Input Parameters

 

Input parameters pane specifies the dimensions, properties of the pile, pile group and soil.  These are entered in their respective tabs.  If field pile load test data is available, it can be entered in the ‘field test data’ tab.

 

 

Pile Dimensions Tab

 

Pile Dimensions tab defines the pile type, cross-section of the pile and the dimensions of the pile for the foundation.  It also displays a pictorial view of the pile along with the layers of soil.    

 

 

Pile Type

 

Select the pile type (method of construction) used for the project in the pile dimensions tab.  The choices for pile types are

 

a)     Driven

b)    Bored (Bored cast-insitu)

c)     CFA (Continuous flight auger)

d)    Driven Cast-insitu

 

The method of construction along with the pile cross-section and pile material is used to determine the default values for 'k earth pressure coefficient' for sand layers. 

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The table below describes the practical choices for pile method of construction, pile cross-section and material used.  The application may give warnings (which may be ignored by the user) if the selections don’t adhere to the table below. 

 

Table 1 Pile type, cross-section, material compatibility matrix

Pile Type

Driven

Bored

CFA

Driven Cast-insitu

Pile Cross-section

Hollow Circular

H-Section

Square

Rectangular

Hollow Circular

Full Circular

Full Circular

Full Circular

Construction material

Steel

Concrete

Concrete

Concrete

Concrete

 

 

Pile Cross-Section

 

Select the pile cross-section to be used for the project in the pile dimensions tab.  The choices for pile cross-section are

 

a)     Full circular pile

b)    Square pile

c)     Rectangular pile

d)    Hollow circular pile

e)    H Section pile

 

Based on the cross-section of the pile, define the parameters of the pile in the adjacent pile dimensions pane.

 

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The application may give warnings (which may be ignored by user) if the selections don’t adhere to the Table 1Pile type, cross-section, material compatibility matrix described in 'Pile Type' section. 

 

 

Table 2 Summary of parameters to be specified for the different pile cross sections.

 

Full Circular pile

Square pile

Rectangular pile

Hollow Circular pile

H Section pile

Pile length

Pile length above ground

Optional

Optional

Optional

Optional

Optional

Number of elements

Pile diameter

 

 

 

Diameter of base

Optional

 

 

 

 

Pile wall thickness

 

 

 

 

Sectional breadth

 

 

Sectional depth

 

 

 

Sectional area

 

 

 

 

Moment of inertia about x-axis

 

 

 

 

Moment of inertia about y-axis

 

 

 

 

 


Pile length

 

Specify the pile length here in the units chosen.  After selecting the pile cross-section, this should be the first item to be entered on this page.  This field is mandatory for all pile cross-sections.

 

 

Note: For TRIAL version, Pile length is restricted to 6m (19.6ft)

 

Pile length above ground

 

Specify the length of the pile length above the ground here in the units chosen.  This field is optional and applicable for all pile cross-sections.

 

 

Number of elements

 

This is the guidance of number of elements used in the finite element calculation.  The program may adjust this number based on the other input data to carry out the analysis.  A higher number of elements will improve granularity but may result in some loss of fidelity.  The default value of 50 elements is recommended. 

 

 

Use the slider to select the number of elements. A minimum of 20 elements and a maximum of 100 elements are permitted. This field is applicable for all pile cross-sections.

 

Pile diameter

 

Specify the external diameter of the pile here in the units specified.    This field is mandatory for Full circular pile and Hollow Circular Pile.

 

 

Diameter of base

 

Specify the diameter of base of the pile here in the units specified if different from the pile diameter.  This is usually required for piles with enlarged bases. This field is optional and can be specified only for full circular pile.

 

 

Pile thickness

 

Specify the pile wall thickness of the pile in the units specified.  This field is mandatory and applicable for hollow circular pile.

 

 

Sectional breadth

 

Specify the sectional breadth the pile here in the units specified.    This field is mandatory for Square pile, Rectangular pile and H Section pile. 

 

 

Sectional depth

 

Specify the sectional depth the pile here in the units specified.    This field is mandatory for Rectangular pile and H Section Pile. 

 

 

Square Pile

Rectangular Pile

H Section Pile

 

Sectional area

 

Specify the sectional area the pile here in the units specified. This field is mandatory for H Section pile.  The default value displayed here is calculated for a H-section pile with a 1” thickness.

 

 

 

Moment of inertia about X-axis

 

Specify the moment of inertia of the pile about X-axis here in the units specified. This field is mandatory for H Section Pile. 

 

 

Moment of inertia about Y-axis

 

Specify the moment of inertia of the pile in Y-axis here in the units specified.    This field is mandatory for H Section Pile. 

 

 

Pile Diagram

 

The pile diagram displays the pile along with all the layers of soil.  Different scales are used for the depth axis and horizontal axis.  The pile length in the diagram is 20 m.  This diagram shows the perspective view of the pile along with the different layers of soil, scour and depth of water table.

 

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Pile Properties Tab

 

Pile properties tab is used for specifying the properties of the pile material and self-weight inputs. 

 

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Pile Material Properties

 

Use the dropdown menu to select the material used for the pile.  The elastic modulus of the pile along with the unit weight is updated based on the selection.

 

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Table 3 Elastic modulus of pile

Pile Material

Elastic Modulus

(kN/m3)

(kips/ft3)

Steel

 

 

ASTMA36

2.0*108

4.173 * 106

Concrete

 

 

M20

3.0 * 107

6.26 * 105

M25

3.1 * 107

6.47 * 105

M30

3.3 * 107

6.68 * 105

M35

3.4 * 107

7.10 * 105

M40

3.5 * 107

7.31 * 105

M45

3.6 * 107

7.52 * 105

M50

3.7 * 107

7.73 * 105

 

 

Select the “User Defined” option to enter values for the elastic modulus and unit weight of the pile material. 

