Saudi Journal of Civil Engineering (SJCE)
Volume-9 | Issue-11 | 313-323
Original Research Article
Field Installation and Performance Assessment of Prestressed High-Strength Concrete (PHC) Piles for the Steel Plate Manufacturing Project in Ras Al Khair
Maitham M Alsafwani
Published : Dec. 30, 2025
Abstract
This paper presents a case study of a pilot project on using novated Pre-Stressed High-Strength Concrete (PHC) Piles technology for a potential support to the large foundations of Steel Plate Manufacturing Plant, which to be installed on an area that contains sabkha soils saline, loose, and water-saturated sands in Ras Al Khair Industrial City, Saudi Arabia. The key highlight of this project is the successful installation and testing of Prestressed High-strength Concrete (PHC) piles likely the first such application within Saudi Aramco, and possibly within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This paper presents the load-settlement and the load-displacement diagrams for the tested PHC piles and identifies the bearing capacity of some of these piles at the job site. The study summaries the bearing capacities of the tested PHC piles to be considered for the detailed design of future project packages. PHC Pile foundation reduces the settlement of structures and improves bearing capacity of foundation; and the new pile technologies are of little noise and reduce damage to pile during the installation. The PHC piles, characterized by a hollow core and prestressed concrete design, are typically produced with outer diameters ranging from 300 mm to 1200 mm and engineered to endure high axial loads and bending moments, making them suitable for challenging ground conditions such as sabkha.