Shake-table test on dynamic response of prestressed high-strength concrete pipe piles under Soil–Structure interaction

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a shake-table test on a superstructure model supported by a prestressed high-strength concrete (PHC) pipe pile in soft soil. The primary objective is to investigate the dynamic response of the PHC pipe pile in soft soil influenced by soil–structure interaction (SSI). Accordingly, a single PHC pipe pile with iron blocks is constructed and embedded in soft soil. First, the production of the physical model of the PHC pipe pile and experimental details are elucidated. Then, the study focuses on the dynamic response of the soil–pile–superstructure system considering different ground motion types and peak ground accelerations (PGAs). Finally, the inertial and kinematic effects on the dynamic response of the PHC pipe pile are analyzed. The results show that the SSI effect can increase the predominant period of the superstructure. With the SSI effect, the seismic design should consider the adverse effects of long-period and pulse-type ground motions on the pile. The SSI effect caused the rate of increase in the pile bending moment to be gradually higher than the increase in PGA. Moreover, the dynamic response of the PHC pipe pile is mainly dominated by the inertial effect.