Influence of Pile Geometry on Responses of End-Bearing Pile Groups Subjected to Vertical Dynamic Loads

Abstract

An analytical solution is presented for evaluating the dynamic responses of pile groups subjected to vertical harmonic loads. The solution allows us to consider the effects of pile geometry on the pile head impedance of the vertically loaded pile groups by the use of a new dynamic interaction factor. To this end, the stress distributions of the soil surrounding the vertically vibrating pile is first determined for calculating the pile–pile interaction factor, instead of the classical interaction factor based on two-pile displacements in past studies. Accordingly, the impedances of the pile group are derived using the proposed pile–pile interaction factor and the superposition principle. Some selected examples are presented to demonstrate the proposed refined technique for evaluating the dynamic characteristics of the pile group.