the bearing capacity of the
pile.
• In the case of driven and cast-in-situ piles, first a steel shell is driven
in the ground with the aid of a mandrel inserted in to the shell.
Then the mandrel is withdrawn and concrete is placed in the shell.
The shell is made of corrugated and reinforced thin sheet steel or
pipes. In such piles an enlarged bulb can be produced by driving the
concrete out of the shell.
• This type of pile is very much used in pile construction of water
bodies.
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 2.1.2 Classification of Pile Foundations … Cont’d
4) Mechanisms of Load Transfer
✓ Point bearing piles, Friction piles or End bearing cum friction piles.
• End bearing cum friction piles carry vertical compressive loads
partly by means of resistance offered by the hard stratum at the tip
of the pile and partly by the friction developed between the pile
shaft and soil.
• Pure friction piles carry the major part of loads only by means of
friction developed between pile shaft and soil. When loose soil
extends to a great depth, the piles are driven up to such a depth
that the frictional resistance developed at the sides of the piles
equals the load coming on the piles.
• Great care should be taken to determine the frictional resistance
offered by the soil and suitable factor of safety should be provided
in the design. The total frictional resistance of piles is obtained by
multiplying frictional resistance of soil with the area of pile in
contact with the soil. 15
 2.1.2 Classification of Pile Foundations … Cont’d
4) Mechanisms of Load Transfer …
• Pure End bearing piles resist only by means of bearing resistance at
the tip of the pile. These piles penetrate through the soft soil and
their bottoms rest on a hard bed. Thus, they are end-bearing piles
and act as columns or piers. The soft ground through which the piles
pass also gives some lateral support and this increases the load
carrying capacity of the bearing piles.
• In all the above cases, lateral loads are carried by the lateral
resistance offered by the surrounding soil.

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 2.1.2 Classification of Pile Foundations … Cont’d
5) Construction material:
✓ Timber, Concrete, Steel or Composite piles
• Timber is made of tree trunks and mostly treated with chemicals to
avoid decay. They can stay for a long time if timbers are
permanently set in water.
• Concrete pile may be precast or cast-in-situ piles.
• Steel piles may be opened or closed, or with different sections like
H-sections.
• Composite piles, for example, made of concrete and timber; steel
and concrete; or timber and steel.

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 2.1.2 Classification of Pile Foundations … Cont’d
5) Construction material …

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Construction Material

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 2.1.2 Classification of Pile Foundations … Cont’d
5) Construction material …

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 2.1.2 Classification of Pile Foundations … Cont’d
5) Displacement of soil:
✓ Displacement piles or Non-displacement piles.
• Displacement piles are those which displace the soil to allow for the pile
penetration.
• These piles can be of solid cross section, driven in to the ground, and left in
position.
• Timber, steel, prestressed concrete piles, and precast concrete piles are of
this type.
• Displacement piles are also obtained by driving shell (hollow) piles by
means of an internal steel mandrel on to which the shell is threaded.
• After the mandrel is pulled out, the shell pile is filled with concrete
internally.
• Another method for obtaining displacement piles is driving a pile like
body in to the ground and withdrawing it while filling the void with
concrete.
• Non-displacement piles are those in which the soil is removed to 21
accommodate the pile.
 2.1.2 Classification of Pile Foundations … Cont’d
5) Displacement of soil:

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 2.1.2 Classification of Pile Foundations … Cont’d
6) Function

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6) Classification According to Function … Cont’d

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 6) Classification According to Function … Cont’d
•

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6) Classification According to Function … Cont’d

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6) Classification According to Function … Cont’d

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1.2.2 Classification According to Composition
• Timber Piles
• Concrete Piles
– Precast or Cast in-situ types
• Steel Piles
• Composite Piles

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1.2.2 Classification According to Composition

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1.2.2 Classification According to Composition

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1.2.2 Classification According to Composition

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1.2.2 Classification According to Composition

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1.2.2 Classification According to Composition

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 2.2 Pile Capacity
• A pile loaded axially will carry the load:
– Partly by shear strength (Qs) generated along the shaft of the pile and
– Partly by normal stress induced strength (Qb) generated at the base.
• The various capacities of pile commonly used in practice are as
follows:
– Axial capacity like compression
– Lateral capacity
– Pullout capacity or Tension capacity
• The ultimate capacity, for example, for compression axial load of a
pile is equal to the base capacity Qb plus the shaft capacity Qs.

