Effects of non-liquefiable crust layer and superstructure mass on the response of 2×2 pile groups to liquefaction-induced lateral spreading

In this research,two shake table experiments were conducted to study the effects of non-liquefiable crust layer and superstructure mass on the responses of two sets of 22 pile groups to liquefactioninduced lateral spreading.In this regard,an inclined base layer overlain by a very loose liquefiable layer was constructed in both models;while only in one model,a non-liquefiable crust layer was built.A lumped mass,being representative of a superstructure,was attached to the cap of one pile group in both models.The models were fully instrumented with various sensors,including acceleration,displacement,and pore water pressure transducers.Also,the piles were instrumented with pair strain gauges to measure pure bending moments induced by cyclic and monotonic loadings associated with ground shaking and lateral spreading,respectively.The results showed that the existence of the non-liquefiable crust layer increases both the maximum and residual soil displacements at the free field and also the maximum bending moments in the piles.The results of the experiments indicated that the crust layer induces a high kinematic lateral soil pressure and force on the piles which are not present in the crustless case.The crust layer increases the pile cap displacement before liquefaction,albeit decreases it after liquefaction,due to the elastic rebound of the piles in the liquefiable layer.The crust layer postpones both liquefaction triggering and dissipation of excess pore water pressure.The existence of the superstructure mass on the pile caps decreases the acceleration amplitude of the pile caps,while increases their maximum displacement.

Experimental study and numerical analysis on bearing behaviors of super-long rock-socketed bored pile groups

A centrifuge modeling test and a three-dimensional finite element analysis（FEA）of super-long rock-socketed bored pile groups of the Tianxingzhou Bridge are proposed.Based on the similarity theory,different prototypical materials are simulated using different indicators in the centrifuge model.The silver sand,the shaft and the pile cap are simulated according to the natural density,the compressive stiffness and the bending stiffness,respectively.The finite element method（FEM）is implemented and analyzed in ANSYS,in which the stress field during the undisturbed soil stage,the boring stage,the concrete-casting stage and the curing stage are discussed in detail.Comparisons in terms of load-settlement,shaft axial force distribution and lateral friction between the numerical results and the test data are carried out to investigate the bearing behaviors of super-long rock-socketed bored pile groups under loading and unloading conditions.Results show that there is a good agreement between the centrifuge modeling tests and the FEM.In addition,the load distribution at the pile top is complicated,which is related to the stiffness of the cap,the corresponding assumptions and the analysis method.The shaft axial force first increases slightly with depth then decreases sharply,and the rate of decrease in rock is greater than that in sand and soil.

Shake table test of soil-pile groups-bridge structure interaction in liquefiable ground

This paper describes a shake table test study on the seismic response of low-cap pile groups and a bridge structure in liquefiable ground. The soil profile, contained in a large-scale laminar shear box, consisted of a horizontally saturated sand layer overlaid with a silty clay layer, with the simulated low-cap pile groups embedded. The container was excited in three E1 Centro earthquake events of different levels. Test results indicate that excessive pore pressure （EPP） during slight shaking only slightly accumulated, and the accumulation mainly occurred during strong shaking. The EPP was gradually enhanced as the amplitude and duration of the input acceleration increased. The acceleration response of the sand was remarkably influenced by soil liquefaction. As soil liquefaction occurred, the peak sand displacement gradually lagged behind the input acceleration; meanwhile, the sand displacement exhibited an increasing effect on the bending moment of the pile, and acceleration responses of the pile and the sand layer gradually changed from decreasing to increasing in the vertical direction from the bottom to the top. A jump variation of the bending moment on the pile was observed near the soil interface in all three input earthquake events. It is thought that the shake table tests could provide the groundwork for further seismic performance studies of low-cap pile groups used in bridges located on liquefiable groun.

