SECTION 604 BEARING PILES
604.01 DESCRIPTION. Furnish and drive, or HP shape structural steel or steel pipe
bearing piles.
604.02 Materials and Equipment.
604.02.01 Concrete. Conform to Section 601..
604.02.02 Structural Steel. Conform to Section 812.
604.02.03 Welded Steel Pipe Piles. Conform to ASTM A 252, Grade 3.
604.02.04 Miscellaneous Metals. Conform to Section 813.
604.02.05 Polypropylene Sleeves. Conform to the manufacturer’s recommendations.
604.02.06 Pile Points. Conform to AASHTO M 103, Grade 65/35 or ASTM A 148.
Furnish pile points from a supplier on the Department’s List of Approved Materials.
604.02.07 Pile Shoes . Provide pile shoes and closure plates of the type and dimensions
specified when designated on the contract documents. Provide pile shoes for H-piles and open end pipe piles fabricated from cast steel conforming to ASTM A148/A148M (Grade 90-60).
604.02.08 Closure Plates. Provide end closure plates for closed end pipe piles made
of ASTM A36/A36M steel or better. Provide the closure plate diameter and thickness designated in the plans.
604.02.09 Equipment for Driving.
A.Hammers. Drive piles with diesel, air, steam, hydraulic or vibratory hammers. Provide open end (single acting) diesel hammers equipped with a device such as rings on the ram to permit the Engineer to visually determine hammer stroke at all times during pile driving operations. Also provide the Engineer a chart from the hammer manufacturer equating stroke and blows per minute for the open end diesel hammer to be used. For open end diesel hammers, provide and maintain in working order for the Engineer’s use, an approved device to automatically determine and display ram stroke. Operate and maintain air/steam hammers within the manufacturer’s specified ranges. Furnish plant and equipment for air/steam hammers with sufficient capacity to maintain the volume and pressure specified by the manufacturer under working conditions. Provide a hose connecting the compressor or boiler with the hammer that is at least the minimum size recommended by the hammer manufacturer. Provide plant and equipment that are equipped with accurate pressure gauges which are easily accessible to the Engineer. Provide striking parts of air/steam hammers which are not less than one third the weight of the helmet and pile being driven, and in no case weigh less than 2750 pounds. If a wave equation analysis is used for hammer acceptance the minimum ram weight requirements do not apply. Provide hydraulic hammers equipped with a system for measuring and immediately d i s p l a y i n g the kinetic energy or ram impact velocity in the field. Maintain the system in good working order and operational at all times piles are driven. Vibratory hammers, when approved by the Engineer for installing 604-1 production piles, may be used to advance a pile. Use an impact hammer to verify the nominal resistance or refusal criteria, as applicable. When the Engineer judges that the size of the hammer is unsatisfactory due to the required nominal resistance not being reached or excessive blow counts, correct or replace it to produce satisfactory results. Provide the Engineer with the manufacturer’s specifications regarding hammers upon request.
B.Leads. Use leads to support piles in line and position while being driven. Provide pile driver leads constructed in a manner that affords freedom of movement of the hammer while maintaining alignment of the hammer and the pile to insure concentric impact for each blow. Leads may be either fixed or swinging type. Adequately embed swinging leads in the ground or constrain the pile in a structural frame such as a template to maintain alignment and location tolerances. Fit swinging leads with a pile gate at the bottom of the leads unless used with a template. Provide leads with a sufficient length to make the use of a follower unnecessary. Design leads used for driving batter piles to permit and maintain proper alignment of the batter pile. A horizontal brace may be required between the crane and base of leads to maintain alignment and location tolerances in some batter pile installation conditions. If necessary to maintain tolerance, hold leads in position w ith guys, stiff braces, templates or other Engineer approved means for supporting the pile during driving.
