A configurator tool will be build off the module 7 submission and can help design piles for structural foundations. The previous model only considered the size/depth to optimize cost/carbon footprint, stability, settlement, etc. This tool will take a more realistic design approach and will actually calculate the spacing based on the applied load/soil bearing capacity.
Intended users
The intended user for this application would be structural engineers or for ambitious individuals who are planning to design a pile system (ex. for a cottage). The application requires some basic structural/geotechnical engineering knowledge, and serves as a design assistant to test different cases. In the end, the piles should still be verified by a qualified structural/geotechnical engineer.
Need you’re trying to provide a solution or support for
Designing a pile system is a tedious task that requires trying to optimize the pile spacing, material selection, material load bearing capacity, and soil bearing capacity for the unique site conditions and loads. In many cases, the cheapest design is taken, but with the push towards more sustainable designs, perhaps other alternatives such as timber piles could be considered.
Inputs
The inputs are wide ranging and customizable for each project including aspects like material choice (concrete, steel, timber), pile cap height/length ratio, the total building load, building size (width, length), the depth and radius of the piles, soil type (sand, clay), and soil characteristics (unit weight, internal angle of friction). This tool allows for commonly used or contractor’s readily available materials to be inputted, and for unique site conditions to be easily accounted for.
Underlying logic of the model you’ll implement
The logic of the model will use the cross-sectional area of the pile and material compressive strength to determine the maximum load per pile. In parallel, the soil bearing capacity will be required given the pile dimensions and soil characteristics. The smaller of the two loads will be taken, and the total load will be divided by the load capacity per pile. This will return the number of piles required. From here, the spacing between piles can be calculated, and thus the pile cap dimensions. The outputs discussed below will be calculated next.
Outputs
The main output will be a Revit model of the pile design (including pile cap design). However, other outputs will be calculated in parallel and outputted. This will include the estimated cost of the design, the soil bearing capacity, the material bearing capacity, and the carbon footprint for the design. The soil bearing capacity and material bearing capacity will be useful to complete future iterations as the “limiting” variable will be known.