: PROJECT SITE :

HIDCO CONVENTION
CENTRE,
NARKELBAGAN, KOLKATA,
WEST BENGAL
PROJECT UNDERTAKEN BY:
LARSEN & TOUBRO LTD.

The complex at night from the

entrance

Plan of the whole project

(Schematic diagram)

DMC PILING
PREFACE:
The report is prepared after the training and
observation done at Project-site of WBHIDCO
Convention Centre, being an engineer trainee under
Geotreat Ltd.
The project is undertaken by Larsen & Toubro
Ltd.
A part of piling works is being conducted by
Geotreat Ltd.
The start date of the construction project was
16.06.2014 & the expected end date is 15.09.2016.
Over 2,600 piles are to be constructed among which
500 number of pilling is conducted by Geotreat Ltd.
All of them are done by DMC piling methods.

The whole project report is subdivided in the

following sections:
1.
Introduction
2.
Objectives and classification of piles
and piling methods
3.
Principle of DMC piling
4.
Apparatus used
5.
Field procedure DMC piling
6.
Conclusion

1. INTRODUCTION
Piles are the columnar structure, the most common type of
deep foundation, that safely transfer loads from the super
structure to more competent subsurface strata by means of
friction, end bearing or a combination of both. Piles can be
broadly classified based on the following parameters.
1. Method of installation of piles Driven (displacement) piles
or bored (replacement) piles.
2. Type of material used for piling Concrete, steel, timber
piles etc.
Among these, concrete piles can be classified further as precast and cast in situ concrete piles. Though there are a variety
of piling options, the most common type of piles used for
majority of construction works in India are bored cast in situ
concrete piles.

2. Objectives and classification of piles and

piling methods

Functions of piles:
The major uses of piles are:
1. To carry vertical compression load, eg. bearing
piles, friction pile. (FIG. 1)
2. To resist uplift pressure, eg. tension piles or
uplift piles or anchor piles. (FIG. 2)
3. To resist horizontal or inclined loads, eg. Batter
piles. (FIG. 3)

Setting up piles
Depending up on the setting up principle, piles
can be of two types, eg. Displacement
type and Replacement type, each has its own
advantages and disadvantages. For displacement
piling method, piles are driven into the ground
pushing the soil out of its way. Displacement piling is
good for contaminated sites where it costs a lot to
move the soil out.
Using the replacement piling method, muck
is dug out and replaced with the pile. Much bigger piles
can be casted by replacement method.
Direct Mud Circulation (DMC) piling method
or simply DMC Piling method is an example of
replacement piling method. This method is the principle
subject of interest in this report.

The advantages of displacement piling are:-

Self testing as driven to refusal or "set"

No pile arising to dispose of
Little disturbance
Limited access
High production

The disadvantages of displacement piling are: Cannot penetrate obstructions

Cannot always penetrate desiccated clay
Vibration and noise may be an issue
The advantages of replacement piling are:

Effectively vibration free

Installed into non cohesive and water bearing soils
High production
Restricted access

The main disadvantage of replacement piling is that:

it produces excavated material which requires

removal off site

3. Principle of DMC piling

DMC piling is a typical wash bored piling
method, ie. the piles are of REPLACEMENT type. For this
type of piling method, the sub soil must be of cohesive
nature. The basic principle of DMC piling lies in the fact
that the soil layers becomes harder to penetrate with
depth, so to soften the hard soil layers deep below the

ground level, water jet streams are used and then a

typical chisel cuts the relatively softer soil. Bore holes
of several depths (for example 10m, 15m, 20m, 25m,
30m, etc.) and diameter (for example 500mm 750mm,
1000mm etc.) are dug as per design requirements. It
can be understood quite clearly that the nearby soil can
collapse. To prevent the collapse some special safety
measures are considered during the operation which
will be discussed in later sections.
After the bore hole is dug and the collapse of
subsoil around the hole is safely prohibited, a
reinforcement cage is entered into the borehole and
concrete is filled from the bottom of the hole with the
help of pipes, typically designed for this operation,
called the Tremie pipes. Usually concrete is left 28 days
to harden and gain full strength, but sometimes using
admixtures they are prepared within 21 days.