C.Followers. Use followers only when approved in writing by the Engineer, or when specifically stated in the contract documents. When submitting a proposal to use a follower, include a wave equation analysis to evaluate the suitability of the proposed driving system. When driving steel piles, provide a steel follower with a cross section that has an impedance between 50 percent and 200 percent of the pile impedance. If using followers, drive one long pile from every group of 10 without a follower, and use this pile to evaluate the nominal resistance of the group. Hold and maintain the follower and pile in equal and proper alignment during driving. Provide a follower consisting of material and with dimensions to permit the piles to be driven to the required penetration depth. Design the follower with guides adapted to the leads that maintain the hammer, follower and pile in alignment during driving. Equip the lower end of the follower with a helmet or follower-pile connection suitable for the pile type being driven. Verify the final position and alignment of the first two piles installed with followers in each substructure unit in accordance with the location and alignment tolerances in Section 604.03.08 before additional piles are installed.
D.Jets. Use jetting only if approved in writing by the Engineer or when specifically stated in the contract documents. When jetting is used, submit details of the proposed jetting and pile driving plan. Where practical, jet all piles in a pile group to the required penetration depth before beginning pile driving. When large pile groups or pile spacing and batter make this impractical and dynamic testing is being conducted, perform restrike tests on a select number of previously driven piles to check nominal resistance after jetting operations are completed; the Gates formula is only valid for the end of driving (EOD) condition.
604.03 Construction.
604.03.01 General.
A.Steel Pipe Piles. Use welded steel pipe piles of the design, thickness, and dimensions specified in the plans. Backfill pipes with sand, gravel, and/or concrete as specified in the contract doc uments. Unless otherwise specified, use fine aggregate meeting the requirements of Section 804, coarse aggregate No. 5 or 604-2 finer meeting the requirements of Section 805, or Class A concrete meeting the requirements of Section 601.
B.Steel H Piles. Use HP shape piles as shown in the plans.
604.03.02 Limitations of Use. Penetrate 10 feet or more into original ground and 10
feet or more below stream bed, or to rock. In all cases, develop the required nominal resistance value or refusal criteria with the pile penetration. For foundation work, do not penetrate a very soft upper stratum overlying a hard stratum unless the piles penetrate the hard material a sufficient distance to rigidly fix the ends.
604.03.03 Storage and Handling. Store and handle piles in a manner that avoids
injury to the piles.
604.03.04 Preparation for Driving.
A.Excavation. Do not drive piles until after completing excavation, except for test piles driven to bedrock and for piles that extend above the ground in the completed structure. Sufficiently excavate the area in the vicinity of the test piles before driving them to ensure that the test piles are driven only through material that will not be excavated later in constructing the footing. Ensure that the Department allow s driving test piles before excavating for the entire footing. Remove all material forced up between the piles to the correct elevation before placing concrete for the foundation.
B.Caps. Cut the heads of steel piles squarely. Provide a driving cap or head that has been properly grooved or made in some manner to fit and hold firmly the head of the pile being driven so that the axis of the pile is in line with the axis of the hammer. Protect tops of steel pipe piles with dr iving heads, mandrels, or other devices properly sized for the hammer according to the hammer manufacturer’s recommendations to properly distribute the hammer blow and to prevent damage to the pipe pile during driving.
C.Pile Points. For steel piles, provide cast steel points when specified or directed in order to obtain penetration. Use pile points of the type specified in the Contract or by the Engineer. Weld pile points to the pile with a minimum 5/16 inch groove weld along the full outside width of each flange on the pile. Install pile points in the shop or in the field and perform all welding according to Sub-Section
607.03.07 using KYTC or AWS certified weld ers. Furnish a mill test report
according to Subsection 607.03.13 C). Furnish the Engineer with the manufacturer’s specifications.
D.Extensions, Build-Ups, and Splices. The Engineer may allow extensions, splices, or build ups when necessary as outlined below. Perform all welding according to Subsection 607.03.07 using KYTC or AWS certified welders.
1.Steel Pipe Piles. Make extensions, splices, or build-ups on steel pipe piles as specified in the Plans or as directed.
2.Steel H Piles. Make extensions or splices according to the standard drawings. Never begin driving with a spliced pile. When splicing is necessary, use a length that will minimize the number of sp lices required to meet he applicable driving criteria.
