Soil–Pile Interaction Analysis Using Multi-laminate Elasto-Plastic Modelling

Abstract

The safe and economical design of pile foundations are particularly important due to their usage in sensitive structures. This research aims to investigate soil–pile interaction using the numerical method and will provide greater familiarity with force distribution in deformation mechanisms in the soil as well as soil–pile interaction. Mohr–Coulomb model was used as the behavioral pattern. This model poorly applies the effects of soil anisotropy on mathematical relations. Therefore, this constitutive model was formulated within the multi-laminate framework which is of the great importance and value among different methods for material behavior modeling. This model can predict complex behavioral features, the effect of the principal stress axes rotation during plastic deformations, and prediction capability of the failure mechanism direction. The model is capable of predicting softening behavior of the soil in a reasonable manner due to using unconventional plasticity. The influences of induced anisotropy are included in a rational way without any additional hypotheses owing to natural properties of the multi-laminate framework. Results of this model were compared with test data and reasonable agreement was found. In this research, a pile sample was considered with its characteristics examined using a computer program within the framework of non-linear finite element method and multi-laminate theory. Calibrating the appropriate parameters of contact surfaces, the soil–pile interaction was estimated. Finally using the presented curves for planes, soil deformation, strain and tension controlling mechanism were identified to determine the shear failure route and critical areas with the risk of slip occurring at the pile shaft–soil interface.