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 Large-Scale Group Decision Making Model Based on Trust Relationship and Social Network Updating

With the development of big data and social computing,large-scale group decisionmaking(LGDM)is nowmerging with social networks.Using social network analysis(SNA),this study proposes an LGDM consensus model that considers the trust relationship among decisionmakers(DMs).In the process of consensusmeasurement:the social network is constructed according to the social relationship among DMs,and the Louvain method is introduced to classify social networks to form subgroups.In this study,the weights of each decision maker and each subgroup are computed by comprehensive network weights and trust weights.In the process of consensus improvement:A feedback mechanism with four identification and two direction rules is designed to guide the consensus of the improvement process.Based on the trust relationship among DMs,the preferences are modified,and the corresponding social network is updated to accelerate the consensus.Compared with the previous research,the proposedmodel not only allows the subgroups to be reconstructed and updated during the adjustment process,but also improves the accuracy of the adjustment by the feedbackmechanism.Finally,an example analysis is conducted to verify the effectiveness and flexibility of the proposed method.Moreover,compared with previous studies,the superiority of the proposed method in solving the LGDM problem is highlighted.

Large-Scale Multi-Objective Optimization Algorithm Based on Weighted Overlapping Grouping of Decision Variables

The large-scale multi-objective optimization algorithm(LSMOA),based on the grouping of decision variables,is an advanced method for handling high-dimensional decision variables.However,in practical problems,the interaction among decision variables is intricate,leading to large group sizes and suboptimal optimization effects;hence a large-scale multi-objective optimization algorithm based on weighted overlapping grouping of decision variables(MOEAWOD)is proposed in this paper.Initially,the decision variables are perturbed and categorized into convergence and diversity variables;subsequently,the convergence variables are subdivided into groups based on the interactions among different decision variables.If the size of a group surpasses the set threshold,that group undergoes a process of weighting and overlapping grouping.Specifically,the interaction strength is evaluated based on the interaction frequency and number of objectives among various decision variables.The decision variable with the highest interaction in the group is identified and disregarded,and the remaining variables are then reclassified into subgroups.Finally,the decision variable with the strongest interaction is added to each subgroup.MOEAWOD minimizes the interactivity between different groups and maximizes the interactivity of decision variables within groups,which contributed to the optimized direction of convergence and diversity exploration with different groups.MOEAWOD was subjected to testing on 18 benchmark large-scale optimization problems,and the experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our methods.Compared with the other algorithms,our method is still at an advantage.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Large-Scale Group Decision Making:A Systematic Review and a Critical Analysis

The society in the digital transformation era demands new decision schemes such as e-democracy or based on social media.Such novel decision schemes require the participation of many experts/decision makers/stakeholders in the decision processes.As a result,large-scale group decision making(LSGDM)has attracted the attention of many researchers in the last decade and many studies have been conducted in order to face the challenges associated with the topic.Therefore,this paper aims at reviewing the most relevant studies about LSGDM,identifying the most profitable research trends and analyzing them from a critical point of view.To do so,the Web of Science database has been consulted by using different searches.From these results a total of 241 contributions were found and a selection process regarding language,type of contribution and actual relation with the studied topic was then carried out.The 87 contributions finally selected for this review have been analyzed from four points of view that have been highly remarked in the topic,such as the preference structure in which decision-makers’opinions are modeled,the group decision rules used to define the decision making process,the techniques applied to verify the quality of these models and their applications to real world problems solving.Afterwards,a critical analysis of the main limitations of the existing proposals is developed.Finally,taking into account these limitations,new research lines for LSGDM are proposed and the main challenges are stressed out.

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.