 

Elastic modulus of pile

 

The elastic modulus of pile is shown here based on the material specified.  If “User Defined” material is selected, the elastic modulus of the pile can be edited and entered here. 

 

 

Unit weight of material

 

The unit weight of pile material of pile is shown here based on the material specified.  If “User Defined” material is selected, the ‘unit weight of material’ can be edited and entered here.

 

 

Self-weight inputs

 

The self-weight properties could be taken into account for axial analysis of the pile.  The values of self-weight are auto-calculated based on the pile dimensions and soil properties or they could be user-defined. 

 

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Effective pile weight

 

The automatically calculated ‘Effective pile weight’ is shown here as default value. Effective pile weight accounts for the reduction in pile weight due to buoyancy effect of water. This will be used for ‘self-weight’ analysis if required. To enter a user defined value of ‘effective pile weight’, select the checkbox adjacent to this and enter the user defined value in the ‘text field’ next to it.   

 

 

Plug weight

 

The automatically calculated plug weight is shown here. The automatic calculation is based on the different soil layers and the inner diameter of the bottom segment of the pile.  This is only relevant for driven hollow piles.  A 0.9 reduction factor is used in calculating the plug weight.  This will be used for ‘self-weight’ analysis if required.  To enter a user defined value of plug-weight, select the checkbox adjacent to this and enter the user defined values in the ‘text field’ next to it.  

 

 

 

Pile Group Data

 

The Pile Group Data tab is used to enter the data required for the 'Pile group settlement analysis' 

 

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Pile Group Cap

 

Select the 'Pile Group Cap'.  Choices include

·      Rigid cap

·      Flexible cap

 

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Pile Geometry

 

Select the arrangement of the piles in the group.  The two choices currently are

·      Grid

·      User Defined

 

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If the 'Grid' option is selected, a new pane will be visible and require the user to fill the Grid Details.  The 'Pile Placement in Group' Table will then be updated with the placement of the piles in the group. 

 

If the 'User defined' option is selected, the user will need to update the 'Pile Placement in Group' with the details of each pile.

 

Grid Details

 

Enter the number of rows, columns, spacing between the rows and spacing between the columns to define the grid.  Click on 'Generate grid' to generate the grid and to update the 'Pile Placement in Group' with the location of each pile in the grid.

 

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Each time the user changes any entry the 'Grid Details' pane, the 'Generate grid' button should be clicked to update the ''Pile Placement in Group' table. 

 

Pile Placement in Group

 

The 'Pile Placement in Group' table is used to define the placement of individual piles in the group. 

 

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Use the (+) and (-) buttons at the top of the table to add / delete rows to the 'Pile Placement in Group' table.  This option is only visible for 'User defined' pile geometry.

[Organize] button can be used to sort the values by Pile x-coordinate and to clean up empty entries in the table.  This option is only visible for 'User defined' pile geometry.

 

Up to 500 Piles can be part of the group. 

 

Table:

Double-click on the table cells to edit the content of the cells.

 

The table consists of four or five columns: No., Pile designation, Pile x-coord, Pile y-coord, Pile head load.

 

‘No.’ column cannot be edited and displays the entry index. 

 

Pile designation Column – Description to identify the pile in the group.

 

Pile x-coord – x-coordinate location of the pile.  Should be >=0.  This column can be edited if 'User defined' Pile Geometry is selected in the adjacent pane.  If 'Grid' is selected in the adjacent 'Pile Geometry', this field is generated and cannot be edited.

 

Pile y-coord – y-coordinate location of the pile.  Should be >=0.  This column can be edited if 'User defined' Pile Geometry is selected in the adjacent pane.  If 'Grid' is selected in the adjacent 'Pile Geometry', this field is generated and cannot be edited.

 

Pile head load – Enter the vertical load on the pile head for each pile in this column.  This column is visible and editable only in the case of piles with 'Flexible cap' and where 'Different load on piles' is selected in the 'Pile Group Loading' pane below. 

 

Right click on the table to bring-up the context menu to insert / delete rows in the table, cut, copy, delete and paste contents into the table.  It is also possible to copy the table from excel and paste the contents into this table.  Ensure adequate number of empty rows are added to the table prior to pasting contents from an excel table.

 

Pile Group Loading for Pile Group with Rigid cap

 

Load on pile cap – Enter the load applied on the pile cap.  By default, the load is applied at the centroid location of the piles. 

 

To apply the load at a different point, indicate the shift in the loading point from the centroid by specifying the 'eccentricity in x direction' and the 'eccentricity in y direction'. 

 

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Pile Group Loading for Pile Group with Flexible cap

 

Same load on all piles – Enter the 'Pile head load' in the text field adjacent to this option.  This load will be applied on the pile head of all the piles in the group. 

 

Different load on all piles – Select this option to specify different loads on each pile.  The loads for each of the piles need to be specified in the 'Pile head load' column of the 'Pile Placement in Group' table above. 

 

 

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Pile Group Cross-Section Diagram

 

The Pile group cross-section diagram displays the view of the pile group from the top. 

 

Pile Group Diagram

 

The Pile Group Diagram displays the 3-D cabinet view of the pile group showing.  For Rigid cap, load on the pile-cap is also displayed.  For Flexible-cap, loads on each pile are displayed if the number of piles is less or equal to 5. 

 

Soil Properties Tab

 

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Data in the soil properties tab is used to compute the pile capacity, design load for the pile, design load pile head settlement and the base stiffness of the soil at the pile tip. 

 

If limit state design approach is used (i.e., design load is set as 1), factored soil properties must be used in this tab. 

 

If the load test results carried out on a single pile on site is available, the load test data can be used along with base soil properties.  Refer the ‘Field test data’ section. The base soil properties are also entered in the field test data section. 

