Rock-Socketed Piles Under Axial Compression: A Review: Fid-Bau Portal

Rock-Socketed Piles Under Axial Compression: A Review

George, Minu Ann / Maji, V. B.

Piles are a common choice of foundation in high-rise buildings and heavily loaded structures due to the requirement of a higher-capacity foundation system to withstand the superimposed loads. Rock-socketed (RS) piles are formed by drilling in the rock for a specific embedment (socket length) and terminating at a level with adequate bearing depending on the strength of the rock mass and the drilling equipment. The pile design is either capacity-based or settlement-based. The geotechnical capacity is evaluated first, and the structural provisions are made to accommodate axial compression and moment. Several design procedures are available to determine the optimum socket length based on rock mass uniaxial compressive strength/shear strength. At the same time, a few consider the effect of discontinuities. Rock mass encountered at a site is often heterogeneous. That is, associated with complexities such as variations in rock type, layering, weathering, discontinuities, and weak soil seams. Much research has happened in the piling industry and is continuing. This paper presents a detailed review of some of the design approaches and the factors governing the performance of RS piles.