In end-bearing piles, load is primarily transferred to what?

In end-bearing piles, load is primarily transferred to what?

• A. End-bearing transfer load along the shaft via skin friction.
• B. End-bearing transfer load to a hard stratum at pile tip.
• C. Both transfer load only at the tip.
• D. End-bearing rely on soil cohesion; friction piles rely on adhesion.

Answer: (B)

In end-bearing piles, the main resistance to vertical load comes from the pile tip pressing against a hard layer below the ground. When the pile reaches a stiff stratum (like rock or dense soil), the contact pressure at the end surface carries most of the load, so the pile’s end bearing dominates. The shaft can contribute some resistance through skin friction, but this is much smaller compared to the tip resistance in end-bearing piles. The idea is that the load is transferred predominantly to the hard stratum at the pile tip, not along the shaft. The other statements mix in mechanisms (such as skin friction dominating or relying on cohesion/adhesion) that describe different pile behaviors, not the primary mode for end-bearing piles.

In end-bearing piles, the main resistance to vertical load comes from the pile tip pressing against a hard layer below the ground. When the pile reaches a stiff stratum (like rock or dense soil), the contact pressure at the end surface carries most of the load, so the pile’s end bearing dominates. The shaft can contribute some resistance through skin friction, but this is much smaller compared to the tip resistance in end-bearing piles. The idea is that the load is transferred predominantly to the hard stratum at the pile tip, not along the shaft. The other statements mix in mechanisms (such as skin friction dominating or relying on cohesion/adhesion) that describe different pile behaviors, not the primary mode for end-bearing piles.