7. Conclusion

The use of deep foundations has become very common, whether for buildings or civil engineering structures such as bridges, reservoirs, etc. The loads to be supported are becoming heavier and heavier. The loads to be supported are increasingly heavy and, at the same time, it is accepted to build on poor soils, which would have been prohibitive in the past. Surface foundations are no longer able to meet requirements in terms of bearing capacity and/or settlement.

Onshore, the first problem to be solved is often that of bearing capacity (vertical or axial), and it is this that governs the general design of the deep foundation project (number of piles, length and diameter, type, etc.). Along the coast or offshore, horizontal (transverse) forces, such as those due to swell, are often dominant.

In many cases, therefore, it is necessary to check...