Effects of disc overhang diameter on the uplift bearing capacity of new-type concrete expanded-plate pile groups

Abstract

The disc overhang diameter can significantly affect the uplift bearing capacity of new concrete expanded-plate pile groups, affecting their design and practical applications. Accordingly, this effect was investigated considering the failure laws of the soil surrounding various pile types and groups. Based on the uplift bearing capacities of single and double piles, a finite element simulation was adopted to establish models for the four-, six-, and nine-pile groups. The relationship between the disc overhang diameter and uplift-bearing capacity of each pile group was explored: as the disk overhang diameter increased, the uplift-bearing capacities of the pile groups increased; however, this relationship is nonlinear. The optimal disc overhang diameter was determined as 1.5–1.75 times the pile diameter. For a constant disc overhang diameter, corner piles have a greater uplift bearing capacity than side piles in the six-pile group, and a greater uplift bearing capacity than the side and center piles in the nine-pile group. Thus, the pile-group effect depends on the pile position. The uplift bearing capacity did not increase linearly with the number of piles, and the average uplift bearing capacity of a pile in a pile group was less than that of a single pile. Therefore, the uplift bearing capacity of the pile groups decreased as the number of piles increased. The reliability of the simulation was verified via visual testing of a small-scale half-cut pile model.