 

Soil properties tab is used to enter the details of soil layers, and standard penetration test (SPT) data.  The tab is further subdivided into 2 tabs (on right hand side)

·      Soil Layers

·      SPT

 

Soil Properties Tab > Soil Layers Tab

 

Soil Properties Tab is used to enter the data about the site condition, sub-soil layers and properties of each soil layer.  It is divided into 3 panes

 

·      Site Condition

·      Soil Layer Table

·      Soil Layer Properties

 

 

Soil Properties Tab > Soil Layers Tab > Site Condition

 

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Scour depth

 

This field is not mandatory. Specify the local scour around the pile at the site.  Enter the ‘scour’ value in the field. 

 

Some restrictions on the scour depth:

·      Scour depth can extend up to the first three layers of soil

·      Scour depth should be less than 2.5 times of diameter of the pile

·      Scour cannot extend into a rock layer.

 

Depth of water table

 

This field is not mandatory. Specify the depth of water table at the site in the field provided. 

 

If no value is specified, it is assumed the water table lies below all the layers of soil specified.  For water table at ground level, set it as 0. 

 

Critical depth ratio (Zc)

 

Specify the value of ‘Critical depth ratio’ (zc/d) in the field provided.

Zc is the ratio of depth to diameter of pile beyond which the vertical and lateral effective stresses are considered to remain constant up to the pile base. The usual values are Zc = 15 for loose sand and 20 for dense sand.

 

Critical depth ratio’ is required for Pile capacity estimation in ‘Sand soil’ when the limiting side friction and base resistance are determined by the values computed at the critical depth. This method is followed in IS-2911. The software also adopts this method for limiting base resistance determined by ‘Nq - Berezantev – Zc’ method. The table below summarizes the scenarios under which Zc is required.

 

Table 4 Scenarios where ‘critical depth ratio’ is required

 

Method for maximum base resistance

Nq - qlim method

(API-2011, API-2000)

Nq-Zc method

(IS-2911)

Nq -Berezantev - Zc method

Meyerhoff SPT method (IS-2911)

Meyerhoff SPT method for silty sand (IS-2911)

Method for maximum side friction

β method (API-2011)

 

 

 

K - δ method (API-2000)

 

 

 

K - δ - Zc method (IS-2911)

Meyerhoff SPT method (IS-2911)

 

 

 

Meyerhoff SPT method for silty sand (IS-2911)

 

 

 

 

 

Min value: 15

Max value: 20

Default value: 15

 

Unit weight of water

 

Specify the unit weight of water in the field provided.  This parameter is a mandatory field.

 

Min value: 9.5 kN/m3 or 0.062 kips/ft3

Max value: 10.5 kN/m3 or 0.067 kips/ft3

Default value: 9.8 kN/m3 or 0.063 kips/ft3

 

Soil Properties Tab > Soil Layers Tab > Soil Layer Table

 

The ‘Soil Layer Table’ is used to define the type of soil and the thickness of each layer of soil. The properties of the soil layer selected is entered in the adjacent ‘Soil Layer Properties’ pane. 

 

 

 

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Number of soil layers

First select the number of soil layers using the up/down arrow.  This will set the number of rows in the table to populate

 

Up 50 soil layers can be specified.

Note: For TRIAL version, number of soil layers is restricted to 3.

 

Table: Double-click on the table cells to edit the content of the cells.

 

The table consists of four columns – Layer, Soil type, Starting depth and Layer thickness.  The ‘Layer’ column and the ‘Starting depth’ columns cannot be edited. 

 

To enter the Soil type, click on the cell in this column and select the type of soil from the ‘drop down’ menu for each segment.

 

Permissible soil types currently are – Soft Clay, Stiff Clay, Sand, Weak Rock and Hard Rock.    

You can use ‘Sand’ to represent silt, silty sand and gravel as well.

 

Layer thickness Column – This defines the thickness of each layer of soil.

 

Starting depth Column – This column is auto calculated based on the thickness of soil layers entered. 

 

The pile diagram in the pile dimensions tab will graphically show the values entered in this table. 

 

Note: Soil layers should extend up to pile depth below ground + n * effective diameter

n = 3 for pile terminating in soil

n = 1 for pile terminating in rock.

 

Soil Properties Tab > Soil Layers Tab > Soil Layer Properties

 

Select a layer in the ‘Soil layer table’ to display the soil properties associated with it in this pane. 

 

Note: Mandatory fields have a () adjacent to them.

 

Note: The soil layer properties need to be arrived at from the soil investigation report.  The application populates median recommended values for each property.  These values need to be updated with actual values from the soil investigation report or values chosen by the user.

 

Common properties for all soil types:

 

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Soil type: Shows the type of soil in this layer.  (Field cannot be edited)

 

Unit weight of soil (γ): The unit weight to be given as data is the total unit weight of soil in the layer that is the moist unit weight above the water table and saturated unit weight below the water table. If required one may choose to divide the layer in to two halves one above water table and the other below the water table having different unit weights.

 

Starting depth: Displays the starting depth of the layer. (Field cannot be edited)

 

Layer thickness: Displays the thickness of the selected layer.  (Field cannot be edited)

 

 

Properties for Clay soil

 

Pile group settlement of clay soil

 

Method for maximum side friction: The table below details the options available for Soft Clay and Stiff Clay soil. 

 

Table 5 Details of ‘Method for maximum side friction’ for clay soil

Method for maximum side friction

Notes

API-2011

(API 2011 Geotechnical and Foundation Design Considerations April 2011, Addendum 1, 2014)

a method (IS-2911)

(IS 2911 Design and construction of pile foundations - Code of Practice (Part 1. Sections - 1,2&3) 2010)

Semple & Ridgen (1984)

(Semple and Rigden 1984)

Kolk & Van Der Velde (1996)

(Kolk and van der Velde 1996)

 

The maximum unit shaft friction  of clay soil layers is based on the equation

 

Where α is a multiplier and is the undrained cohesion of the soil. Methods of estimating the α multiplier by the following four methods are available in the software:

 

1)    API RP GEO 2011

In this 

 

 

2)    α method (IS 2911)

Curve relating the   given in the Standard is made use of.

