Understanding the Pile Foundation

Abstract: A pile is basically a long cylinder of a strong material such as concrete that is pushed into the ground to act as a steady support for structures built on top of it. Pile foundations are used in the following situations. When there is a layer of weak soil at the surface. This layer cannot support the weight of the structure, so the loads of the structure have to bypass this layer and be transferred to the layer of stronger soil or rock that is below the weak layer. When a structure has very heavy, concentrated loads, such as in a high-rise structure, bridge, or water tank. Pile foundations are capable of taking higher loads than spread footings. There are two fundamental types of pile foundations (based on structural behaviour), each of which works in its own way. This paper describes the details of pile foundation, various types, including advantages and disadvantages.

Keywords: Pile foundation, Structural member, week soils