Reinforced concrete piles and caissons are deep foundation elements widely employed to transfer structural loads to competent soil or rock strata. These elements are essential in cases where surface soils lack sufficient bearing capacity to support applied loads. Among the most common pile types, cast-in-place concrete piles - such as drilled shafts or caissons - and precast driven piles are frequently used due to their ability to resist axial and lateral loads, provide settlement control, and accommodate complex subsurface conditions. Micropiles are used where the headroom or clearance is limited and usually for lower axial compression and tension capacity.
In bridge construction, reinforced concrete piles and caissons are often used to support bridge piers and pile caps, ensuring heavier loads from superstructures are transferred through water or poor soil conditions to stronger load bearing layers. These foundations are especially critical in river crossings and marine environments, where scour and erosion pose significant challenges. The integration of pile groups into pile caps provides a rigid platform to distribute superstructure loads and maintain structural integrity under vibratory loads, moving loads, wind forces, and seismic forces.
Beyond transportation infrastructure, reinforced concrete piles are extensively used in buildings, towers, storage tanks, chimneys, and heavy industrial facilities. They serve to support vertical loads and resist horizontal forces induced by wind, machinery, or seismic activity. Industrial applications often involve heavy equipment, reciprocating machinery, and dynamic loading, requiring pile foundations with enhanced durability and stiffness to secure equipment and meet serviceability and functionality requirements.
The use of advanced structural analysis software, such as spMats, facilitates the evaluation of pile-soil-structure interaction, the modeling of pile caps, and the accurate distribution of axial and bending forces among piles. Such tools support engineers in optimizing designs for safety, economy, and performance under service and ultimate load conditions.
Additionally, spColumn can be used to design and investigate the capacity of reinforced concrete piles and caissons under combined axial and bending loads, enabling engineers to optimize pile sections by adjusting reinforcement configurations and material properties for improved strength and efficiency.