 

3)    Semple & Rigden (1984)

 

 

4)    Kolk& van der Velde (1996)

 

 

Base resistance in cohesive soil layers

 

The unit base resistance is given by

 

 

 

Properties for Soft Clay soil

 

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Pile group settlement of soft clay soil

 

Method for maximum side friction: Select the method for maximum side friction from the dropdown list.  This parameter is mandatory for Pile group settlement analysis. 

 

Table 6 Details of ‘Method for maximum side friction’ for soft clay soil

Method for maximum side friction

Notes

API-2011

(API 2011 Geotechnical and Foundation Design Considerations April 2011, Addendum 1, 2014)

a method (IS-2911)

(IS 2911 Design and construction of pile foundations - Code of Practice (Part 1. Sections - 1,2&3) 2010)

Semple & Ridgen (1984)

(Semple and Rigden 1984)

Kolk & Van Der Velde (1996)

(Kolk and van der Velde 1996)

 

For more details on the methods, refer to the section on 'Method for maximum side friction' under 'Clay Soil'.

 

Table 7 Required properties for ‘Pile group settlement analysis’ for soft clay soil with respect to 'Method for maximum side friction'

Method for maximum side friction

Cohesion at top

Cohesion at bottom

API-2011

α method (IS-2911)

Semple Rigden

Kolk & Van der Velde

 

 

Axial analysis method: Select the ‘Axial analysis method’ using the ‘drop down menu’ for axial load analysis.

 

Table 8 Axial analysis method details for Soft Clay

Axial analysis method

Method details

API-2000

(API 2000 RP2A-WSD 2000)

API-2011

(API 2011 Geotechnical and Foundation Design Considerations April 2011, Addendum 1, 2014)

Elastic method

Based on elastic properties of soil.

 

Table 9 Required properties for ‘Pile group settlement analysis’ for soft clay soil with respect to 'Axial analysis method'

Axial analysis method

Cohesion at top

Cohesion at bottom

R factor

Elastic modulus

Poisson ratio

API-2011

API-2000

Elastic Code

 

 

Table 10 Soil property details for soft clay soil

Soil property

Units

Min value

Max value

Notes

Elastic modulus of soil

kN/m2

1750

5000

 

kips/ft2

36.54

104.4

Poisson Ratio

 

0.1

0.5

Default value: 0.5

Cohesion at top

kN/m2

0

100

Value of 0 is only permissible for the first soil layer.

kips/ft2

0

2.09

Cohesion at bottom

kN/m2

> 0

100

 

kips/ft2

> 0

2.09

R factor

 

0.5

1.0

Default value: 0.9

 

 

Properties for Stiff Clay soil

 

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Pile group settlement of stiff clay

 

Method for maximum side friction: Select the method for maximum side friction from the dropdown list.  This parameter is mandatory. 

 

Table 11 Details of ‘Method for maximum side friction’ for stiff clay soil

Method for maximum side friction

Notes

API-2011

(API 2011 Geotechnical and Foundation Design Considerations April 2011, Addendum 1, 2014)

a method (IS-2911)

(IS 2911 Design and construction of pile foundations - Code of Practice (Part 1. Sections - 1,2&3) 2010)

Semple & Ridgen (1984)

(Semple and Rigden 1984)

Kolk & Van Der Velde (1996)

(Kolk and van der Velde 1996)

 

For more details, refer to the section on 'Method for maximum side friction' under 'Clay Soil'.

 

Table 12 Required properties for ‘Pile group settlement analysis’ for stiff clay soil with respect to 'Method for maximum side friction'

Method for maximum side friction

Cohesion at top

Cohesion at bottom

API-2011

α method (IS-2911)

Semple Rigden

Kolk & Van der Velde

 

 

Axial analysis method: Select the ‘Axial analysis method’ using the ‘drop down menu’ for axial load analysis.

 

Table 13 Axial analysis method details for stiff clay

Axial analysis method

Method details

API-2000

(API 2000 RP2A-WSD 2000)

API-2011

(API 2011 Geotechnical and Foundation Design Considerations April 2011, Addendum 1, 2014)

Elastic method

Based on elastic properties of soil.

 

Table 14 Required properties for ‘Pile group settlement analysis’ for stiff clay soil with respect to 'Axial analysis method'

Axial analysis method

Cohesion at top

Cohesion at bottom

R factor

Elastic modulus

Poisson ratio

API-2011

API-2000

Elastic Code

 

 

 

Table 15 Soil property details for stiff clay soil

Soil property

Units

Min value

Max value

Notes

Elastic modulus of soil

kN/m2

4000

10000

 

kips/ft2

83.5

208.8

Poisson Ratio

 

0.1

0.5

Recommended value

Below water table: 0.5

Above water table: 0.4

Cohesion at top

kN/m2

100

 

For the top layer, a value from 0 can be used.

kips/ft2

2.09

 

Cohesion at bottom

kN/m2

100

 

 

kips/ft2

2.09

 

R factor

 

0.5

1.0

Default value: 0.9

 

 

Properties for Sand soil

 

 

 

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Pile group settlement of sand

 

Method for maximum side friction: Select the method for maximum side friction from the dropdown list.  This parameter is mandatory for Pile group settlement.  The table below details the options available for Sand soil. 

