For construction to take place on any commercial or industrial building, secure foundations need to be established. In most cases the soil being built upon needs to be secured in order for it to hold such heavy loads.
Piling helps provide support to new structures when the soil at the surface is too loose and weak to support the load of a building. If the structure is set to be large, then most soil will need to be secured through piling.
There are several different types of piles which can be classified by load transfer mechanism, installation techniques and the materials from which they are made.
By looking at some of the different types of piling available we can identify how they are able to provide the necessary support for heavy structures to be built on top of them.
Load Transfer
Piles can transfer the load of a structure via two different mechanisms: via the soil underneath it or the bedrock underneath the soil, which is present at a deeper level. Both mechanisms are used in most real-life cases:
- End-Bearing Piles
This piling transfers the load to a firm stratum (bedrock) quite a distance below the surface. The majority of the support they provide is derived from the resistance of the soil or bedrock at the end of each pile. Some of the support is derived from the friction of the soil against the pile shafts.
- Friction Piles
For sites with poor soil conditions or where a firm stratum is not present at a useable depth, friction piles can be used. This type of piling’s load bearing capacity comes from the friction, or resistance, between the sides of the piles and the surrounding soil. As well as the friction this type of piling also derives some of its bearing capacity from the toe end of each pile.
For piling in Cheshire contact Rhino Piling today.
