Pile Response under Axial Tension Forces in Sandy Soils

Abstract

This paper presents a methodology to predict the pile-head load versus displacement curve, and the associated mobilized stiffness of a pile embedded into sandy soils, on the basis of the soil-pile interaction. The mobilized tensile resistance and displacement of the pile shaft are determined up to failure on the basis of the soil and pile properties, including the soil stress-strain curve. The proposed technique also provides the t-z curves for piles in sandy soils that can be separately used in a combined model for a complete superstructure-substructure solution. A detailed flowchart is presented to describe the proposed methodology that has been compiled through a computer program. A number of comparisons with full-scale load tests at different sites were employed to validate the suggested technique. In addition, a finite-element model has also been developed to compare the results of the presented method with those determined from the finite-element analysis and full-scale load tests results.