 

Table 16 Details of ‘Method for maximum side friction’ for sand

Method for maximum side friction

Notes

β method (API-2011)

(API 2011 Geotechnical and Foundation Design Considerations April 2011, Addendum 1, 2014)

K - δ method (API-2000)

(API 2000 RP2A-WSD 2000)

K - δ - Zc method (IS-2911)

(IS 2911 Design and construction of pile foundations - Code of Practice (Part 1. Sections - 1,2&3) 2010)

Meyerhoff SPT method (IS-2911)

(IS 2911 Design and construction of pile foundations - Code of Practice (Part 1. Sections - 1,2&3) 2010)

Meyerhoff SPT method for silty sand (IS-2911)

(IS 2911 Design and construction of pile foundations - Code of Practice (Part 1. Sections - 1,2&3) 2010)

 

1)    The β - fmax method (API-2011)

In this method   is given by the equation in which β depends on the density of the sand layer and pv’ is the vertical effective stress. β values recommended by API range from 0.29 for medium dense sand to 0.56 for very dense sand. User defined value β could also be specified. This method requires also a value of flim which is the limiting value for tmax. API proposes flim values ranging from 67 kPa for medium dense sand to 115 kPa for very dense sand. User defined value of flim could also be prescribed.

 

2)    K - δ - flim method (API-2000)

In this method   is given by the equation in which K is lateral earth pressure coefficient,  is the angle of friction between the pile surface and soil and  is the vertical effective stress. The values of K and δ need to be specified by the user after due consideration of type of soil, pile and method of installation.  Some guidance values in this regard are given in the appendix. API recommends a K value of 0.8 for open ended pipe piles and 1.0 for closed ended piles. The recommended δ values range from 15 degrees for very loose sand to 35 degrees for very dense sand. Standards and literature would be of help in choosing the appropriate values of K and δ. K and δ displayed in the software are those recommended by the code for driven tubular piles.

 

3)    K - δ - Zc method (IS 2911)

In this method  is given by the equation .The maximum vertical effective stress   is limited to the value at the critical depth Zc.   Zc /D ratio is specified ranging from 15 for φ’ to 20 for φ’. There is provision for user defined values of δ, K and Zc

 

4)    Meyerhoff SPT method (IS 2911)

In this method  for sand and  for silty sand where  is the average N value for the layer.


 

Table 17 Required properties for 'Pile Group Settlement’ with respect to ‘method for maximum side friction’ for sand

Method for maximum side friction

Friction angle

Shaft friction factor (β)

Angle of shaft friction (δ)

K Earth pressure coefficient

Limiting shaft friction (flim)

Standard penetration test, average value in layer

Elastic modulus

Poisson ratio

β method (API-2011)

 

 

 

K - δ method (API-2000)

 

 

 

K - δ - Zc method (IS-2911)

 

 

 

 

 

Meyerhoff SPT method (IS-2911)

 

 

Meyerhoff SPT method for silty sand (IS-2911)

 

 

 


Method for maximum base resistance: Select the method for maximum base resistance from the dropdown list.  This parameter is mandatory for Pile group settlement analysis.  The table below details the options available for Sand soil. 

 

Table 18 Details of 'Method for maximum base resistance' for sand

Method for maximum base resistance

Notes

Nq-qlim method (API-2011, API-2000)

(API 2000 RP2A-WSD 2000)

(API 2011 Geotechnical and Foundation Design Considerations April 2011, Addendum 1, 2014)

Nq - Zc method (IS-2911)

(IS 2911 Design and construction of pile foundations - Code of Practice (Part 1. Sections - 1,2&3) 2010)

Nq - Berezantsev - Zc method

 

Meyerhoff SPT method (IS-2911)

(IS 2911 Design and construction of pile foundations - Code of Practice (Part 1. Sections - 1,2&3) 2010)

Meyerhoff SPT method for silty sand (IS-2911)

(IS 2911 Design and construction of pile foundations - Code of Practice (Part 1. Sections - 1,2&3) 2010)

 

1)    Nq-qlim  method. (API-2011, API-2000)

In API recommended values of Nq and qlim are automatically displayed in the software. User may also specify values of Nq and qlim

 

2)    Nq-Zc method (IS 2911)  

In this method the software automatically gets the value of Nq for the φ value from the curve given in IS 2911. This value is used together with the specified value of Zc/D ratio  to get the  limiting value of qmax. A default value of  Zc/D = 15  is used for  in the software. The user has option to prescribe other value of Zc/D up to 20.

 

3)    Nq-Berezantsev-Zc method

In this method Nq is obtained from Berezantsev’s curve using the value of φ specified. This value is used together with the limiting value of qmax using the value of Zc/D  specified.

 

4)    Meyerhoff - SPT method-IS 2911

In this method  where is the average N value at the pile tip. Lb is the pile penetration in this embedment layer and D is the pile diameter.  is limited to to 400 . In silty sand  and is limited to 300N.

 

Note on average N Value:

For pile capacity estimation at various depths: Average N value at a given depth is computed using N values between -2D to +3D.  If no SPT points are present in this range then the average or weighted average of the two closest points around this depth will be used.  If only one SPT point is present in the entire sand layer, then the N value of this point will be used for the entire layer. 

 

For pile capacity at the pile tip: For calculating Average N value at the pile tip, only points in the range of -2D to +3D will be used.  If no points are present in this range then validation will fail. 

 

Table 19 Required properties for ‘Pile group settlement analysis’ with respect to ‘method for maximum base resistance’ for sand

Method for maximum base resistance

Friction angle (f)

Limiting end bearing (qlim)

Bearing capacity factor (Nq)

Standard penetration test, value at pile base

Nq - qlim method (API-2011, API-2000)

 

Nq - Zc method (IS-2911)

 

Nq - Berezantev - Zc method

 

 

 

Meyerhoff SPT method (IS-2911)

Meyerhoff SPT method for silty sand (IS-2911)

 

 

Axial analysis method: Select the ‘Axial analysis method’ using the ‘drop down menu’ for axial load analysis.

 

Table 20 Axial analysis method details for sand

Axial analysis method

Method details

API-2000

(API 2000 RP2A-WSD 2000)

API-2011

(API 2011 Geotechnical and Foundation Design Considerations April 2011, Addendum 1, 2014)

Elastic method

Based on elastic properties of soil.