A simplified approach for settlement calculation of pile groups considering pile-to-pile interaction in layered soils

A simplified approach is presented for the analysis of the settlement of vertically loaded pile groups. In order to simulate the nonlinear pile-to-pile interaction in pile groups, the soils along the piles are assumed to behave as a series of nonlinear springs subjected to the shaft shear stress at the pile/soil interface. Considering the displacement reduction induced by the pile-to-pile interaction, the shear-deformation method is adopted to approximate the displacement field of the layered soils around the piles, and the equivalent stiffness of the springs is obtained. Furthermore, the load-settlement response of pile groups is deduced by modifying the load-transfer functions to account for the pile-to-pile interaction. The settlements of a laboratory pile groups computed by the presented approach are in a good agreement with measured results. The analysis on Contrastive parameters shows that the settlements of pile group decrease with the increase of the pile space and pile length, and the part of piles exceeding the critical pile length has little contribution to the beating capacity of the pile groups.

The Effect of the Propeller Jet on Pile Groups

The objective of this study is to determine the effect of jet propeller on the damage of berthing structures combined of armoured slope with pile groups. For this purpose, scour measurements were performed for four types berthing structures, which were armoured slope with tandem arrangements of piles for two and three piles and with side by side arrangements of piles for two and three piles. The effect of gap between piles on damage was investigated. The damage level induced by propeller jet between piles was determined. The gaps were 1, 2, 3, and 4 times the pile diameter. Three different values of Rpm （690, 820, and 950） were chosen for the tests. The diameter of circular piles is 40 mm. The slope ratio was 1/3 and the diameter of propeller was 10 cm.

Experimental study on load bearing behavior of large-scaled caps with pile groups

The objective of this investigation was to study the behavior of deep pile caps and the ultimate load-carrying capacity. Four 1/10 scaled models of nine-pile caps were cast and tested on vertical loads to failure. The destruction shapes of pile caps,the correlation between load and displacement,and the internal stresses were analyzed systematically. The results demonstrated that the failures of all the four models are resulted from punching shear; the internal flow of the forces in nine-pile caps can be approximated by "strut-and-tie" model. Furthermore,the failure loads of these specimens were predicted by some of the present design methods and the calculated results were compared with the experimental loads. The comparative results also indicated that the "strut-and-tie" model is a more reasonable design method for deep pile caps design.

A Theoretical Analysis of the Bearing Performance of Vertically Loaded Large-Diameter Pipe Pile Groups

This paper aims to present a theoretical method to study the bearing performance of vertically loaded large-diameter pipe pile groups.The interactions between group piles result in different bearing performance of both a single pile and pile groups.Considering the pile group effect and the skin friction from both outer and inner soils,an analytical solution is developed to calculate the settlement and axial force in large-diameter pipe pile groups.The analytical solution was verified by centrifuge and field testing results.An extensive parametric analysis was performed to study the bearing performance of the pipe pile groups.The results reveal that the axial forces in group piles are not the same.The larger the distance from central pile,the larger the axial force.The axial force in the central pile is the smallest,while that in corner piles is the largest.The axial force on the top of the corner piles decreases while that in the central pile increases with increasing of pile spacing and decreasing of pile length.The axial force in side piles varies little with the variations of pile spacing,pile length,and shear modulus of the soil and is approximately equal to the average load shared by one pile.For a pile group,the larger the pile length is,the larger the influence radius is.As a result,the pile group effect is more apparent for a larger pile length.The settlement of pile groups decreases with increasing of the pile number in the group and the shear modulus of the underlying soil.

Experimental study of vertical and batter pile groups in saturated sand using a centrifuge shaking table

To study the dynamic response of vertical and batter pile groups in saturated sand,dynamic tests of these pile groups in saturated sand were carried out using the ZJU400 geotechnical centrifuge at Zhejiang University.The following results were obtained.(1)As the motion intensity increased,the peak acceleration in soil layers at different depths significantly decreased,indicating that the soil stiffness was significantly reduced.(2)During the motion process,the instantaneous bending moment of the vertical and batter pile groups at different depths changed continuously,which had a strong relationship with the saturated sand liquefaction.In the process of sand liquefaction,the residual bending moment generated by the batter pile was more obvious than that of the vertical pile.(3)With the liquefaction of the saturated sand,the distribution of the maximum bending moment of the vertical pile group changed,and the bending moment near the pile cap of the vertical and batter pile groups was always large.(4)In certain cases,the horizontal acceleration and dynamic displacement of the vertical pile cap were amplified.When the motion intensity was large,residual displacement of the batter pile cap occurred.

