Part 6

Structural Design

Table 6.3.11: Guidance on the Minimum Reinforcing Steel for Bored Cast-in-place Piles
Pile Diameter (mm) Main Reinforcement Lateral (Hoop) Reinforcement
Bar Size (mm) No. of Bars Bar Size (mm) Pitch (mm)
400 16 6 8 200
450 16 6 8 200
500 16 8 8 250
600 16 8 8 250
750 16 10 10 300
900 16 10 10 300
1050 16 12 10 300
1200 16 12 10 300
1500 20 12 10 400
1800 20 12 10 400
2100 20 16 10 400
2400 25 16 12 500

T
Notes:

AF
(a) Yield strength of steel = 420 MN/m2
(b) The above guidelines are for “build-ability” only: They are not appropriate Where:

R
(i) Piles are required to resist any applied tensile or bending forces- the reinforcement has to be designed for the
specific loading conditions.
D
(ii) Piles are required to accommodate positional and verticality tolerances, or where they are constructed through
very soft alluvial deposits (cu < 10 kN/m2). Specific reinforcement design is then necessary.
AL
(c) Minimum depth of reinforcement is taken as 3 m below cutoff for simple bearing only. Any lateral loads or moments
taken by the pile will require reinforcement to extend to some depth below the zone subjected to bending forces. This
N

zone may be determined from a plot of the bending moment with depth. Furthermore the reinforcement would
normally extend at least 1 m below the depth of any temporary casing.
FI

(d) Even with the appropriate reinforcement care will still be required to prevent damage to piles by construction activities
especially during cutting-down or in the presence of site traffic.
15

The longitudinal reinforcement shall be of high yield steel bars (min 𝑓𝑦 = 420 Mpa) and shall not be less than:
20

 0.5% of 𝐴𝑐 for 𝐴𝑐 ≤ 0.5 m2;

 0.375% of 𝐴𝑐 for 0.5 m2 < 𝐴𝑐 ≤ 1 m2;
BC

 0.25% of 𝐴𝑐 for 𝐴𝑐 > 1.0 m2;

BN

Where, 𝐴𝑐 is the gross cross-sectional area of the pile. The minimum diameter for the longitudinal bars should not
be less than 16 mm for large diameter (diameter ≥ 600 mm) piles. Piles should have at least 6 longitudinal bars.
The assembled reinforcement cage should be sufficiently strong to sustain lifting and lowering into the pile bore
without permanent distortion or displacement of bars or in addition bars should not be so densely packed that
concrete aggregate cannot pass freely between them. Hoop reinforcement (for shear) is not recommended closer
than 100 mm centres. Minimum Concrete cover to the reinforcement periphery shall be 75 mm. This guidance is
only applicable for piles with vertical load.
Minimum Grades of Concrete
The integrity of pile shaft is of paramount importance, and the concreting mixes and methods that have been
evolved for bored piles are directed towards this as opposed to the high strength concrete necessary for precast
piles or structural work above ground. This prerequisite has led to the adoption of highly workable mixes, and the
“total collapse” mix for tremie piles has been mentioned. In order to ensure that the concrete flows between the
reinforcing bars with ease, and into the interstices of the soil, a high slump, self-compacting mix is called for. A
minimum cement content of 350 kg/m3 is generally employed under dry placement condition, increasing to 400
kg/m3 under submerged condition at slumps greater than 125 mm, with a corresponding increase in fine

6-190 Vol. 2