CONTENTS

1.0 INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................1

2.0 NEGATIVE SKIN FRICTION.........................................................................................2

2.1 What is Negative Skin Friction?....................................................................................2

2.2 Movement for Negative Skin Friction to Develop.......................................................3

2.3 Magnitude of Negative Skin Friction............................................................................3

2.4 Distribution of Load in a Pile & the Neutral Plane.....................................................5

2.5 Settlement of a Pile.........................................................................................................5

2.6 Design of Piles Considering Negative Skin Friction....................................................5

2.6.1 Neutral Plane............................................................................................................5

2.6.2 Structural Strength..................................................................................................5

2.6.3 Settlement.................................................................................................................6

2.6.4 Geotechnical Capacity.............................................................................................6

2.7 How can Negative Skin Resistance be Reduced...........................................................6

4.0 CONCLUSION...................................................................................................................8

5.0 REFERENCES...................................................................................................................8
 1.0 INTRODUCTION
Ever since pile foundations were used as foundations for buildings and structures,
geotechnical engineers had to face the problem of pile being dragged down by settling soils.
Instead of positive shaft friction, negative skin friction occurs along the pile shaft for piles
installed in settling soils and would induce additional vertical load and settlement on the pile.
In severe conditions, it may lead to structural failure of the pile.

A relative movement between a pile and a soil produces shear stress along the interface of the
pile and the soil. Such movement can be induced by a push-load on the pile pressing it down
into the soil, or by a pull-load moving it upward. ` A relative movement can also be induced
when the soil settles in relation to the pile, or, in swelling soils, when the soil moves upward
in relation to the pile. By definition, if the movement of the pile is downward, i.e., the shear
stress induced in the pile is upward, the direction of the shear is positive. If the movement of
the pile is upward, the shear stress direction is negative; accordingly, the induced shear stress
is called positive or negative.

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 2.0 NEGATIVE SKIN FRICTION
2.1 What is Negative Skin Friction?
Negative skin friction or down drag is a phenomenon which occurs when a soil layer
surrounding a portion of the pile shaft settles more than the pile. This condition can develop
where a soft or loose soil stratum located anywhere above the pile tip is subjected to new
compressive loading. If a soft or loose layer settles after the pile has been installed, the skin-
friction-adhesion developing in this zone is in the direction of the soil movement, pulling the
pile do Negative skin friction may also occur by the lowering of ground water which
increases. Negative skin friction may also occur by the lowering of ground water which
increases the effective stress inducing consolidation and consequent settlement of the soil
surrounding the pile. [ CITATION Pec76 \l 2057 ].

Figure 1: Photo showing Negative Skin Friction received from Budhu, Muni. Soil Mechanics
and Foundations. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2011 on 10/26/2017

According to Budhu (2011), Piles located in setting soil layers (e.g., soft clays or fills) are
subjected to negative skin friction called down drag. The settlement of the soil layer causes
the friction forces to act in the same direction as the loading on the pile. Rather than
providing resistance, the negative friction imposes additional loads on the pile. The net effect
is that the pile load capacity is reduced, and pile settlement increases. The allowable load
capacity is given as
Qb +Qf
Q a= Qnf
FS
For a soft, normally consolidated soil, the negative skin friction is usually calculated over
one-half its thickness.

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2.2 Movement for Negative Skin Friction to Develop
The magnitude of the movement necessary for negative skin friction to develop has been
reported in a few papers. Walker and Darvall (1973) reported that a 35 mm settlement of the
ground surface due to a 3 m high surcharge placed around single piles was sufficient to
develop negative skin friction down to a depth of 18 m. Settlement distribution with depth
was not measured. Bjerin (1977) found that negative skin friction was fully mobilized to a
depth of about 25 m after a relative displacement of about 5 mm as measured at a short
distance away from the pile (about 0.12 m). At a distance of 5 m, the relative displacement
was about 8 mm. Bozozuk (1981) found that a reversal of direction of shear forces down to a
depth of 20 m occurred when loading a pile and generating a relative movement of about 5
mm at the pile head.

