Pile Foundation

What is Pile Foundation?

A deep foundation, driven or bored down through weak surface soil, that transfers structural load to stronger soil or rock far below through a combination of skin friction along its length and end bearing at its tip. It's the go-to solution whenever the soil directly beneath a structure simply isn't strong enough to support a shallow footing.

The five clues

Engineerdle #68 described Pile Foundation with five clues, revealed one at a time from hardest to most direct. Each clue points at a different property of the concept.

1. 01A foundation type used when the ground right underneath a structure simply isn't good enough.
2. 02It transfers load down to stronger soil or rock, far below the surface.
3. 03It carries load two ways at once: friction along its length, and bearing at its tip.
4. 04Driven, bored and screw varieties are all common installation methods.
5. 05A deep foundation that transfers structural load down to stronger soil or rock through friction and end bearing.