piles supporting drainage

huangyhg

piles supporting drainage
i am considering using piles to support drainage (upvc pipes). in this situation how far apart should the piles be placed and should i specify a beam or precast floor slab unit spanning between piles to give continuous support. if a beam or slab is provided would it need extra piles to stabilise it and how would it be connected to the piles?
thanks for any help.  
i've never heard of this application but if a pile line is used to support a wall, we will generally stagger the piles each side of the wall centerline to provide some out-of-plane resistance.
the spacing will depend on capacity of the element you are using to continuously support the pipe.  
imho, a mix of (expensive) piling and (inexpensive) pvc pipe is an odd combination for the following reasons:
1. the pvc pipe does not have significant beam strength, so the piling would have to be closely spaced.
2. adding beams between piling to support the pvc is "technically" possible but makes the economics even stranger.
3. if the pvc pipe is exposed, it is subject to damage.
again, in my opinion, if you are going to spend significant money for piling, then use pipe made from material that is comparable in quality for the application. ductile iron pipe has a long history of pile supported use and may be a better choice. in fact here is publication outlining how to do what you have proposed... using ductile iron pipe:
make sure your bldg piling and pipe piling settle together.
i know in theory they stay in the same place forever. i've fixed alot of them that didn't. but i'd use the dip.
richard a. cornelius, p.e.
cheers guys
at an engineering oral examination many years ago a comerade of mine was asked how one should dimension the different layers of a road meant for thimber transporting vehicles.
the background of the question was meant to lead into the explanation of a larger mathematical based table in the obligatory text.
my comerades' answer, knowing that this tabels' explanation was something he had not prepared for, was however : 'the road should be designed to bear the traffic it was meant for.'
the examining professor raised his eybrows, thought for a few seconds and gave the comment 'excellent! excellent!' and the best grade without further examination.
.......
to your question vinny7: get the 'load' and given properties (measurements and material properties) of the pipeline, and climaticaland other conditions.(frost? stormflood? inclination? temerature?). all is depending on this detailed information.
the rest is a normal engineering job of constructing something of (normally) either steel or concrete or combination of both, out of practical, cost effective and ethical reasons.
continous support and adjustable strapping of the pipeline to the support could be a practical suggestion.