Effect of pile-cap connection on behavior of torsionally loaded pile groups

To evaluate the responses of fixed and pinned pile groups under torsion, a method is presented to analyze the nonlinear behavior of free-standing pile groups with rigid pile caps. The method is capable of simulating the nonlinear soil response in the near field usingp-y and r-θ curves, the far-field interactions through Mindlin＇s and Randolph＇s elastic solutions, and the coupling effect of lateral resistance on torsional resistance of the individual piles using an empirical factor. Based on comparisons of the solutions for fixed- and pinned-head, 1×2, 2×2, and 3×3 pile groups subjected to torsion, it was found that pile-cap connection significantly influences the torsional capacity of pile groups and the assignment of applied torques in the pile groups. In this study, the applied torques for the pinned-head pile groups are only 44%-64% of those for the corresponding fixed-head pile groups at a twist angle of 2^o. Such a difference is mainly due to the change of the lateral resistances of individual piles in the groups.

Analysis of energy pile groups subjected to non-uniform thermal loadings

Sequentially coupled thermal-stress finite element analyses were performed to investigate the mechanical behaviors of an energy pile group subjected to non-uniform thermal loadings.The group effect was highlighted by comparing the thermo-mechanical responses with those of the single pile case.Due to the thermal interactions between piles,the group piles’temperatures were higher than that of the isolated single pile.If only part of the piles served as heat exchangers,i.e.,the pile group was thermal loaded unevenly,there were dif-ferential deformations between the heated and the non-heated piles.Due to the pile-raft-pile interaction,the axial forces of the piles chan-ged significantly.The location of the heated pile had an important influence on the thermally induced axial force,while the effect of the soil’s coefficient of thermal expansion was not significant.Inspired by the numerical result,a simplified method was proposed to capture the main characteristics of energy pile groups and to facilitate the design.The proposed method was developed in the framework of the traditional load transfer approach,and the pile-raft-pile interaction was included.By applying different temperature increments to dif-ferent piles,the non-uniform thermal loading was modeled.The proposed method was verified by comparing with the finite element anal-ysis results and the data collected from the literature.

Finite element prediction on the response of non-uniformly arranged pile groups considering progressive failure of pile-soil system

A uniform arrangement of individual piles is commonly adopted in the conventional pile group foundation,and basin-shaped settlement is often observed in practice.Large differential settlement of pile groups will decrease the use-safety requirements of building,even cause the whole-building tilt or collapse.To reduce differential settlement among individual piles,non-uniformly arranged pile groups can be adopted.This paper presents a finite element analysis on the response of pile groups with different layouts of individual piles in pile groups.Using the userdefined subroutine FRIC as the secondary development platform,a softening model of skin friction and a hyperbolic model of end resistance are introduced into the contact pair calculation of ABAQUS software.As to the response analysis of a single pile,the reliability of the proposed secondary development method of ABAQUS software is verified using an iterative computer program.The reinforcing effects of individual piles is then analyzed using the present finite element analysis.Furthermore,the response of non-uniformly arranged pile groups,e.g.,individual piles with variable length and individual piles with variable diameter,is analyzed using the proposed numerical analysis method.Some suggestions on the layout of individual piles are proposed to reduce differential settlement and make full use of the bearing capacity of individual piles in pile groups for practical purposes.

Nonlinear analysis of pile groups subjected to combined lateral and torsional loading

An empirical approach has been developed to analyze the nonlinear response of a pile group with arbitrarily distributed piles subjected to combined lateral and torsional loading.In this approach,the concept of instantaneous twist center is applied to analyze the displacement relationship of pile heads and establish the static equilibrium equations of the pile cap.The horizontal interaction among the individual piles is considered through the generalized p-multiplier.The coupling effect of lateral resistance on the torsional resistance of each pile is quantified using an empirical factorβ;the lateral and torsional nonlinear responses of individual piles are modeled by p-y andτ-θcurves,respectively.The proposed approach not only captures the most significant aspect of the group effect and coupling effect in a pile group subjected to combined lateral and torsional loading,but also automatically updates p-multipliers of individual piles based on pile cap displacements.The proposed approach was verified using results of model tests on pile groups subjected to lateral loading,torsional loading,and combined lateral and torsional loading,separately.In general,the pile cap response and the transfer of applied loads in the pile groups agree well with the test results.

