FEM Analysis of Dynamic Soil-Pile-Structure Interaction in Liquefied and Laterally Spreading Ground

Abstract

A two-dimensional nonlinear dynamic finite element (FE) model was developed and calibrated against dynamic centrifuge tests to study the behavior of soil-pile-structure systems in liquefied and laterally spreading ground during earthquakes. The centrifuge models included a simple structure supported on pile group. The soil profiles consisted of a gently sloping clay crust over liquefiable sand over dense sand. The FE model used an effective stress pressure dependent plasticity model for liquefiable soil and a total stress pressure independent plasticity model for clay, beam column elements for piles and structure, and interface springs that couple with the soil mesh for soil-structure interaction. The FE model was evaluated against recorded data for eight cases with same set of baseline parameters. Comparisons between analyses and experiments showed that the FE model was able to approximate the soil and structural responses and reproduce the lateral loads and bending moments on the piles reasonably well.