Horizontal stress change of energy piles subjected to thermal cycles in sand

Abstract

Horizontal stress changes of semi-floating energy piles subjected to cyclic thermal loading are investigated through finite element analysis adopting the hypoplastic model. By using the validated finite element model, a parametric study is carried out, considering effects of amplitude of thermal cycles, pile diameter, pile length and relative density of sand. It is revealed that due to volumetric contraction of sand (loose or dense) at the interface under temperature induced cyclic shearing, a reduction of horizontal stress occurs. The degree of reduction in horizontal stress is most affected by the amplitude of thermal cycles and the pile diameter.