Table 21 Required properties for ‘Pile group settlement analysis’ with respect to 'Axial analysis method' and ‘method for maximum side friction’ for sand

Axial analysis method

Method for maximum side friction

Friction angle (f)

Shaft friction factor (β)

Angle of shaft friction (δ)

K Earth pressure coefficient

Limiting shaft friction (flim)

Standard penetration test, average value in layer

Elastic modulus

Poisson ratio

API-2011

β method (API-2011)

 

 

 

K - δ method (API-2000)

 

 

 

K - δ - Zc method (IS-2911)

 

 

 

 

 

Meyerhoff SPT method (IS-2911)

 

 

Meyerhoff SPT method for silty sand (IS-2911)

 

 

API-2000

β method (API-2011)

 

 

 

K - δ method (API-2000)

 

 

 

 

 

K - δ - Zc method (IS-2911)

 

 

 

Meyerhoff SPT method (IS-2911)

 

 

Meyerhoff SPT method for silty sand (IS-2911)

 

 

Elastic Code

β method (API-2011)

 

K - δ method (API-2000)

 

 

 

K - δ - Zc method (IS-2911)

 

Meyerhoff SPT method (IS-2911)

Meyerhoff SPT method for silty sand (IS-2911)

 


 

Table 22 Required properties  for ‘Pile group settlement analysis’ with respect to 'Axial analysis method' and ‘maximum base resistance’ for sand

Axial analysis method

Method for maximum base resistance

Friction angle (f)

Limiting end bearing (qlim)

Bearing capacity factor (NQ)

Standard penetration test, value at pile base

Elastic modulus

Poisson ratio

API-2011

Nq - qlim method (API-2011, API-2000)

 

 

 

Nq - Zc method (IS-2911)

 

 

 

Nq - Berezantev - Zc method

 

 

 

 

 

Meyerhoff SPT method (IS-2911)

 

 

Meyerhoff SPT method for silty sand (IS-2911)

 

 

API-2000

Nq - qlim method (API-2011, API-2000)

 

 

 

Nq - Zc method (IS-2911)

 

 

 

 

 

Nq - Berezantev - Zc method

 

 

 

Meyerhoff SPT method (IS-2911)

 

 

Meyerhoff SPT method for silty sand (IS-2911)

 

 

Elastic Code

Nq - qlim method (API-2011, API-2000)

 

Nq - Zc method (IS-2911)

 

 

 

Nq - Berezantev - Zc method

 

Meyerhoff SPT method (IS-2911)

Meyerhoff SPT method for silty sand (IS-2911)

 

 


Relative density:  Select the relative density of the sand soil from the dropdown menu.  The choices are ‘Very Loose’, ‘Loose’, ‘Medium’, ‘Dense’ and ‘Very Dense’ sand.  Based on the relative density selection and the ‘Axial analysis method’ selected, the application populates the recommended values for the below parameters.  For API-2011 and API-2000 these are based on the appropriate ‘API recommended’ practices.  These values can be replaced by user preferred values.

 

Note: For ‘Very Loose’ and ‘Loose’ sand, t-z/ API-2011 code doesn’t recommend any values for ‘Shaft friction factor’, ‘Limiting shaft friction (flim), Limiting end bearing (qlim) and Bearing capacity factor (Nq).  These need to be prescribed by the user based on soil investigation reports.

 

Properties for Sandy soil

 

 

Table 23 Soil property details for sand

Soil property

Units

Min value

Max value

Notes

Elastic modulus of soil

kN/m2

11000

200000

Default values for the particular 'relative density' will be populated when the ‘axial analysis method’ is set as ‘Elastic method’

kips/ft2

229.68

4176

Poisson Ratio

 

0.1

0.5

Default value: 0.2

Friction angle (f)

Deg

25

45

The value is not changed based on selection of ‘relative density of soil’

Shaft friction factor (b)

 

0.10

1.0

 

Angle of shaft friction (d)

Deg

5

45

Details in Table 19 Values for interface friction angle δ

K Earth pressure coefficient

 

0.25

2.0

Details in Table 20 Guidance values for lateral earth pressure coefficient K

Limiting shaft friction (flim)

kN/m2

0

400

 

kips/ft2

0

8.35

Limiting end bearing (qlim)

kN/m2

0

15000

 

kips/ft2

0

313.2

Bearing capacity factor (Nq)

 

1.5

320

 

Standard penetration test, average value in layer

Blows/ft

> 0

 

This value is automatically calculated from the SPT table in the SPT tab.  The values of 'N values' in the layer are averaged.

Standard penetration test, value at pile base

Blows/ft

> 0

 

This value is automatically calculated from the SPT table in the SPT tab.  This is the average 'N value' - 2D above pile tip and 3D below pile tip.

 

 

Table 24 Values for interface friction angle δ

Type of soil

Angle of pile soil friction  δ (degrees)

Reference

Granular soil

Tan δ range

0.7 to 1.0

Fleming et al

Granular soil

Constant volume  friction angle φcv

Fleming et al

Tomlinson et al

Very loose sand

Loose sand silt

Medium silt

15

API 2000

Loose sand

Medium sand-silt

Dense silt

20

Medium sand

Dense sand silt

25

Dense sand

Very dense sand silt

30

Dense gravel

Very dense sand

35

 

 

Table 25 Guidance values for lateral earth pressure coefficient K

Pile Type

K

Reference

Driven hollow Tubular steel piles

0.8

API 2000

Driven cast –insitu piles

1.2 dry concrete

Fleming et al

 

1.0  wet concrete

Conventional bored piles in sand

0.7

Bored cast insitu concrete

0.7

Continuous flight augur in sand

0.9

Continuous flight augur in silty sand and silt

0.6

Precast concrete driven 

1.0-2.0 (φ = 30o to 40o)

IS 2911

Driven cast –insitu piles

1.0-2.0 (φ = 30o to 40o)

Bored cast insitu concrete

1.0-1.5 (φ = 30o to 40o)


 

Properties for Weak Rock

 

Graphical user interface, application

Description automatically generated

 

Pile group settlement analysis in weak rock

 

Shaft friction estimate in weak and strong rock strata.

