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Bearing Capacity of Pile Foundations: Calculation Methods

for Qp
 Pile Foundations

On This Day

April 21st 2002

Ultimate load-carrying capacity of pile (image from Das, B.M. (2007). Principles of Foundation Engineering (7th Edition). Global Engineering)

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Contents [hide]
1. Meyerhof’s Method
2. Vesic’s Method
3. Coyle and Castello’s Method
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4. Calculating Qp from SPT and CPT results  Allow cookies
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5. References:
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Following the previous section that explained the general background and universal equations for
the estimation of a single pile’s load-bearing capacity, we will continue with three specific methods
for the calculation of the end point bearing capacity Qp, where:

Qp = Ap · qp = Ap · (c’· Nc +q’·Nq) (1)

May, 09, 2019 | Education

Sheepsfoot roller
Meyerhof’s Method Compaction
Equipment

Meyerhof’s method distinguishes two cases for the estimation of Qp, one for the case that the pile is
buried in sand, and one for clay.

Sand:

In the case of sand we have no cohesion (c’=0), so equation (1) will simplify to:

Qp = Ap · qp = Ap · q’ · Nq (2)

The values that equation (2) can produce are bound by a limiting point resistance ql, which has the
form:

ql = 0.5 · pa · Nq · tanφ’ (3)

where:

pa is the atmospheric pressure (roughly 100 kPa)

φ’ is the soil’s effective friction angle at the pile tip

So, taking all the above into consideration we have:

Qp = Ap · qp = Ap · q’ · Nq ≤ Ap · ql

Now, the values for factor Nq to be used are determined in the table shown below through
interpolation based on Meyerhof’s theory.

Soil friction angle, φ (degrees) Nq

20 12.4

21 13.8

22 15.5

23 17.9

24 21.4

25 26.0

26 29.5

27 34.0

28 39.7

29 46.5
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30 56.7

31 68.2

32 81.0

33 96.0

34 115.0

35 143.0

36 168.0

37 194.0

38 231.0

39 276.0

40 346.0

41 420.0

42 525.0

43 650.0

44 780.0

45 930.0

Clay:

In the case of saturated clay and undrained conditions we have a friction angle of zero (φ=0), and
the equation for the end point bearing capacity has the form:

Qp = Ap · cu · Nc = Ap · cu · 9 (4)

where:

cu is the clay’s undrained cohesion at the pile’s tip

Vesic’s Method

Similarly to the previous method, Vesic’s one also has two different forms for the cases of sand and
clay.

Sand:

In the case of sand for Vesic’s method, end tip load-bearing capacity is expressed as:

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Clay:

Again, in the case of saturated clay under undrained conditions we get:

Qp = Ap · qp = Ap · cu · Nc (9)

where:

the factor Nc = 4/3 · (lnIr + 1) + π/2 +1 (10)

Finally, Ir is the rigidity index, for which:

Ir = Es / (3 · cu) (11)

and Es is the soil’s modulus of elasticity.

Coyle and Castello’s Method

This method’s correlations are the result of 24 large-scale field load tests of piles driven in sand.
Hence, it is understood that the following correlation is applicable to piles present in similar
conditions.

In this case, the end point bearing capacity is formulated as:

Qp = q’ · Nq · Ap (12)

where, once again:

q’ is the vertical effective stress at the pile tip

Nq is a bearing capacity factor taken by the following figure

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Variation of Nq with L/D (Redrawn after Coyle and Costello, 1981) (image from: Das, B.M. (2007). Principles of Foundation  Allow cookies
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Calculating Qp from SPT and CPT results

Once again, several publications exist on how the end tip bearing capacity of a pile can be derived
from in-situ test results, and we are going to present several of them here.

SPT:

According to Meyerhof, the unit ultimate point resistance qp can be obtained from the following
equation in the case of homogeneous granular soil:

qp = 0.4 · pa · N60 · L/D ≤ 4 · pa · N60 (13)

where:

N60 is the average SPT blow count at about 10D above and 3D below the pile end point

Pa is the atmospheric pressure

Briaud et al. in 1985 also suggested the following relationship for granular soils:

qp = 19.7 · pa · (N60)0.36 (14)

Finally, Poulos suggested in 1989 that the ultimate bearing capacity at the base of a pile is:

Qp = Ap · Cb · N60 = Qbu (15)

where:

N60 is again the SPT blow count in the vicinity of the pile tip

Cb is a constant described in the following table

Pile type Soil Cb

Displacement (driven) Sand 400-450

Silt 350

Glacial till 250

Clay 75-100

Driven cast-in-situ Cohesionless 150

Bored Sand 100

Clay 75-100

CPT:

As for CPT results, Meyerhof in 1956 suggested that in granular soil qp is approximately equal to the
cone penetration resistance, qc.

In addition to this, it is suggested in Craig’s Soil Mechanics that the following relationship may be
used for the unit ultimate point resistance:

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Ccpt values have been suggested by Jardine et al. in 2005 and Lee and Salgado in 1999 according
to the following table, for an average qc value at over 1.5D above and below the pile’s end point.

Pile type Soil Ccpt

Driven (closed) Sand 0.4

Clay undrained 0.8

Clay drained 1.3

Bored pile Sand 0.2

References:

Das, B.M. (2007). Principles of Foundation Engineering (7th Edition). Global Engineering

https://skyciv.com/docs/skyciv-foundation/piles/various-equations-for-estimating-pile-capacity/

Craig, R.F. (2004) Craig’s Soil Mechanics. 7th Edition, Spon Press, London
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Web Class Assignments

An introduction of Micropiles on expansive and karst ground conditions

daerpsediw hguoht eporuE morf oga sedaced neves revo smets seliporcim fo yrotsih ehT
through the design lens of bearing capacity
rof derutam ton sah dna tnecer erom si ygolonhcet eht fo noitazidradnats dna ecnatpecca
...ucod tsrif stEngineering
CE 179-Geosystems i sa gnol saDesign

Helical Piles
lacileh ,eman sti ni detnih sA .noitadnuof peed detacirbaferp fo mrof a era selip lacileH
sedalb gnilarips gnivah roCE
f el179-Geosystems
baton tsom era d na snoitadnDesign
Engineering uof peed rehto morf reffid selip
...stfahs rieht gnola
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