Investigating the Efficiency Coefficient of Pile Group in Clay Under Two-Way Lateral Load

This research investigates the behavior of a 2×2 pile group under two-directional lateral loads in addition to the vertical load.Through three-dimensional numerical modeling based on Flac 3D software,the study examines the total bearing capacity and efficiency coefficient of the pile group,considering factors such as the angle of lateral load,relative pile spacing,and relative stiffness of the pile-soil system.The findings highlight the significance of these factors in understanding and predicting the response of pile groups to changing lateral load directions.The results reveal that increasing the angle of the lateral load from 0°to 45°enhances both the maximum total lateral load and the efficiency coefficient of the pile group.When the relative stiffness of the pile-soil system significantly increases,soil stiffening occurs and reducing the relative spacing of the piles from 7 to 3 times the diameter of the piles diminishes the influence of the pile group.Consequently,the response of the pile group to lateral loads becomes more linear,with only a slight alteration in the maximum total lateral load and the efficiency coefficient when the lateral load is angled from 0°to 45°.Conversely,increasing the relative distance between the piles,specifically from 3 to 7 times the diameter of the piles,amplifies the influence of the pile group.Both the maximum total lateral load and the efficiency coefficient of the pile group exhibit an observed increase.These provide insights for designing pile groups and optimizing their performance under lateral loading conditions.

Three-dimensional elasto-plastic finite element analysis of a soil-pilebridge interaction

The soil-pile-bridge interaction of super-large pile groups is a very complex issue for the design of deep pile group foundations. In this paper, the load distribution on the pile top of a super large bridge foundation and its influential factors are analyzed comprehensively using a three-dimensional elasto-plastic finite element method. The adopted model and its input parameters are firstly verified by comparing the numerical results with the measured data of static loading tests of a single pile. Numerical analysis is then performed to investigate the load distribution and the load-settlement characteristics of super-large pile groups, and the models are verified using centrifuge laboratory model testing data. The mechanism of the interaction between pile groups and soil under different conditions is explored.

Interaction of Building Frame with Pile Foundation

The study deals with physical modeling of a typical building frame resting on a pile group embedded in cohesive soil mass using complete three-dimensional finite element analysis. The elements of the superstructure frame and that of the pile foundation are discretized using twenty node isoparametric continuum elements. The interface between the pile and pile cap is idealized using sixteen node isoparametric surface elements. The more improved finite element mesh is used for modeling soil element as compared to the one used in the study reported in the literature. The soil elements are discretized using eight node, nine node and twelve node continuum elements. Both the elements of superstructure and substructure (i.e., foundation) including soil are assumed to remain in elastic state at all the time. The interaction analysis is carried out using sub-structure approach to attempt a parametric study. The effect of the parameter such as spacing between the piles in a group and diameter of pile is evaluated on the response of superstructure. The response includes the displacement at the top of the frame. The effect of the soil-structure interaction is observed to be significant for the type of foundation and soil considered in the present study.

Limit analysis of vertical anti-pulling screw pile group under inclined loading on 3D elastic-plastic finite element strength reduction method

Based on the functional theory, catastrophe theory, simultaneity principle and the idea of strength reduction method （SRM）, the bearing capacity functional anti SRM of pile group foundation were established, and the criteria of ultimate load and the concept of safety storage coefficient （Css） were advanced. The inclined ultimate loads by the static loading test, load increment method （LIM） and SRM are compared. Theoretically, the ultimate load of piles does not change with the loading levels when it is calculated by SRM. When the one strength reduction parameter is applied in the calculation boundary, there are calculating errors because the bearing capacity action of soils happened in the finite zone. The inclined 10adings are 108, 132 and 144 kN, and SSC are 1.07, 0.94 and 0.79, respectively, so the calculation values of ultimate loads are about 115.56, 124.08 and 113.76 kN, respectively. The error between calculations and observation values is less than 6%. But .the error between calculations of LIM and observations is 20%. Because of the effect of inclined loading, the push-rotation phenomenon of screw pile group appears. Under this testing, the ultimate bearing capacity of piles is mostly determined by the horizontal ultimate bearing capacity, and the effect of the vertical component of inclined load should also be considered.

