2 - Pile Types

Abstract

All piles can be categorized as displacement piles and nondisplacement piles. Timber piles, closed-end steel pipe piles, and precast concrete piles displace the soil when driven into the ground. These piles are categorized as displacement piles. Nondisplacement piles are steel casing withdrawn after concreting, continuous flight auger drilling and concrete placement, continuous flight auger drilling and concrete placement, and so on. Timber piles are cheaper than steel or concrete piles. Timber piles decay due to living microbes. Microbes need two ingredients to thrive: oxygen and moisture. For timber piles to decay, both ingredients are needed. Below groundwater, there is ample moisture but very little oxygen. Many forms of biological agents attack timber piles. Timber is an organic substance, and nature will not permit any organic substance to go to waste. Timber piles cannot be driven through hard ground. Steel H-piles are essentially end-bearing piles. Due to limited perimeter area, H-piles cannot generate much frictional resistance. H-piles are easily spliced. They are ideal for highly variable soil conditions.