Analytical solution for adjacent pile deformation induced by excavation construction of transportation facilities considering heavy rainfall influence

Abstract

The current design practice for predicting the interaction mechanics for excavation-soil-pile is generally conducted on the assumption of fine weather and provides little attention on the rainfall intensity and duration risk. Furthermore, previous studies on the disturbed soil induced by deep excavation seldom take account of the impacts of support structure. This paper introduces an analytical solution to estimate the interaction between excavation and adjacent pile considering the heavy rainfall influence. By introducing the modified Green-Ampt model under the assumption of stratification, the Mindlin’s solution is derived to efficiently predict the additional stress of surrounding soils at the position of adjacent pile in heavy rainfall environment. Then, the Pasternak foundation model is employed for the deformation response of adjacent pile caused by additional stress, which accounts for heavy rainfall influence. The accuracy of the mathematical model is then verified by comparisons with in-situ observed data. It is revealed that the solution considering the rainfall infiltration mechanism can provide a prediction of deformation response for pile in good agreements. Finally, the parametric analyses are performed to estimate the influence for the characteristics of the wetting front and the adjacent pile displacement response, including relevant parameters of the rainfall and the pile.