 

The maximum unit shaft friction  is estimated using the equation

 

 

Where α is multiplier and  is the unconfined compressive strength. Default value of α in the appropriate system of units gets shown in the software however user may also specify value of α.

 

Base resistance in weak and strong rock strata

 

The maximum unit base resistance qmax is estimated using the expression

 

 

A default value of β = 1 is used in the software. Other values between 0.5 and 3 may be adopted based on rock discontinuities and local experience.

 

Axial analysis method: Select the ‘Axial analysis method’ using the ‘drop down menu’ for axial load analysis.

 

Table 26 Axial analysis method details for weak rock

Axial analysis method

Method details

Elastic method

Based on elastic properties of rock.

 

 

Table 27 Required properties for Pile group settlement analysis for weak rock

Axial analysis method

Unconfined compressive strength

α factor

Base resistance factor

Elastic modulus

Poisson ratio

Elastic Method

 

 

Table 28 Soil property details for weak rock

Property

Units

Min value

Max value

Notes

Elastic modulus of soil

kN/m2

106

2*107

 

kips/ft2

20880

417600

Poisson Ratio

 

0.1

0.5

Default value: 0.2

Unconfined compressive strength

kN/m2

1000

20000

 

kips/ft2

20.88

417.6

a factor

(kN/m2)1/2

3

20

(Focht Jr. 1973)

(kips/ft2)1/2

0.433

2.88

Base resistance factor

 

0.5

3

(e. a. Reese 1984)

 

 

Properties for Hard rock

 

Graphical user interface, application

Description automatically generated

 

Pile group settlement analysis for hard rock

 

Shaft friction estimate in hard rock strata.

 

The maximum unit shaft friction  is estimated using the equation

 

 

Where α is multiplier and  is the unconfined compressive strength. Default value of α in the appropriate system of units gets shown in the software however user may also specify value of α.

 

Base resistance in hard rock strata

 

The maximum unit base resistance qmax is estimated using the expression

 

 

A default value of β = 1 is used in the software. Other values between 0.5 and 3 may be adopted based on rock discontinuities and local experience.

 

 

Axial analysis method: Select the ‘Axial analysis method’ using the ‘drop down menu’ for axial load analysis.

 

Table 29 Axial analysis method details for hard rock

Axial analysis method

Method details

Elastic method

Based on elastic properties of rock.

 

 

Table 30 Required properties for Pile group settlement analysis for hard rock

Axial analysis method

Unconfined compressive strength

α factor

Base resistance factor

Elastic modulus

Poisson ratio

Elastic Method

 

 

Table 31 Property details for hard rock

Rock Property

Units

Min value

Max value

Notes

Elastic modulus of soil

kN/m2

1.5*107

108

 

kips/ft2

313200

2088000

Poisson Ratio

 

0.1

0.5

Default value: 0.25

Unconfined compressive strength

kN/m2

10000

100000

 

kips/ft2

208.8

2088

 

a factor

 

3

20

 

Base resistance factor

 

0.2

3

 

 

 

Soil Properties Tab > Standard Penetration Test (SPT)

 

SPT tab is used to define the standard penetration test results. 

 

Chart, line chart

Description automatically generated

 

The data in this tab is required for pile capacity estimation and axial load analysis for sand soil layer when 'Meyerhoff SPT method (IS2911) is selected as the 'Method for maximum side friction' or as the 'Method for maximum base resistance'.

 

 

For sand layers, the 'standard penetration test avg value in layer' is calculated by averaging the values in the layer and displayed in the soil layer tab in the ' Soil Layer Properties ' pane.  This value is used when the 'method for maximum side friction' is set as one of 'Meyerhoff SPT method (IS2911)'. 

 

Graphical user interface, application

Description automatically generated with medium confidence

 

When the pile terminates in the sand layer, the 'standard penetration test value at pile base' is calculated by averaging the values from pile tip – 2D and pile tip + 3D and displayed in the soil layer tab in the 'Soil Layer Properties' pane (D is the effective Diameter of the pile). This value is used when one of 'Meyerhoff SPT method (IS2911)' is selected as the ' method for maximum base resistance '.

 

SPT Table:

 

The ‘SPT Table’ contains the corrected data from the SPT test performed. 

 

Table

Description automatically generated

 

Use the (+) and (-) buttons at the top of the table to add / delete rows to the SPT table. 

[Organize] button can be used to sort the values in ascending order of depth and to clean up empty entries in the table. 

 

Up to 100 SPT points can be specified in the table.

 

Table:

Double-click on the table cells to edit the content of the cells.

 

The table consists of three columns: No., Depth, N Value. 

‘No.’ column cannot be edited and displays the entry index. 

 

Depth Column – Contains the depth at which the test is done.

 

N Value Column – Contains the corrected 'N' value of the test and specified as number of blows per foot

 

Right click on the table to bring-up the context menu to insert / delete rows in the table, cut, copy, delete and paste contents into the table.  It is also possible to copy the table from excel and paste the contents into this table.  Ensure adequate number of empty rows are added to the table prior to pasting contents from an excel table.

 

 

SPT Graph:

The SPT graph plots the data in the ‘SPT table’. 

 

Chart, line chart

Description automatically generated

 

 

Field Test Data Tab

 

Test results from pile loading tests performed on a single pile on site along with base soil properties can also be used to estimate the pile group settlement.  The load test involves loading a single pile with a series of loads load and determining the pile head settlements under these loads.  Two parameters which are important for pile group settlement estimate are pile head stiffness (k) and pile base stiffness (kb) can be obtained pile load test results.

