Concreted-in Piles Guidelines

Concreted-in piles are a specific foundation solution utilized by the WVDOH to address environmental sensitivities and geological constraints, particularly in areas with shallow bedrock or nearby existing structures.

Usage and Application

Concreted-in piles are required in the following scenarios:

• Vibration Sensitivity: When structures sensitive to vibration are located within 75 feet of pile driving operations.
• Shallow Bedrock: When minimum pile driving lengths cannot be obtained. These minimums are:
  • Integral Abutments: 15 feet
  • Semi-Integral Abutments: 10 feet
• Free Length Requirements: Fully-integral abutments normally require a free length of 15 feet. Shorter lengths may be permitted if a flexure check is performed.
• Semi-Integral Abutments: These do not require free length and may be placed directly on rock or isolated using a sand cushion (at least 1 foot thick), depending on bearing demand and horizontal loading.

Material and Placement Specifications

All concreted-in pile projects must adhere to the following material standards:

• Concrete Classes: Class DC or Class B modified concrete must be used in the rock socket.
• Specifications: Concrete placement must comply with Section 625 of the WVDOH Standard Specifications.
• Elevation: Concrete is placed to the top of the rock socket elevation as determined by the minimum free length and plan details.
• Steel Grades: Piles must comply with AASHTO M160 and M270, Grade 50.

Structural Analysis for Integral Piles

When fully-integral piles have less than 15 feet of free length, the combined axial and flexure loading must be analyzed. The Geotechnical Unit provides two paths for this analysis:

1. LRFD Analysis: Analysis in accordance with Section 6.9.2.2 of LRFD.
2. Lpile Analysis: In lieu of the LRFD analysis, the unit will accept Lpile results showing that the total pile stress does not exceed 45 ksi in the strength limit state.

Modeling may use a free-head, partially fixed, or fully-fixed condition (if embedded 3 feet into the cap) based on anticipated thermal movement.

Additional Resources

For more detailed information, please refer to the official Technical Engineering Memo – Concreted-in Pile Substructures (PDF).

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