Numerical modeling of open-ended piles

Abstract

Deep foundations are generally used when significant loads are applied, and the site conditions do not allow for the implementation of soil reinforcement processes. This research focuses on studying the behavior of piles in a frictional environment, used as foundations for offshore structures in dense sands, involving anchor depths and overloads significantly higher than those encountered in onshore applications. The bearing capacity of open-ended driven piles plays a crucial role in this study. Therefore, a series of tests were conducted in the literature on model piles in a calibration chamber, which is considered a tool for physical modeling, allowing for significant penetration of instrumented model piles under confinement conditions similar to those experienced by real piles. Emphasis is placed on predicting the ultimate load capacity of open-ended piles using numerical methods. Calculations were performed using the finite element code PLAXIS to numerically reproduce the same shear stresses as those measured on the model during various phases of the experiment. The approach aims to validate the documented experiments in the literature and compare the ultimate load capacity of an open-ended pile to that of a closed-ended pile. Our study is limited to the case of a single pile, subject to static and axial force. The results show that it is possible to achieve a good agreement between the experiment and the numerical modeling with a relatively simple model, provided that the soil parameters are chosen correctly and the interface stiffness is adequately simulated.