 

Pile head stiffness (k) is the ratio of pile head load and pile head settlement (Pt/wt).  ‘k’ should be calculated at design load.  The pile head settlement under design load can be obtained from test results.

 

Pile base stiffness (kb) is the ratio of pile base load and pile base settlement when the pile head is loaded with the design load. While we do not know these values separately, their ratio can be estimated in one of the following two ways:

i)               It can be calculated as Es x D/(1-ν2) where Es and ν are the elastic modulus and the Poisson ratio of soil at the base.

ii)             Base stiffness kb can also be obtained from the pile load test data in the following manner. Determine the slope of the load settlement curve at a settlement corresponding to about 1.5% or 2% of pile diameter (when full skin friction would have been mobilized and further settlement is mainly due to structural compression of the pile and elastic settlement of the soil at the base. The pile base stiffness can be estimated from the expression given below:

 

 

Where

kb is the pile base stiffness

k is the slope of the of the load settlement curve just after full mobilization of skin friction

L is the length of the pile

A is the area of cross section of pile

E is the elastic modulus of pile material.

 

Graphical user interface

Description automatically generated

 

Select this checkbox to use field test data instead of specifying the layer-wise soil properties.

 

Test parameters

Units

Min value

Max value

Notes

Design load

kN

> 0

 

Specify the design load applied on a single pile. 

kips

Design load pile head settlement

mm

> 0

 

Specify the corresponding pile head settlement measured while applying the design load

inch

 

Either elastic modulus and Poisson ratio of soil at the pile base should be specified OR the base stiffness (Pb/Wb) should be specified.  If all of them are specified, the base stiffness will be used for computation.

 

Test / Soil parameters

Units

Min value

Max value

Notes

Elastic modulus of soil at pile base

kN/m2

> 0

 

Specify the elastic modulus of the soil at the pile base.  Leave blank if not available

kips/ft2

Poisson ratio of soil at pile base

 

0.1

0.5

Specify the Poisson ratio of the soil at the pile base. Leave blank if not available.

 

Typical values

Soft clay: 0.5

Stiff clay below water table: 0.5

Stiff clay above water table: 0.4

Sand: 0.2

Weak rock: 0.2

Hard rock: 0.25

OR

Pile base stiffness(Pb/Wb)

kN/m

> 0

 

Specify the base stiffness of the soil at the pile base. 

 

It is also possible to determine the base stiffness empirically by carrying out a loading/unloading test. 

 

This is the load transferred to the base divided by settlement of the base of pile under design load.

 

Leave blank if not available

 

Note: The base stiffness data will be used if base stiff, elastic modulus of soil and Poisson ration of soil are all specified.

kips/ft

 

 

 

 

Bibliography

Reese, et al. “Analysis of a Pile Group under Lateral Loading, Laterally Loaded Deep Foundations: Analysis and Performance.” ASTM, STP 835, 1984: 56-71.

Reese, L.C., and W.R. Cox. “Field Testing and Analysis of Laterally Loaded Piles in Stiff Clay.” 5th Annual Offshore Technology Conference. Houston, Texas, April 1975.

“API 2000 RP2A-WSD.” American Petroleum Institute WSD, 2000.

Fleming, K, A Weltman, M Randolph, and K Elson. Piling Engineering. Third. London: Taylor & Francis, 2009.

Terzaghi, K., R. B. Peck, and G. Mesri. Soil Mechanics in Engineering Practice. Third Edition. New York: John Wiley, n.d.

Tomlinson, M., and J. Woodward. Pile Design and Construction Practice. Fifth Edition. London: Taylor and Francis, n.d.

Reese, L. C., W. R. Cox, and F. D. Koop. “Analysis of laterally loaded piles in sand.” Proceedings of the offshore technology conference (OTC 2080). Houston, 1974.

Poulos, H. G., and E. H. Davis. Pile Foundation Analysis and Design. 1980, n.d.

Turner, J. Rock-Socketed Shafts for Highway Structure Foundations. In:Program, N.C.H.R (Ed) A Synthesis of Highway Practice, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, 2006.

“API 2011 Geotechnical and Foundation Design Considerations.” ANSI/API RP2GEO, April 2011, Addendum 1, 2014.

Focht Jr., John A. Koch, Kenneth. J. “Rational Analysis of the Lateral Performance of Offshore Pile Groups.” Offshore Technology Conference. 1973. Paper No 1896.

Reese, L.C. “Analysis of Laterally Loaded Piles in Weak Rock.” Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering 123 (1997): 1010-1017.

Terzaghi, K. “Estimation of coefficient of subgrade reaction.” Geotechnique Vol.5, no. No. 4 (1955): 41-50.

Semple, R. M., and W. J. Rigden. “Shaft capacity of driven piles in clay.” Proc. ASCE National Convention. San Francisco, 1984.

Kolk, H. J., and E. van der Velde. “A reliable method to determine friction capacity of piles driven into clay.” Proc. Offshore technology conf. OTC 7993. Houston, 1996.

Randolph, M. F., and C. P. Wroth. “Analysis of deformation of vertically loaded piles.” ASCE, Geotech Eng Div. 104(GT12) (1978): 1465-1488.

Melonakos, G, and G Gazetas. “Settlement and additional internal forces of grouped piles in layered soil.” Géotechnique, no. 48(1) (1998): 55-72.

Bowles, J E. Foundation analysis and Design. Fifth Edition. McGraw Hill, 1996.

“IS 2911 Part 4 Load test on piles.” Bureau of Indian Standards, n.d.

Van Weele, A A. “A Method of Separating theBearing Capacity of a Test Pile into Skin-Friction and Point Resistance.” 4th ICSMFE. 1957. 76-80.

“IS 2911 Design and construction of pile foundations - Code of Practice (Part 1. Sections - 1,2&3).” 2010.