Civil Engineering/Pile Cap Design

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Expert: - 12/15/2008


Question
QUESTION: hi Arshad,
I just want to know, which code provides most economical pilecap design, Is it preferable to use any code irrespective of its place as in india can i use British code or other code??...This question is respect to Critical Shear section in Pilecap, which is different in IS, BS and ACI. n on wat basic depth of pilecap is decided, so please some reliable comment


ANSWER: Hi Amit,

They are all based on the same principles, so any of the codes will do. However, by using BS instead of ACI you will get slight economy of rebar as you can use yield stress up to 460 or 500 kN/mm2, whilst the ACI restricts this to 420.

In any case, if you are designing for India, I would suggest you follow the IS.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Arshad, thanx for the yr suggestion, n one more think, economy deals with section of the pilecap and pile spacing, and according to my knowledge pilecap has to be rigid enough for uniform transfer of load to piles, so on wat criteria should depth of pilecap to be adopted? and wat checks to be taken care while pilecap design ?....i m designing pilecap for strip pile arangement is there, so wat criteria should i take take depth of pilecap. plz give some guidance

Answer
Hi Amit,

You are correct that the pile cap needs to be stiff enough to uniformly transmit the load, which is one reason that the length to depth ratio is usually between 2 and 3. This depth is also needed cater for the very high shear stresses, so you will need to check for that. If you are designing a continuous strip cap, then you need to check for punching shear.

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Arshad Khan

Expertise

I can answer any questions to do with civil and structural engineering consultancy and construction industry in East Africa and the Middle East, and specifically with the analysis and design of reinforced concrete structures. My particular expertise is in the aseismic design and optimisation of tall buildings.

Experience

Employment history: 36 years in Construction and consultancy in the UK, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Africa, Somalia, Zambia, Austria, Bahrain, Kuwait, Doha and the U.A.E.

Organizations
.Fellow of Institution of Structural Engineers (UK) .Fellow of Institution of Civil Engineers(UK) .Member of the Institution of Engineers, Kenya .Registered Engineer, ERB, Kenya .Member of the Architectural Association of Kenya (Engineers Chapter) .Chartered Engineer (UK)

Publications
•1984: International Conference on the Art and Practice of Structural Design, London •1994: 3rd Int. Kerensky Conference in Structural Engineering, Singapore •2008: International Conference on High-Rise Towers, Abu Dhabi

Education/Credentials
BSc, 1st Class Hons, in Building Engineering, University of Bath, UK MSc in Concrete Structures and Technology, University of London. Diploma of Imperial College, UK.

Awards and Honors
•Science Congress Special Award (for 2-seater Hovercraft - 1968) •Institution of Civil Engineers Award for outstanding performance at Bath University (1975) •Concrete Society Postgraduate study Bursary Award (1976) •Consular Representative for British High Commission, Nairobi. (1995 to 1998) •Examiner for Institution of Civil Engineers Professional Interviews, Nairobi. (1997 to 1998) •Branch Representative in Vienna for PI assessment for Inst. of Struct. Engrs. (1999 to date)

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