4.
Apparatus used
I. DMC rig
THE TRIPOD SYSTEM
Main shear leg: it is the longer leg than the other
two that carries the load.
The length is 7.5m.
The length can be adjusted. With the help of
20mm dia pins

The side shear legs: there are two side shear

legs, 6.3m long and they mainly support the tripod
system.
The side legs must be placed at least 1.5m away
from the centre of the piles.

BASE CHANNEL
These are standard I section, 2cm thick and there
are grooving in it that holds the shear legs onto the
ground with the help of base cannel pin.
SLIP OVER WHEEL
Diameter
Thickness
Operation

SLIP OVER WEEL HOLDER

Diameter = 500mm

450mm
50mm
The rope slips over this
wheel or Pulley

 S.O. WHEEL PIN

Diameter
Length
Operation

65mm
200mm
This is very important pin,
because it holds the S.O.
Wheel with the tripod
system and the entire
vertical loads act on it.

PLUNGE
Inside Diameter = 50mm
SUSPENSION PLATE this is called into action if
somehow the chisel is stuck in the borehole.
Pulleys are attached here and the chisel is pulled
out.

Suspension Plate

 MAIN SHEAR LEG PIN 20mm dia.

II. Winch
Capacity

Driven wheel diameter

III.

3 Ton (Other capacities can

be of 1 Ton 2.5 Ton 5 Ton
7.5 Ton etc.)
900mm

Diesel engine

USED IN WINCH (RUSTON MAKE)

Number of
cylinder
Diesel
consumption
Mobil
consumption
(fresh engine)
Mobil
consumption
(older engine)

2.1 lit/hr

1.75 lit/hr

0.5 lit per 7 days

0.5 lit per 7 days

0.5 lit per 12

hours

0.5 lit per 12

hours

USED IN PUMP (KILOSKER MAKE)

Number of cylinder
Diesel consumption
Mobil consumption

2
1.25 lit/hr
250ml per 12 hours

IV. Bailer or Slush Pump

Length
2700mm
Inside Diameter
Weight

450mm
0.5 Ton

V. Guide casing
Length
2750mm
Inside Diameter
550mm
Thickness of casing
Thickness of collar

30mm
20mm

VI. Chisel or Chopper

Thickness of sheet
Inside Diameter

80mm

400mm
Length
2500mm
Number of nozzle

7.

DMC rod

Length (m)
Diameter (mm)
Thread length (mm)
Thread type
ID of tapered king end
(mm)
ID of queen end (mm)

2.7
3.25
95
65
120
Tapered
80

3
75

120

Tapered thread end of DMC rods

8.

Rope

Diameter 20mm

9.

Tremie pipe

ID
OD
Thickness of sheet

10.

Vertical pump

Power source
Power

11.

5 inch
6 inch
12mm

Electrically operated
10 Hp

Bentonite tank and Bentonite slurry

The Bentonite tank stores the Bentonite water

which is of avg. Density of 1.04gm/cc. The
minimum density is 1.03gm/cc and maximum
density is 1.05gm/cc

Vertical Pump in Bentonite tank

12.

Wash vat

This is where the muck mix with water gets stored,

the muck gets precipitated and the water becomes
reusable.

13.

Tremie fork

Used to insert the tremie pipes and taking out DMC

rods.

5.

Field procedure DMC piling

For executing DMC piling method which is

approved as per IS 2911 under specifications of
bored cast in situ piles. The positioning of points
where the piles are proposed to set up, are
checked by the surveyor.

DMC piling Rig set-up and initiation of boring

using the Bailer

 After the point for boring operation is set out by

the surveyor the tripod is paced such that each
side legs are at least 1.5m away from the point,
keeping the centre of borehole exactly in the
centre.
The bailer is then attached with the rope and the
boring operation is initiated.
After bailer reaches its full length into the soil, the
guide casing is inserted into the hole for farther
operations.

Insertion of the guide casing

To prevent the side collapse and caving in, a guide
casing of 550mm dia and of 2750mm length is
placed on the top of the bore hole and hammered

by the bailer to insert it into the soil. This will be

withdrawn after concreting is over.

Boring with Chisel

Once the guide casing is placed, the boring is

started with chisel.
The chisel has 4 nozzles from where water jet is
forced on the hard soil layer as the boring
progresses.