Non-Cooperative Behavior Management in Large-Scale Group Decision-Making Considering the Altruistic Behaviors of Experts and Its Application in Emergency Alternative Selection

Emergency decision-making problems usually involve many experts with different professional backgrounds and concerns,leading to non-cooperative behaviors during the consensus-reaching process.Many studies on noncooperative behavior management assumed that the maximumdegree of cooperation of experts is to totally accept the revisions suggested by the moderator,which restricted individuals with altruistic behaviors to make more contributions in the agreement-reaching process.In addition,when grouping a large group into subgroups by clustering methods,existing studies were based on the similarity of evaluation values or trust relationships among experts separately but did not consider them simultaneously.In this study,we introduce a clustering method considering the similarity of evaluation values and the trust relations of experts and then develop a consensusmodel taking into account the altruistic behaviors of experts.First,we cluster experts into subgroups by a constrained Kmeans clustering algorithm according to the opinion similarity and trust relationship of experts.Then,we calculate the weights of experts and clusters based on the centrality degrees of experts.Next,to enhance the quality of consensus reaching,we identify three kinds of non-cooperative behaviors and propose corresponding feedback mechanisms relying on the altruistic behaviors of experts.A numerical example is given to show the effectiveness and practicality of the proposed method in emergency decision-making.The study finds that integrating altruistic behavior analysis in group decision-making can safeguard the interests of experts and ensure the integrity of decision-making information.

Design Considerations for Pile Groups Supporting Marine Structures with Respect to Scour

Piles supporting marine structures such as jetties, relieving platforms, quay walls and fixed offshore structures are subjected to lateral loads due to berthing and mooring forces, wind, waves, storm surges and current forces. This paper presents some factors that affect the design of pile groups supporting marine structures founded in cohesionless soils. Some main aspects that should be considered in the pile group design are addressed such as pile batter angle, pile group arrangement, pile spacing, pile slenderness ratio and magnitude of lateral static loading. Numerical analyses were conducted to investigate these design aspects with and without impact of scour. Different scour depths were considered to cover the possible root causes of scour around pile groups such as waves, current and ship propeller jets. The study revealed that scour has greater impact on lateral loading of pile groups compared to its impact on single piles. Pile groups with side-by-side arrangement exposed to scour are more critical than single piles and piles groups with tandem arrangement due to the combined effect of scour and pile-soil-pile interaction. It is also concluded that scour protection is not always required. More attention and considerations should be given to scour protection around piles especially if the piles are closely spaced, arranged side-by-side and if slenderness ratio is less than 12.5.

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.

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.

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.

Evaluation of group effect of pile group under dragload embedded in clay

A simple semi-empirical analysis method for predicting the group effect of pile group under dragload embedded in clay was described assuming an effective influence area around various locations of pile group. Various pile and soil parameters such as the array of pile group, spacing of the piles (S), embedment length to diameter ratio of piles (L/D) and the soil properties such as density (γ), angle of internal friction (φ) and pile-soil interface friction coefficient (μ) were considered in the analysis. Model test for dragload of pile group on viscosity soil layer under surface load consolidation conditions was studied. The variations of dragload of pile, resistance of pile tip and the layered settlement of soil with consolidation time were measured. In order to perform comparative analysis, single pile was tested in the same conditions. The predicted group effect values of pile group under dragload were then compared with model test results carried out as a part of the present investigation and also with the values reported in literatures. The predicted values were found to be in good agreement with the measured values, validating the developed analysis method. The model test results show that negative skin friction of pile shaft will reach 80%-90% of its maximum value, when pile-soil relative displacement reaches 2 mm.

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.

Simplified Calculation Method and 3D Numerical Analysis for Pile Group Under Uplift Loading

Pile foundations of ports, mooring systems for ocean surface or submerged platforms are subjected to amount of uplift loading, and prediction of the uplift capacity is one of the most important subjects in structure designs. The paper pertains to the development of a simplified theoretical method on prediction of the uplift capacity of pile group embedded in clay assuming a composite failure surface （inverted and tnmcated circular pyramidal and cylindrical sttrface）. Various pile and soil parameters such as the arrangement of pile group, pile spacing, length, diameter of the pile and the soil properties such as unit weight, angle of internal friction and the pile-soil interface friction angle, which have direct influence on the uplift capacity of the pile group, are incorporated in the analysis. A 3D numerical model is built by FLAC3D to analyze the pile group under uplift loading for comparison, and various effect factors, such as length to diameter ratio, pile spacing and pile numbers are considered. The predicted values of uplift capacity and failure surface of pile group with different length to diameter ratio, pile spacing and soil properties are then compared with numerical analysis results and tleld test results. The predictions are found to be in good agreement with numerical analysis and measured values, which validate the correctness of the developed method. It is also found that the uplift capacity is significantly influenced by the pile-soil friction coefficient, soil shear strength, etc.