While Bjerrum et al. (1969) reported negative skin friction developing along piles at a site
where the settlement under a recent fill amounted to 2 metre, they also reported that about the
same magnitude of negative skin fraction developed on the same type of piles driven under
an adjacent, 70 year old fill of the same height in the same type of soil, which did not
experience any new settlement after the pile installation.

The reported observations indicate that no "slip" between the pile and the soil takes place and
that extremely small movement is all that is needed to generate shear stress or to reverse the
direction of shear along the pile-soil interface.

The pile material is immensely more rigid than the soil and, with time, there will always be
small settlement in a soil generating a small relative displacement between a pile and the soil
that is large enough to develop shear forces along the pile. The inescapable conclusion is that
all piles experience drag-loads.

2.3 Magnitude of Negative Skin Friction

Johannessen and Bjerrum (1965) showed that negative skin friction is proportional to the
effective overburden stress in the soil surrounding the pile. The following is the relation to
calculate negative skin friction:

q n= 'v =M K s tan '

qn negative skin friction

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The constant of proportionality is called beta-coefficient, , and it is a function of the earth
pressure coefficient in the soil Ks, times the soil friction, tan ', times the ratio of the wall
friction, M = tan '/tan '.

For a pile group, it can be assumed that there is no relative movement between the piles and
the soil between the piles. Therefore, the total force acting down is equal to the weight of the
block of soil held between the piles, plus the shear along the pile group perimeter due to
negative skin friction. The equation for pile groups shown below was used by Teng and
Terzaghi and Peck. However, in Peck, Hanson, and Thornburn, the shear resistance on the
perimeter was eliminated. Both Teng and Terzaghi and Peck state that the component due to
shear resistance is the larger value. However Teng recommends using the lesser of the
summation of shear resistance for individual piles of a pile group. These formulas are based
on the principal that the negative skin friction affects bearing capacity.

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Average negative skin friction for group piles = Qn f = [ A L+sLP ]
N

A = Horizontal area bounded by the pile group (Cross sectional area of piles enclosed soil)

N = Number of piles in pile group

= Unit weight of fill or compressible soil layers

L = Length of embedment above the bottom of the compressible soil layers

s = shear resistance of the soil

P = Perimeter of the Area A

Negative skin friction for Single piles Qn f =[ sLP ' ]

P = perimeter of pile

The total applied load (QT) on a pile group or single pile is the live load, dead load, and the
drag load due to negative skin friction.

The Total applied load QT =Q+ A L+ sLP (Pile group)

QT =Q+ sLP ' (Single pile)

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2.4 Distribution of Load in a Pile & the Neutral Plane
There must always be an equilibrium between the sum of the dead load applied to the pile
head and the drag-load, and the sum of the positive shaft resistance and the toe resistance.
The depth where the shear stress along the pile changes over from negative skin friction into
positive shaft resistance is called the neutral plane. This plane is where there is no relative
displacement between the pile and the soil. Provided the shear stress along the pile does not
diminish with depth, the neutral plane lies below the mid-point of a pile. If the soil below the
neutral plane is strong, the neutral plane lies near the pile toe. The extreme case is for a pile
on rock, where the location of the neutral plane is at the bedrock elevation.

2.5 Settlement of a Pile

The neutral plane is, as mentioned, the location where there is no relative displacement
between the pile and the soil. Consequently, whatever the settlement in the soil is as to
magnitude and distribution, the settlement of the pile head is equal to the settlement of the
neutral plane plus the compression of the pile caused by the applied dead load plus the drag-
load.

2.6 Design of Piles Considering Negative Skin Friction

To understand the design principle, it is important to realize that the live load and the drag-
load do not combine and that two separate loading cases must be considered dead load plus
drag-load, but no live load and dead load and live load, but no drag-load. Furthermore, a
rigid, high capacity pile will experience a large drag-load, but small settlement, whereas a
less rigid smaller capacity pile will experience a smaller drag-load, but larger settlement.
Moreover, the drag-load is caused by settlement, or, rather, relative displacement, but the
drag-load does not generate settlement, and no pile will settle more than the ground surface
nearest the pile, indeed no more than the soil settlement at the location of the neutral plane.