Progression of boring and addition of

DMC rods

DMC rods are added one after another as the depth

increases.
The DMC head are attached on top of the DMC rods
which has the plunge which receives the water
from delivery hose.
The whole system is pulled up by the rope and the
D-Shackle with the help of the winch system and
then left to fall free, so that the chisel at the
bottom cuts the soil and the boring progresses.
The loose soil produced by boring, mixes with
water and comes up and is stored in the wash vat,
where the soil gets precipitated and the water is
again usable.

 Taking out of the DMC rods and Chisel

and Insertion of the reinforcement cage
After the boring is complete up to the desired
depth, the DMC rods are removed one by one using
the DMC fork and the chisel is also removed.
Then the steel reinforcement cage is inserted and
welded where ever there are joints.

Concreting and finalization of the

process

The tremie pipes are inserted one by one using the

Tremie fork and then the bore hole is washed with
the Bentonite water and the Muck is completely
removed and the hole is filled with bentonite slurry.
The Transit mixer arrives and the Hopper is
attached on top of the tremie pipe.

 The TM puts concrete mix into the hopper and the

valve opens. The bore hole is gradually filled with
concrete which is compacted by gradual vibration
of tremie pipes. This filling of concrete from the
bottom is done to avoid segregation of the
concrete mix.
As the concrete fills the hole from bottom,
Bentonite slurry escapes the hole. The tremie pipes
are detached one by one and thus the hole gets
filled completely.
After the hole is fully filled, the concrete is left 28
days to gain full strength. After 28 days the guide
casing is removed and the pile is ready.

Concreting

6.

Conclusion

DMC piling is the most common piling methods used in

India. For moderate sized piles, that is 450mm to
1000mm diameter and 25m to 30m depth piles; it is
also most convenient and economic way of piling.
Larger piles that are of diameter up to 1500mm can
also be founded by this method, but those are not that
convenient. Other process like Reduced Mud Circulation
(RMC) is also in use.

LATEST TRENDS IN PILING & FOUNDATION ENGINEERING.

Preamble : Food, Clothing and shelter are the basic needs of human beings from the beginning of life on earth

and the human race are vying each other to achieve the same. Because of this all the good lands on earth are
used for horizontal developments during old civilizations and the developments where mainly near River Banks
and Sea ports. Because of the shortage of land Urban areas vertical growth of buildings have become a
necessity. The earlier structures in the world having significant heights are Qutab Minar in Delhi and Leaning
Tower of Piza in Italy. Techniques have been evolved after 2nd World war in European and American countries
for improving the various types of foundations to take up under ground railway work and constructing high rise
buildings such as Sears Tower in Chicago, World Trade Centre in New York, Twin Towers in Malaysia and Burj
Dubai Tower in Dubai business district which is above 150 stories and 800 meter above ground level. To support
these types of structures deep and large diameter piles are essential which can be done by direct mud circulation
method or by Rotary Rigs supported by bentonite slurry system. Both the methods are approved by British and
Indian standards and are used in India & abroad depending on the speed by which the project has to be
completed. Rotary method has got more speed when compared to DMC method and the disadvantage is that it
cannot cut through hard rocks effectively. The DMC system is widely used IN India for providing pile foundations
for buildings up to 50 stories (150 meters) and the piles can be done upto depths of 60 meter from ground level
and diameters can vary from 500 to 1500mm. This is cost effective and we recommend this system for India and
abroad
for
diameters
from
500mm
to
1500mm
and
depth
up
to
60
meters.
Types of Piling : Because of the agricultural and Industrial revolution building rules has come in to effect in

prominent towns of Europe and the 1st town planning act of UK is in 1919. Since the building has to be built on a
particular plot limited by size various foundation techniques has come in to force in UK in the year 1905 by a
company called CEMENTATION. Ever since 1905 Engineers found new and new methods and basically every
method consisted of boring holes up to rock with various techniques lowering, reinforcement cages and
concreting. The developed form of foundation engineering after 2nd half of 20th century are as follows:Undreamed compaction and ordinary piles.
Bored cast in situ DMC piles.
Driven cast in situ piles.
Pre-cast concrete piles.
Bored cast in situ to Rotary piles.
Among the above undreamed piles are mainly used for supporting light structures of 5 stories and below. For
DMC piles to take heavy load the pile has to penetrate in to rock atleast 30cm to 50cm or 1D or 1.5D depending
on the intensity of loading on the pile. The pile capacity is mainly decided as per the structural strength of

