Variable diameter pile foundations – advantages and disadvantages

Abstract

Variable diameter pile foundations can be an efficient foundation solution used for special structures, mainly for the ones with increased heights. For economic efficiency in land use, especially in urban areas, there is a tendency to build very high constructions with very small footprint related to their height, which transmit large loads to the foundation soil. Based on these aspects, it is necessary to consider pile foundations in order to ensure the desired safety and stability requirements. The technologies for piles constructions evolved a lot and a main objective was to better use the interaction between the soil and the pile. From this point a view the paper presents a comparison between the bearing capacities of a constant diameter pile and a variable diameter pile, considering different soil conditions. All the calculations were performed using finite element analyses.