An energy-based method for predicting the peak displacement of steel casing composite pile under lateral impact loading

Abstract

Effective and convenient prediction of the peak displacement of piles under collision conditions facilitates the design framework preparation and pile damage evaluation. Hence, an energy-based method was proposed to predict the peak displacement of the widely used steel casing composite (SCC) piles under impact loading. The pile deformation energy was first calculated based on its deformation characteristics and the relationship between the sectional bending moment and curvature. The pile deformation energy and pile–soil energy distribution ratio were then employed to determine the relationship between the total absorbed impact energy and pile head displacement, which was represented by curves. The peak pile displacement under lateral impact loading was finally obtained by interpolating the absorbed impact energy curves. By conducting sectional analysis of the pile considering the strain rate effects and using a structural pushover procedure, the peak pile head displacements for various collision cases were predicted with reasonable accuracy. The effectiveness and reliability of the proposed method were verified by comparing its results with those of previous reduced-scale impact tests and validated full-scale finite element models.