Geoss Guidelines On Local Practices For Pile Foundation Design And Construction -

Many local drillers use the number of hammer blows per 10 cm after seating the pile (the “set” value). GEOSS provides a conversion table from set values to SPT-N for driven piles, allowing old local records to be reused.

International codes and standards—such as Eurocode 7 (SS EN 1997-1 and SS EN 1997-2) and BS EN 1536—provide robust general principles for foundation engineering. However, they cannot fully anticipate the unique geological complexities encountered in specific regions. In Singapore, for instance, the western part of the island sits atop natural limestone formations that feature cavities and slump zones at considerable depths. These features rarely manifest as surface sinkholes, yet when piles penetrate deep into the ground they may encounter such voids, posing significant construction challenges and potentially compromising load‑carrying capacity.

The Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) focuses on specialized topics including pile driving effects on pore pressure build-up, CPT-based design methods for offshore piles, and time effects on pile capacity. NGI’s work is valuable for research and specialized applications but does not provide the comprehensive, jurisdiction-specific regulatory framework characteristic of GEOSS guidelines.

Piles supporting bridges, high-rise buildings, or offshore structures must withstand severe lateral loads from wind, waves, and seismic activity. The dominant local practice modeling this behavior is the Many local drillers use the number of hammer

The or soil type you want to target (e.g., coastal clay, tropical residual soil).

Key differences between GEOSS and AASHTO approaches include:

The circular applies to both bored piles and barrette piles (another type of deep foundation element) and became mandatory for structural plan submissions submitted on or after 1 March 2026. It is supplemented by three annexes: Annex A (design and construction guidelines), Annex B (good practices for geophysical surveys), and Annex C (good practices for limestone cavity logging in boreholes). However, they cannot fully anticipate the unique geological

The guidelines explicitly state: "Local practice is not a substitute for basic soil mechanics; it is a lens to apply them economically."

A high-strain, cost-effective alternative utilizing wave equation analysis to estimate capacity rapidly across multiple production piles. Integrity Testing

: Allowable concrete compressive stress for bored piles is generally limited to Reinforcement CPT-based design methods for offshore piles

(bored, driven H-pile, spun pile) are you considering for your site?

These guidelines, often evolving to meet international standards such as the , emphasize local geological understanding and tailored design approaches. 1. Key Principles of GeoSS Guidelines for Pile Design