
That means that you must know where the columns and walls will be located and where you need the load for each of them to be. In order to create pile caps, you must know what is needed for the foundation. Determine the column and wall load assignment.The six steps of designing pile caps in SAFE: There are six steps to designing pile caps in SAFE, which is not too many considering the importance of the caps. One of the best ways to design pile caps is in SAFE, which is an excellent design tool. The other is changing the direction at the head of the piles. One of the secondary reinforcements is at the bottom of the pile cap and runs around the longitudinal reinforcement. Pile caps also use secondary reinforcements, so the piles do not move outward from each one of the caps. Those factors include the punching shear, the pile anchorage, the shrinkage and swelling of the soil, the amount of frost, and the groundwater table. The depth of the pile cap has a number of determining factors as well. The shape of the pile cap is determined by the number of piles within the group and the spacing between each one of the piles. The dimensions of the pile caps are determined by the loads and the arrangement of the connections of the structure and the foundation. The concrete pile cap will then distribute the entire load of the building. This mat can be found on concrete or timber piles and those piles are driven into the unstable ground, or soft ground, to create a stable foundation. But if you are considering a wide pile cap supported by multiple numbers of piles, computer-generated structural design soft wares are available to design a massive pile caps.Basically, a pile cap is a thick concrete mat. Technically, it can be designed manually using a principle of strut and tie method.

There are so many ways to design a pile cap. Refer to the image below for the recommended typical details of the pile cap. Drawing details should be clear and simple as possible so the contractor can follow it accordingly. Proper detailing of the pile cap is another thing to consider for design completion. Further details in punching shear design considerations will soon be published in the succeeding article. Also, punching shear due to piles should also be considered in the design check. Punching shear along the column perimeter should be satisfied according to the standard codes.
#PILE CAP FOUNDATION SOFTWARE HOW TO#
Here is how to assume the thickness of the pile cap: Pile cap thickness must also be sufficient to meet anchorage-bond length requirements of starter bars and normal punching shear requirements. One of the important things to consider in a pile cap design is to determine enough thickness. for the 5-Pile Group, pile to pile spacing would be: s=√(2ɑ) x Øpile.for 2-Pile Group, length of the pile cap should be (ɑ+1) x Øpile + 300 and.The figure below shows the most common use shapes of the pile cap and the recommended dimensions. The shapes vary according to the number of piles in the pile cap that can be deriving according to the load in a column supporting it. The first thing to consider in the pile cap design is to determine the shape of the pile cap to use.

To make it simple, we will break down our design assumption with the following.

In this article, we will be dealing with the standards in determining pile cap geometry and dimensions as well as its design considerations. But knowing the correct pile cap dimensions can be considered as a halfway already in design completion. The designer’s struggle on pile cap design begins with the consideration of what dimensions or pile cap geometry to assume at first. To achieve this can only be done by understanding its design principles and proper detailing of pile caps. These considerations include the proper spacing of each pile, the pile cap thickness and so on. Designing a pile cap seems to be complicated because a lot of considerations need to take into account to achieve a safe and sound foundation. Design-wise, the pile cap design uses a truss system principle that can be designed using a strut and tie method. Pile cap serves to transmit the load of the building into the hard strata of the soil via a pile or group of piles. This is commonly used in building foundations with the geographical locations having a very low soil bearing capacity. Detail of Pile Cap, Pile Cap Design, Pile Cap Dimensions and thickness, pile cap reinforcement, PilesĪ pile cap is one of the types of foundation that consist of a thick concrete pad that is usually supported by piles.
