ABSTRACT
Piles and pile caps should be designed according to locally applicable design rules. The piles should be designed following local guidelines. In the transition zone to non-piled road sections, the pile spacing is sometimes increased and/or the pile toe depth is reduced gradually. The piles should be designed such that they can bear the entire load: traffic load, weight of the road pavement structure and embankment weight. The dimensions of the pile cap and the way in which the connection with the pile is made are important for the load distribution in the reinforced embankment and the pile. The detailing of the connection partly determines the bending moments that are transferred into the piles. The pile cap should be dimensioned for: bending moment, horizontal normal force and vertical transverse force or punching. Also, it should be ensured that the edge of the pile caps cause negligible damage to the geo-synthetic reinforcement.