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 2.2 Pile Capacity … Cont’d
• Mobilization of full shaft capacity …
• Settlement response …
• Bearing capacity may be achieved with a variety of combinations
of pile diameter and length.
• Long slender pile vs short stubby pile ..
• The proportions of capacity contributed by skin friction and end
bearing do not just depend on the geometry of the pile.
• The type of construction and the sequence of soil layers are
important factors.
• The ultimate axial capacity of piles depends on both the pile and
the surrounding soil.
• The two major parameters that control the axial capacity of piles
are:
– Pile Geometry (Length and Cross-sectional Area)
– Soil Strength. 35
 2.2 Pile Capacity … Cont’d
• Ultimate pile capacity, Qult is the load required to cause failure,
whether by excessive settlement or irreversible movement
(settlement) of the pile relative to the soil.

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 2.2 Pile Capacity … Cont’d
A) Single Pile Action:
The bearing capacity of a single pile can be determined by using
either of the following methods:
1. Pile Loading test
2. Prevailing Code test
3. Sounding tests
4. Dynamic pile driving formula
5. Computational /analytical methods

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 2.2 Pile Capacity … Cont’d
1. Pile Loading test:

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 2.2 Pile Capacity … Cont’d
1. Pile Loading test: a) From Load- Total settlement curve

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 2.2 Pile Capacity … Cont’d
• b) From load-plastic settl curve

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2.2 Pile Capacity … Cont’d

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 2.2 Pile Capacity … Cont’d
• Simulation of Pile Loading Test

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 2.2 Pile Capacity … Cont’d
Allowable Pile Capacity
• FS = 1.3 – 2.0 ??
• Code Prescription
• Reading Assignment:
– Read, understand, write a summarized standard report (12 -15 pages) about
the following three topics and submit it by 28/10/2025.
➢ Prevailing Code test
➢ Sounding tests
➢ Dynamic pile driving formula

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2.3 Pile Spacing and Group Action
• Use single pile!
• Use of group piles
• Spacing of pile determines the economical design of pile cap
• Efficiency: group pile efficiency

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 2.3 Pile Spacing and Group Action… cont’d
• Typical Arrangement of Piles

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1.4 Pile Spacing and Group Action

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 2.3 Pile Spacing and Group Action … Cont’d
• Minimum pile spacing according to Codes ?

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 2.3 Pile Spacing and Group Action … Cont’d
Stress distribution beneath pile(s)
A) Theory of Elasticity

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 2.3 Pile Spacing and Group Action … Cont’d
B) According to 600 rule

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 2.3 Pile Spacing and Group Action … Cont’d
Settlement of Pile Groups
• From single pile settlement and assumption of perfectly rigid pile
cap
• Morgan & Paulos suggested:

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 2.3 Pile Spacing and Group Action … Cont’d
Bearing Capacity of a pile group

• Pug should be compared with nPu!

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 2.4 Negative Skin Friction
• Compressible layer
• GWT fluctuation or increase of overburden pressure

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2.5 Pile Cap
General
• Importance...
• Loads considered in the analysis and design of a pile cap...
Analysis and Design
• Assumptions
– Pile cap is perfectly rigid
– The pile heads are hinged to the pile cap
– Deformations and stress distributions are considered planar
• Determination of pile reaction
– use flexural formula

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 2.5 Pile Cap … Cont’d
• Structural and Construction Considerations
• The structural design of pile caps is similar to the design of
reinforced concrete footings.
• Critical sections for moment, punching shear and bond stress are the
same like defined as for the isolated footing.

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 2.5 Pile Cap … Cont’d
• Structural and Construction Considerations...
• For the computation of shear on any section thru the pile cap, use
the following recommendations from codes:

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