Analysis and Design of Micro-pile Foundation for an Extension of a Commercial Building

Foundations are classified as shallow and deep. They provide support for superstructure by transferring load to layers of soil or rock that have sufficient bearing capacity. However, certain ground conditions and site constraints make it difficult to use these conventional foundations. In such situations, micro-piles are seen as the only alternative. They can be used both as a ground improvement method and structural element designed as soil frictional piles and rock socketed piles either under tension or compression. They can be installed in restricted access sites making it very favorable. The present paper is a case study of use of micro-pile for a commercial building at Chhattisgarh, India, where the access to the construction site is restricted and the ground conditions are unfavorable for conventional foundations. The geotechnical design of micro-pile is carried out. The present paper also discusses the design of group of six micro-piles with a pile cap which were modeled in Plaxis 3D according to substrata conditions observed at a construction site and the deflection parameters were observed.