Pile Foundations

Abstract

In Deltaic areas in the world, for instance the western part of the Netherlands, the soil consists of layers of soft soil (clay and peat), on a rather stiff sand layer, of pleistocene origin. The bearing capacity of the sand layer below the soft soil is derived for a large part from its deep location, with the soft layers acting as a surcharge. And the properties of the sand itself, a relatively high density, and a high friction angle, also help to give this sand layer a good bearing capacity. The system of soft soils and a deeper stiff sand layer is very suitable for a pile foundation. In this chapter a number of important soil mechanics aspects of such pile foundations are briefly discussed.