ABSTRACT
Serviceability limit states and ultimate limit states need to be distinguished. This chapter provides merely a few general principles, without going into the details of the limit state design. The situations, the various types of actions and their values to be taken into account within the design are defined in normative or regulatory documents. In particular, they vary depending on the type of structure being considered. The design method outlined in §3.3.2 takes into account the relative ground-pile stiffness, as well as the displacement g(z) that the soft ground undergoes under the dissymmetrical load in absence of the pile. The foundations of buildings and bridges must be justified for various design combinations and actions, in compliance with Eurocode: “Basis of structural design” and with Eurocode 7 “Geotechnical design”. The quasi-permanent combinations correspond to the actions really supported by the structure over most of its lifetime.