Response of a pile group behind quay wall to liquefaction-induced lateral spreading:a shake-table investigation

The response of pile foundations near a quay wall under liquefaction-induced lateral spreading remains a complex problem. This study presents the results of a shake-table test on a 2×2 pile group behind a sheet-pile quay wall that was subjected to lateral spreading. The quay wall was employed to trigger liquefaction-induced large lateral ground deformation. The discussions focus on the behavior of the pile and the soil and on the bending moment distributions within the group pile and the restoring force characteristics at the superstructure. Overall, the piles exhibited apparent pinning effects that reduced soil deformation. In addition, the rear-row piles near the quay wall experienced larger bending moments than did the front-row piles, indicating significant pile group effects. The tests showed that lateral spreading could be a primary cause of larger monotonic deformations and bending moments. It can also be concluded that the monotonic bending moments were significantly decreased due to the presence of slow soil flow. The stiffness at the superstructure was reduced because of accumulated excess pore pressure before liquefaction, and it was recovered during lateral spreading. The present study further enhances current understanding of the behavior of low-cap pile foundations under lateral spreading.

Numerical and test study on vertical vibration characteristics of pile group in slope soil topography

Topography effects on the vertical vibration responses of pile group are revealed though numerical analysis and model tests.First,a series of model tests with different topography of ground and bedrock are conducted.The results indicate that displacement amplitude of the pile head in sloping ground topography is larger than in horizontal ground.Differential displacement at various positions of the pile cap is observed in non-horizontal topography.Afterwards,a numerical algorithm is employed to further explore the essential response characteristics in group piles of different topography configurations,which has been verified by the test results.The lengths of the exposed and frictional segment,together with the thickness of the subsoil layer,are the dominant factors which cause non-axisymmetric vibration at the pile cap.

Experimental and numerical investigation on the dynamic response of pile group in liquefying ground

The response of pile foundation in liquefable sand reinforced by densification techniques remains a very complex problem during strong earthquakes. A shake-table experiment was carried out to investigate the behavior of a reinforced concrete low-cap pile group embedded in this type of ground. In this study, a three-dimensional （3D） finite element （FE） analysis of the experiment was conducted. The computed response of the soil-pile system was in reasonable agreement with the experimental results, highlighting some key characteristics. Then, a parametric study was performed to explore the influence of pile spacing, pile stiffness （E/）, superstructure mass, sand permeability, and shaking characteristics of input motion on the behavior of the pile. The investigation demonstrated a stiffening behavior appearing in the liquefied medium- dense sand, and the pile group effect seemed negligible. Furthermore, the kinematic effect was closely connected with both EI and sand permeability. Nevertheless, the inertial effect was strongly influenced by the superstructure mass. Meanwhile, high frequency and large amplitude of the input motion could produced greater the pile＇s moments. It is estimated that this case study could further enhance the current understanding of the behavior of low-cap pile foundations in liquefied dense sand.

Effects of riverbed scour on seismic performance of high-rise pile cap foundation

To explore the seismic performance of a high-rise pile cap foundation with riverbed scour, a finite element model for foundations is introduced in the OpenSees finite element framework. In the model, a fiber element is used to simulate the pile shaft, a nonlinear p-y element is used to simulate the soil-pile interaction, and the p-factor method is used to reflect the group effects. A global and local scour model is proposed, in which two parameters, the scour depth of the same row of piles and the difference in the scour depth of the upstream pile and the downstream pile, are included to study the influence of scour on the foundation. Several elasto-plastic static pushover analyses are performed on this finite element model. The analysis results indicate that the seismic capacity （or supply） of the foundation is in the worst condition when the predicted deepest global scout depth is reached, and the capacity becomes larger when the local scour depth is below the predicted deepest global scout depth. Therefore, to evaluate the seismic capacity of a foundation, only the predicted deepest global scout depth should be considered. The method used in this paper can be also applied to foundations with other soil types.