604.03.05 Methods of Driving and Placing. With the Engineer’s written permission,
water jet or pre-drill and drive the piles with an impact hammer to secure the last few feet of penetration. Do not jet piles unless the Engineer approves. Unless otherwise specified in the Plans or directed, prepare jetted or pr e-drilled holes in compacted fills as necessary to secure the required penetration. Pre-drill holes to a maximum diameter equal to the least cross sectional dimension of the piles driven. Fill all voids that occur around a driven pile 604-3 with free flowing sand. Do not drive piles in the vicinity of recently placed concrete until the concrete is sufficiently cured to prevent damage, in the judgment of the Engineer. Drive pipe piles using steel heads having a projecting ring fitting inside the pipe pile. Provide a 1/4 inch clearance between the ring and the pipe pile. The Department will allow the use of other types of driving heads if the Engineer approves. The Department will not require painting the steel pipes. Remove and replace improperly driven, broken, or otherwise defective pipe piles, or otherwise correct them to the Engineer’s satisfaction by driving an additional pile. The Engineer will inspect all driven pipe piles. When the Engineer approves the driven pipe piles, cut them off to a horizontal plane at the required elevation. Before placing concrete, remove all water or debris from the pipe pile. Place concrete in an approved manner that will ensure against segregation. Do not place concrete until completely driving all piles within a radius of 16 feet of the pipe pile to be filled or until completely driving all the pipe piles for any one bent or pier foundation unit. Continuously place the concrete in each pile, and exercise proper care to fill every part of the pipe pile and to ensure a dense, homogeneous mixture. Ensure that the finished tops of piles are at the elevation specified in the Contract or directed by the Engineer and that they project no less than 6 inches into pier footings and no less than 3 feet into end bents.
604.03.06 Test Piles. Drive test piles of a length and at the location designated on the
plans or determined by the Engineer. Plan test pile lengths are typically greater than the length assumed in the design in order to provide for any variation in subsurface conditions. Test Piles are for the Engineer’s use in determining capability of the Contractor’s equipment and adequacy of design. The Engineer will determine when the applicable refusal criteria or nominal resistance value has been obtained. The Contractor is responsible for determining pile lengths that may be necessary to meet applicable driving criteria. Do not make a claim against the Department for costs of construction delays, or any materials, labor, or equipment that may be necessary due to the Contractor’s failure to furnish piles of a length sufficient to meet applicable driving criteria or for variations in length due to subsurface conditions that may be encountered. Drive production piles using the pile hammer model, size and fuel setting used to drive the test piles. Use the same type of piles in the remainder of the group as the type tested for the group. Unless otherwise noted in the contract documents, accurately locate all test piles so they may be used in the finished structure. Soundings, boring logs, soil profiles, or othe r subsurface data included in the Contract documents are used by the Department for foundation design and making preliminary estimates of quantities. The contractor must develop their own interpretation of the subsurface data to evaluate equipment, materi als, or labor necessary for driving piles as required by the contract.
604.03.07 EVALUATION OF NOMINAL RESISTANCE. The Engineer will
evaluate when each pile in the structure has obtained an adequate nominal resistance. Determine the pile lengths necessary to obtain the required nominal resistance. The Engineer will evaluate the nominal resistance of piles in axial compression based on one of the methods listed below.
A.Static, Dynamic and/or Other Type(s) of Load Testing. When specified in the Contract or required by the Engineer, the Department will determine the size, number, and nominal resistance of piles by loading tests. Perform load testing according to the plans or proposal notes which are elsewhere in the contract documents.
