What Are End Bearing Piles?

End bearing piles (also known as point-bearing piles) are used to distribute large foundational loads from the topsoil, which has a low bearing capacity, to the rock beneath, which has a much higher bearing capacity. Loads can also be transferred to strong stratum such as dense sand and gravel instead of rock. By passing through weak topsoil to rest on the stronger soil below, end bearing piles behave much a like a column. End bearing piles are essential foundational elements for large structures like factories, stadiums and bridges. Without end bearing piles, topsoil would not be able to support these buildings.

In order to achieve their full benefit, end bearing piles must pierce the firm strata (eg: the rock) by at least three times the diameter of the pile. When designing end bearing piles, buckling failure is not considered unless parts of the pile will pass through water or air.

What Are End Bearing Piles Made Of?

End bearing piles can be made of wood, concrete or steel.

Traditionally, wood piles were used to support buildings in areas with weak soil. The city of Venice is famous for being built on wooden piles over the sea. Today, wood piles are used to make jetties. However, the pile length is limited to the size of the tree from which the wood was cut.

End bearing piles made of concrete and steel can be prefabricated, meaning they’re created ahead of time and transferred to the construction site (as opposed to casting the piles on site). Both concrete and steel end bearing piles can support heavy loads. Concrete piling works best in areas with corrosive soil.

Steel end bearing piles are favored for many reasons. Because the steel piling can be tweaked to exact load specifications, costs can be reduced. Steel piles are relatively easy to build, and they’re also easy to replace after construction is complete, so their maintenance and replacement costs are some of the lowest. For large structures such as buildings and bridges where a deep foundation is necessary, steel end bearing pile is an excellent choice.

What Are the Advantages of End Bearing Piles?

End bearing piles come with a number of advantages when compared to other types of piling, like friction piles or floating piles.

• End bearing piles don’t experience as much settling as other types of piles, which is why the largest multistory buildings are most commonly constructed atop end bearing piles. Furthermore, since end bearing pile rests on firm stratum far beneath the topsoil, it’s considered the strongest type of loadbearing option available.

• End bearing piles can be precast, meaning they’re constructed offsite and transferred to the construction location. Piles can be precast to any prespecified length, shape or size, which cuts onsite construction time. Similarly, the cost of construction can be optimized since each pile’s length can be specified based on the depth of the deep stratum on which the pile will rest.

• End pile lengths can be easily calculated based on the bedrock depth, which is gathered from soil exploration borehole records.

• Unlike some types of piling, end bearing piles will not buckle in weak soil.

What Are the Disadvantages of End Bearing Piles?

End bearing piles come with two main disadvantages:

• In order to install end bearing piles, heavy equipment is required. In addition to the added costs, this means that worker specialization will be necessary in order to install the piles.

• Due to the high friction around the piling, the soil that surrounds the pile may stick to the surface of the pile, which decreases its effectiveness.

What Are Common End Bearing Piles Sizes?

Common wide end bearing pile sizes include large beams, which can include:

• W21: W21x44, W21x50, W21x57, W21x58, W21x55, W21x62, W21x68, W21x73, W21x83, W21x93, W21x101, W21x111, W21x122, W21x132, W21x147, W21x166, W21x182, W21x201, W21x223, W21x248, W21x275

• W24: W24x55, W24x62, W24x68, W24x76, W24x84, W24x94, W24x103, W24x204, W24x117, W24x131, W24x146, W24x162, W24x176, W24x192, W24x207, W24x229

• W27: W27x84, W27x94, W27x102, W27x114, W27x129, W27x146, W27x161, W27x178, W27x194

• W30: W30x90, W30x99, W30x108, W30x116, W30x124, W30x132, W30x148

• W33: W33x118, W33x130, W33x141, W33x152, W33x169

• W36: W36x135, W36x150, W36x160, W36x170, W36x182, W36x194, W36x210, W36x232, W36x256

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