concrete or the safe bearing capacity of the founding strata. If the concrete is weak and the founding strata is
strong there will be structural failure of the concrete or if it is vise versa the founding strata will fail.
The method of piling from place to place will vary such as dia meter, depth etc. and in Trivandrum generally the
depth is 5 to 20 mtrs, in Kochi depth from 20 to 60 mtrs etc. In Kochi some of the areas where rock is not
available, the pile is rested on coarse sand strata where the N-value is more than 100. Before taking a decision
to rest the pile on sand the thickness of the sandy strata should also be analyzed, because the sandy strata will
be very thin and if clay strata is under laying the piles will not take the desired load.

Method Statement - DMC Piling :

For executing DMC piles (Direct Mud Circulation piles ) method which is approved as per IS 2911 and British
Standards under specifications of bored cast in situ piles. The bore holes will be advanced by chisels weighing
above 1000kg by circulating bentonite slurry using a 20 HP vertical motor and pump. Because of the impact of
chisel the cuttings will be brought out by the bentonite slurry and the bore holes will be advanced to the founding
strata which is about 15 to 20 meter in depth. The founding strata can be rock or dense sand having N value > 50
as per structural design. To prevent the side collapse and caving in, a guide casing of 500 -1500 mm dia and 1 to
1.5M depth will be fixed on the top of the bore hole and this will be withdrawn after concreting is over. Once the
bore hole reaches the final depth the chissel will be kept for about 15 minutes to clear out all the cuttings from the
bore hole. After this the chissel will be removed from the bore hole and steel cages will be inserted in to the bore
as per the structural design and tremmie pipe of 8 inch dia meter will be inserted to the center of the cage. After
the insertion of tremmie pipe, the bore will be thoroughly cleared by using bentonite slurry pumped through a 20
HP pump. Once the bore is clear ready mix concrete of required specification will be poured through the funnel
fitted on the top of the tremmie pipe and the concrete will be made to overflow from the bore till all the laitance is
removed from the bore and good concrete appears on the top. The theoretical volume and actual concrete used
will be measured and recorded including details of reinforcement etc. on a bore long which forms the basis of
measurement
between
the
contractor
and
client.

Method of Rotary Piling :

Because of the requirement of noise free and vibration free piling in Urban areas a new technique has come
called rotary piling. This is very expensive but we can save a lot of time and noise from the neighbors. Now a
days most modern rotary rigs are available costing from Rs. 2 crores to Rs.15 crores, and these rigs can do piles
from 500 mm to 3000mm dia depth up to 60 mtrs. These types of piling are mainly used for industrial purposes
where large areas are available for development and time is the main factor. The capacity of the rigs are
classified based on torque it can produce and it various from 7 to 40 and this is designed based on hardness of
the rock it can cut. The rock is mainly cut by Rotary method using Tungsten carbide bits or diamond bits. If the
rock is too hard then it is cut by using core barrel using Diamond bits and this is very expensive. The production
of Rotary rigs has to be a minimum of 100 mts per day to cover the cost and if the production is low, then the cost
will increase. Also in transporting and deploying these machines wide approach roads are required as the
machine weights from 40 tons to 70 tons and the length of the Kelly bar from 12 mtrs to 15 mtrs. For residential
buildings now a days Hydraulically operated rotary rigs are used mounted on lorries and these also give desired
result
and
less
expensive
when
compared
to
modern
rotary
rigs.
b) Method of testing Founding Strata: The basic method for ascertaining the strata for founding is standard

penetration test and if the N-value is more than 100, then it is considered as reasonably good founding strata for
piling.
c) Concrete : The concrete mix used for piling is M25,M30,M35 etc. in India and outside the country M40 is the

minimum standard for piling and if goes to M80. The strength of the concrete as ascertained by cube test after 3
days, 7days, 21days, 28days, etc. The workability of the concrete is assessed by taking the slump at site it
should be from 150 to 180mm.

d) Pile test : The piles are tested for the following

Initial vertical load test

Initial lateral load test
Initial pullout test
Routine vertical load test
Routine lateral load test
Routine pullout test
Dynamic load test (Nondestructive)
Integrity test.

As per the Indian standard 1 times the design load is tested and the settlement of the piles should be below
12mm.The relevant IS code is as follow :IS 2911 Which can be referred for this.