B.Modified Gates Dynamic Formula for Friction Piles. The Engineer will evaluate the nominal resistance using the Modified Gates dynamic formula unless the contract documents contain a provision to use another method to establish driving criteria. The Modified Gates formula is valid for a nominal resistance no greater than 300 tons. It is valid only for the end of driving (EOD) 604-4 condition and may not be applied on restrike. Formula results are not applicable when the pile head is crushed or damaged, or when a follower is used. Drive piles to a penetration depth necessary to obtain the required nominal resistance according to the Modified Gates formula with specified units as follows: R୬ୢ୰ൌ 0.875 √WH logଵሺ10N୧୬ሻെ50 Where: Rndr = nominal driving resistance (tons) W = ram weight (lbs.) H = average hammer stroke during set observation (ft.) N in = number of hammer blows per inch (blows/in.) The number of hammer blows per foot of pile penetration required to obtain the nominal resistance is calculated as follows: N ୲ൌ1 2 ሺ 1 0୶ሻ In which: xൌR୬ୢ୰50 0.875√WH൨െ1 Where: N ft = number of hammer blows per foot (blows/ft.) The Modified Gates Formula can also be expressed as: R ୬ୢ୰ൌ 0.875 √WH logଵ൬100 ଵ൰െ50 Where: S10 = the total set in the last 10 blows (inches) The total set in the last 10 blows (inches) required to obtain the nominal resistance is calculated as follows: Sଵ ൌ ሺ10୷ሻ In which: yൌ2െR୬ୢ୰50 0.875√WH൨ The Department will use the preceding formulas only when:
1.they are applied at the end of dr iving condition and not on restrike,
2.the hammer has a free fall,
3.the head of the pile is not crushed or damaged, 604-5
4.the penetration is reasonably quick and uniform,
5.there is no observed appreciable bounce after the blow, and
6.a follower is not used.
C.Practical Refusal for Point Bearing Piles. Drive point bearing piles to practical refusal as defined in the table below. Immediately cease driving operations if the pile visibly yields or becomes damaged during driving. If hard driving is encountered because of dense strata or an obstruction, such as a boulder before the pile is advanced to the depth anticipated, the Engineer will determine if more blows than specified for practical refusal are required to further advance the pile. Drive additional production and test piles if directed by the Engineer. Case Rock Type Maximum Set I Hard Bedrock ¼ inch in 5 consecutive blows and ¼ inch for 5 additional consecutive blows II Soft Bedrock ½ inch in 10 consecutive blows and ½ inch for 10 additional consecutive blows III Very Soft and Weathered Bedrock 1 inch in 20 consecutive blows and 1 inch for 20 additional consecutive blows Apply the Case Number identified in the plans or as directed by the Engineer. 604-6
604.03.08 Allowable Variation in Driving. Use templates when specified or directed.
A.Exposed Piles. The Engineer will not accept exposed piles in the finished structure when:
1.during driving, the pile varies more than 1/4 inch per foot from vertical or the batter position specified in the Plans;
2.the driven pile varies more than 4 inches from plan position at the pile cut-off elevation; or
3.the driven pile varies more than 2 inches from a stringline stretched between exterior piles in the exposed portion of the pile bent or group.
B.Unexposed Piles. The Engineer will not accept unexposed piles in the finished structure when:
1.during driving, the pile varies more than 1/4 inch per foot from vertical or the batter position specified in the Plans; or
2.the driven pile varies more than 6 inches from plan position at the pile cut-off elevation. For either case, the Engineer will reference the plan position of the pile cut- off elevation to determine the variation of 1/4 inch per foot. For all piling that is unacceptable because of variations, remove and replace or redrive them in an acceptable position or correct them in a manner the Engineer directs. Furnish and place all additional concrete and steel reinforcement required to meet plan clearance and dimensions in footings, caps, or bridge seats due to variations in driving, even when variations are within allowable tolerances.
604.03.09 Design Modifications. When it is not possible to meet the applicable
driving criteria required by the Plans, the Department will redesign the structure based on the test piles or pile load tests. The redesi gn will be at Department expense and time will not accrue during redesign.
604.03.10 Ordering Piles. Order piles of the number and lengths necessary to
complete the work.
604.03.11 Pile Protection. When specified in the Contract, provide protection from
negative skin friction as the Contract specifies.
604.03.12 Unused Pile Lengths. Take ownership of unused lengths of piles and pile
cutoffs, and remove such lengths and cutoffs from the project.
