Abstract: A new type of catastrophe theory of quasi-brittle materials is proposed. The essence of the new type of theory is that the nonlinear instability of the structure is derived from its own constitutive relationship. Then the new type of theory is applied to the cast-in-place end bearing pile for exploring its failure modes. Obviously, the failure of end bearing piles is caused by the nonlinear instability. Furthermore, the failure mechanism of end bearing piles is introduced and the mathematical and mechanical criteria are presented. At last, two examples are analyzed for validation of the new type of theory. Just as expected, the theoretical results agree well with the experimental ones. Besides, some suggestions are given to distinguish ductile and brittle failure of end bearing piles.