imber pile grade beam connection
 

timber pile grade beam connection
does anyone have a good connection detail for connecting a 12" wide grade beam directly to a 12" timber pile? a 4' deep grade beam with 2' deep cap gives a depth of 6'. groundwater depth is 5' below grade and i do not want to form caps in the wet and tremie concrete. foundation is for multi family residential construction. cost savings for forming and pouring 200+ pile caps would be significant to say the least. are caps actually required by code?
thanks,
rp
i have been doing pile caps for 25 years and would not recommend your proposed pile to beam connection. i not sure if the code specifically addresses your proposed detail. i would go with a standard typical pile cap and "dap" the concrete beam ends to meet the elevation. all your bottom of concrete would now be at elevation -4 ft. what kind of loads are on your grade beam anyway and what is your timber pile capacity??
do you have any significant uplift? i usually use straps secured to the sides of the timber piles and embed these into the concrete
dik
i have seen steel rebar dowels used with smaller piles and wider pile caps in la in residential applications.