Tension in piles 1

[Geo23]

Is it always safe to assume the tension in a pile as being half of the compression?

 

[dgillette]

Good heavens, no! Think of an end-bearing pile driven a little way into a dense sand under some very soft material. The tensile capacity is a very small fraction of the compressive capacity. (I assume you are referring to capacity when you say "tension" and "compression.")

Or, think of a friction pile with very little tip resistance.

 

[Geo23]

Thank you for your quick response dgillette!