Kinematic response of pile groups and piled rafts to a distant stationary or moving harmonic load via the FEM

Abstract

Using the finite-element method (FEM), this study presents results on piled foundations excited by a stationary or moving harmonic vertical point load acting on the soil surface at a given distance. For the stationary loading case, typical configurations of pile groups and corresponding piled rafts are examined in the frequency domain. The contribution of the raft alone in the overall response is also explored. The soil is modelled as a linear-elastic continuum with hysteretic damping. A wide range of frequencies from 8 to 64 Hz is considered. Of interest is the resulting vertical oscillation mode. The influence of the number of pile rows in the direction of wave propagation on the resulting vibration reduction is assessed by monitoring a reference pile at the furthest back pile row and an observation point at the free-field behind. The associated wave-passage effect is quantified through appropriate transfer functions for the piles. Subsequently, the case of a harmonic load travelling with a constant speed parallel to the pile group is investigated. Most importantly, it is revealed that a good approximation for this case is a stationary load located on the moving load path at the shortest distance from the pile group. This has important implications in the vibration protection practice, as detailed modelling of moving loads is then not required. The methodology presented can be extended to arbitrary foundation geometries and layered soil profiles.