A coupling rational finite element-boundary element method for a laterally loaded pile in transversely isotropic poroelastic soils

Abstract

A coupling rational finite element-boundary element method for the interaction between a laterally loaded pile and multilayered transversely isotropic poroelastic soils is developed in this study. Based on the Timoshenko beam theory, the pile is modeled by the rational finite element method (RFEM), which can avoid shear locking. The extended precise integration method is adopted to obtain the consolidation solution of transversely isotropic poroelastic soils, which is used as the kernel function of the boundary element method (BEM). By coupling of BEM and RFEM, the interaction equations between the pile and soils are established and solved in the Laplace-Hankel transform domain, and the actual solution is obtained by the numerical inversion theorem. Several examples are tested to verify the theory and to investigate the key parameters of the laterally loaded pile in transversely isotropic poroelastic soils.