Coarse-Grained Soil |
Soil types that have particles large enough to be seen without visual assistance. The coarse-grained materials include the sand and gravel (or larger) soil particles. |
Coated Piling |
Steel sheet piling that is given a protective coating of coal tar epoxy or similar approved material. In certain environments, such surface treatment is specified in order to increase the effective life of piling. |
Cobble |
A rock fragment of 3 to 12 inches in size, usually rounded by weathering and abrasion. |
Cobi Mandrel |
A proprietary, segmented steel mandrel designed to be pneumatically expanded inside a thin corrugated shell to hold it while driving. |
Coefficient of Restitution (e) |
Nondimensional coefficient of cushion materials which accounts for the energy absorbing characteristics of the material. The value of "e" lies between 1 and 0. |
Cofferdam |
A structure which is built to exclude earth and water from an area in order that work may be performed there under reasonably dry conditions. A cofferdam does not have to be entirely watertight to be successful. It may be cheapter to permit some flow into the working area; water is then removed with pumps. See Cellular Cofferdam, Crib. |
Cohesion |
The bonding or attraction between particles of fine-grained soil that enhances shear strength and is independent of effective pressure. |
Cohesionless Soil |
A soil, sand, that when unconfined has little or no strength when air-dried and that has little or no cohesion when submerged. |
Coil Bolt |
Concrete formwork hardware consisting of two threaded inserts welded to ends of a small diameter steel rods. Bolts are inserted through the forms and threaded into the ends. This allows adjustment of the forms for vafious widths of concrete placements. |
Column |
A vertical shaft of many shapes designed to support the structure above. |
Column Cap |
Horizontal concrete beam that ties several concrete columns together, such as in bridge construction. |
Column Clamp |
Two perforated steel angles, approximately 36" long, that are hinged with a steel pin at one end to form an L-shape. Used in pairs and fastened with steel wedges to encompass a square column form. |
Combustion Delay |
The time between impact and compustion in an impact atomization diesel pile hammer. |
Compacted Concrete Pile |
A cast-in-place pile formed with an enlarged base. Dry concrete in the base is placed in small batches, which are compacted by heavy blows while plastic. See Enlarged Base, Franki Pile, Pedestal Pile. |
Compaction |
The process of inreasing the density or unit weight of a soil by preloading, rolling, tamping, vibrating, or other mechanical means. |
Composite Pile |
A pile made up of two or more types or sizes of piles joined together. The connection between the components is designed to transmit load and to prevent seperation during and after construction. See Spliced Pile. |
Compound Batter Pile |
1. Pile driven at an angle in two directions from
the principal line of the piles, normally expressed as a ratio of
horizontal to vertical of the piles centerline (see Batter Pile)
along with horizontal orientation angle from the principal
line. |
Compression bounce |
The bounce of the ram, ususally on a diesel pile driver, that occurs after the hammer is shut off. Note: Rams will bounce up to 45 seconds after the fuel pump is shut off due to compression in the combustion chamber. Note: Diesel hammers have been known to re-start themselves if the fuel pump shut off rope is released to soon while there is still compression bounce. When shutting down a diesel hammer be sure to hold the shut off rope until the ram stops bouncing from compression. |
Compression Leads |
Pile hammer leads designed to withstand compressive forces from pile extraction operations (i.e., as used in pulling sand drains or mandrels). |
Compression Web |
A member connecting the top and the bottom chords in tension. |
Compressive Stroke |
Distance traveled by diesel hammer ram compresing cylinder gas. Measured from bottom of air intake port to point of impact. |
Computer Wave Equation Program |
A computer program used to solve the wave equation as applied to pile driving and speciifally to attempt to predict the optimum hammer size and pile length to acquire a desired ultimate bearing value of a pile. See WEAP, TTI and Diesel I Program. |
Concrete Batching |