604.04 Measurement.
604.04.01 Piles. The Department will measure the quantity in linear feet for the total
lengths of the various types and sizes. Splices are incidental to this item of work. The Department will not measure unused lengths of piles or pile cutoffs for payment. The Department will not measure corrective work or re-driven piles. The Department will not measure any additional concrete or steel reinforcement required to meet plan clearance and dimensions in footings, caps, or bridge seats due to variations in driving, even when vari ations are within allowable tolerances.
604.04.02 Pile Points. When included as a bid item, the Department will measure the
quantity by each individual unit.
604.04.03 Test Piles. For test piles actually used as a pile in the structure, the
Department will measure the quantity according to Subsection 604.04.01 except that the 604-7 minimum measured length for test piles will be the length specified in the Plans or directed by the Engineer. The Department will not measure unsatisfactory test piles that are not used as a pile in the structure. Length of test piles specified in the Plans are approximate only. The Department will not measure necessary splices for payment and w ill consider them incidental to this item of work.
604.04.04 Load Tests. When required, the Department will measure and pay for load
tests as defined elsewhere in the Contract Documents. The Department will not measure for payment load tests made at the option of the Contractor.
604.05 PAYMENT. The Department will make payment for the completed and accepted
quantities under the following: Code Pay Item Pay Unit 08042-08056 Piles Steel HP, Size Linear Foot 23546EC, 23826EC Pipe Pile, Size Linear Foot 08093-08095 Pile Points Each 08033 Test Piles Linear Foot The Department will consider payment as full compensation for all work required under this section. 604-8 SECTION 605 PRESTRESSED AND PRECAST CONCRETE PRODUCTS
605.01 DESCRIPTION. Construct precast prestressed concrete members.
Provide complete members, including all steel and other materials. Members include I-beams, box beams, barrier walls, deck units (box beams and slab), box culverts, and piling and other structural items. Fabricate according to the Department’s Precast and Prestressed Concrete Products Inspector’s Manual.
605.02 Materials and Equipment.
605.02.01 Concrete. Conform to Subsection 601.02 and 601.03.
605.02.02 Steel Reinforcement. Conform to Section 811.
605.02.03 Prestressing Strands. Conform to Section 811.
605.02.04 Non-Shrink Grout. Conform to Subsection 601.03.
605.02.05 Forms. Conform to Subsection 601.02. Only use metal forms for
prestressed sections, except that wooden bulkheads are acceptable. Ensure that all forms are accessible for vibrating, tamping, and consolidating the concrete.
605.02.06 Styrofoam. Use material the Engineer approves.
605.02.07 Cardboard. Use material the Engineer approves.
605.02.08 Batching Plant Equipment. Conform to Subsection 601.02.
605.02.09 Plant Certification. Ensure that all prestressed and precast concrete
products supplied to Department of Highways’ projects are manufactured in a Certified Plant.
A.Requirements. For a plant to become a Certified Plant, ensure that the producer has the following:
1.A production facility and other necessary equipment that conform to the Contract requirements.
2.A quality control program conforming to Division 100 of the Department’s Precast and Prestressed Concrete Products Inspectors Manual.
3.An acceptable record of production of quality products.
4.Concrete technicians responsible for design of the concrete mixture and for performing quality control and process control testing, as required in Subsection 605.02.09 and Division 300 of the Department’s Precast and Prestressed Concrete Products Inspectors Manual. Ensure that the concrete technicians are certified as ACI Level I and KCA Level II as awarded by the KCA. A Level I concrete technician is responsible for quality control tests such as air content, slump, and molding cylinders. A Level II concrete technician is responsible for supervising this testing. The Engineer may require retesting or re-certification as deemed necessary .
B.Application for Certification. Each year, ensure that the plant submits a written application for plant certification before January 1 to the Division of Materials. Ensure that the plant submits an application for re-certification when transferring 605-1
Source: Kentucky Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction, 2019 Edition. Pages 322–329 of 718.