2.6.1 Neutral Plane

As a first step in the design, the neutral plane must be determined. Its location is determined
by the requirement that the sum of the applied dead load plus the drag-load is in equilibrium
with the sum of the positive shaft resistance and the toe resistance of the pile. It can be found
at the intersection of two load distribution curves.

2.6.2 Structural Strength

The structural capacity is the structural strength of the pile material at the neutral plane for
the combination of dead load plus drag-load - live load is not be included. (At or below the

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pile cap, the structural strength of the embedded pile is determined as a short column
subjected to dead load plus live load, but drag-load is not included). At the neutral plane, the
pile is confined and it is suggested that the limiting value of maximum combined load be
determined by applying a safety factor of 1.5 on the pile material strength (steel yield and/or
concrete 28-day strength and long term crushing strength of wood).

2.6.3 Settlement
The settlement of the pile head is determined by first calculating the distribution of settlement
and, then, drawing a horizontal line from the neutral plane to intersection with the settlement
curve. The settlement of the pile is equal to the settlement of the soil at the elevation of the
neutral plane plus the elastic compression of the pile due to the dead load and the drag-load in
combination.

2.6.4 Geotechnical Capacity

Consideration of the geotechnical capacity in the design of a pile, or of a group of piles,
amounts to making a check of the safety against plunging failure of the pile. In such a case,
the pile moves down along its entire length and the negative skin friction is eliminated.
Therefore, the load applied on the pile in the design effort is the combination of the dead and
live loads. The drag-load must not be included.

When the pile capacity has been determined by static loading test or by the analysis of data
from dynamic monitoring, a factor of safety of 2 or larger ensures that the neutral plane is
located below the mid-point of the pile. When the capacity is calculated from soil strength
values, the factor of safety should not be smaller than 3.

2.7 How can Negative Skin Resistance be Reduced

When the design calculations indicate that the pile settlement could be excessive, solutions
such as increasing the pile length or decreasing the pile diameter, could improve the situation.
When the calculations indicate that the pile structural capacity is insufficient, solutions such
as increasing the pile section, or increasing the strength of the pile material could improve the
situation. When such methods are not practical or economical, the negative skin friction can
be reduced by the application of bituminous coating or other viscous coatings to the pile
surfaces before the installation.

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 Figure 2: Showing the Forces Acting on a Pile. Retrieved from
http://www.geoforum.com/info/pileinfo/terminology.asp on
10th October, 2017.

4.0 CONCLUSION
Negative skin friction is indeed an ever present and unavoidable problem that plagues
Engineers when it comes to deriving a safe and economic design. Though it is not a fully

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understood property there are methods in place that can help us with our designs whether it
be theoretical calculations or direct testing such as pile load tests. There are even measures
that can be taken or applied to the pile itself to reduce negative skin friction. This is a
property that can possibly cause a structure to fail and should be dealt with carefully and
efficiently.

5.0 REFERENCES
Leung, C. F., 2009. Geotide. [Online]
Available at: http://gndec.ac.in/~igs/ldh/conf/2009/articles/V2-0_01.pdf
[Accessed 20 October 2017].

Middendorp, P. & Ginneken, G. J. J. V., 2000. Allnamics. [Online]

Available at: http://www.allnamics.eu/wp-content/uploads/AdavantagesSTNandDLTPDF.pdf
[Accessed 20 October 2017].

Bjerin, L., 1977. Pahangskrafter Pa Langa Betongpalar, Sweden: Wiesman Press.

Bjerrum, L., Johannessen, I. J. & Eide, O., 1969. Reduction of Negative Skin Friction on Steel Piles to
Rock. ICSFME, II(7), pp. 27-34.

Bozozuk, M., 1981. Bearing Capacity of a Pile Preloaded by Downdrag. ICSMFE, II(10), pp. 631-636.

Fellenius, B. H., 1984. Negative Skin Friction & Settlement of Piles. Singapore, BiTech Publishers Ltd.

Walker, A. & Darvall, H., 1973. Dragdown on Coated & Uncoated Piles. ICSFME, II(8), pp. 257-262.

Budhu, Muni. Soil Mechanics and Foundations. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2011.

B. Das. Principles of Geotechnical Engineering. Canada: Nelson, Thompson Canada Ltd. 2006