Measuring the dry materials for a concrete mix (usually by weight) to control the quality of the mix. |
Conical Point |
A cast or fabricated steel drive shoe for pipe pile to help with easier driving, improved penetration, and prevent damage to the pile. |
Constant Rate of Penetration |
See CRP |
Construction Point |
Surface where two successive placements of concrete meet across which a bond is maintained between the placements. Reinforcement may or may not be interrupted. |
Contact Sheeting |
A propriety means of attaching horizontal timber lagging to the face of steel soldier piles as excavation proceeds. |
Continuous Flight Auger |
A pneumatic, electric or hydraulic drilling machine to which is connected a string of helical augers and a cutting head, used to bore holes in the earth, into which a pile section or tieback is set or concrete is cast-in-place. |
Convertible Diesel Pile Hammer |
A diesel hammer which can be opreted either open-end (single-acting) or closed-end (double-acting). |
Cookie Cutter |
A steel caisson with a circular base floated nto position like a huge barge and sunk all the way to bedrock to make a base for a bridge pier. |
Coolie Hook |
An elongated quick opening, shackle or clevis for handling sheet pile during setting. The pin is placed in a sheet pile handling hole and is released after the pile reaches grade. |
Corbel |
A block placed on top of piling at a cap joint. A projecting beam acting as a cantilever supporting another beam. |
Core |
A soil or rock sample removed by drilling. |
Cored Pile |
A pile formed by removing earth prior to pile installation. |
Coring |
Continuation of a soil boring into rock; a core may be recovered for examination and testing. See Dry Sampling. |
Corner |
A fabricated piling shape, either a bent shape or an assembly of piling, plates and angles, used as a means of changing the wall direction laterally. |
Corner |
Fender pile around the corner of a dock. |
Corral |
A pile supported enclosure in deep water used to position a caisson as it is being sunk. |
cpm |
Cycles per minute -- A measure of frequency. |
Cradle, Hammer |
A structure which slides on the rails of pile driver leads and carries the hammer forward of the lead rails. |
Crane Boom |
Spare beam or truss projecting from a crane to support a load. |
Creosoted Pile |
A timber pile impregnated with coal tar creosote to minimize deterioration. |
Crew, Pile |
The on-site personnel who will physically install piling on a project, including the crane crew, as applicable. Also called Dockbuilders, Bridgemen, or Pile Bucks. |
Crib |
A structure built of round or square timbers, or reinforced precast concrete members, laid in courses with the pockets filled with riprap or rubble. |
Cross Bracing |
Bracing constructed at right angles to the main axis and used as sway bracing. |
Cross Head |
See Head Block. |
Crowd |
1. Downward thrust of kelly bar or auger caused by
mechanical reactions against the weight of the boring rig. It is
used when boring becomes difficult in hard formations. |
CRP |
Constant Rate of Penetration -- Load test accomplished by applying a load to the pile in such a manner that the pile top (head) experiences a constant rate of displacement and at short time intervals the force and displacement are recorded, from which a force displacement curve may be plotted; a definition of failure may be developed from this. Typical displacement rates range from 0.010 to 0.020 inches per minute. See MLT. |
Cuneiform Pile |
A tapered or step-tapered pile. |
Curtain Wall |
A non-load bearing wall. Also see Cut-Off Wall. |
Cushion |
See Pile Cushion. |
Cushion Blocks |
Blocks, stack or coils of material such as wood, plastic, compressed paper, aluminum, rope, etc. which are placed in drive cap under a pile hammer to receive and absorb a portion of the impact blow. Same as Cap Material, Dolly. |
Cut Off |
The excess portion of a pile above cut-off elevation. |
Cut-Off Elevation |
The elevation of the top of the pile as shown on the contract drawing. |
Cut-Off Wall |
A structure constructed, underground, to impede the
flow of water as: |
Cutting Shoe |
Additional metal placed as an inside or outside cast steel ring or welded plate at the bottom of an open-end pile or caisson to strengthen the tip. |
Cylinder Lift |
1. The point at which the cylinder of a
double-acting air or diesel pile hammer begins to lift or
"float." |
Cylinder Pile |
Circular pile constructed of concrete or steel. |