Nonlinear lateral interaction in pile dynamics

A model for pile lateral response to transient dynamic loading and to harmonic loading is presented allowing for nonlinear soil behaviour, discontinuity conditions at the pile-soil interface and energy dissipation through different types of damping. The approach is used to establish equivalent linear stiffness and damping parameters of single piles as well as dynamic interaction factors for approximate nonlinear analysis of pile groups. The applicability of these parameters to the pile-group analysis was examined, and a reasonable agreement with the direct analysis was found. The superposition technique may be used to analyze the response of small pile groups. Also, the dynamic stiffness of pile groups is greatly affected by both the nonlinear behavior of the soil and the slippage and gapping between the pile and soil. For a basic range of soil and pile parameters, equivalent linear stiffness and damping parameters of single piles and interaction factors for approximate nonlinear analysis are provided.     

Soil-pile interaction in vertical vibration

The interaction between a soil layer and an end bearing pile is theoretically investigated. The pile is assumed to be vertical and elastic, the soil is considered as a linear visco-elastic layer with hysteretic type damping. The layer alone is solved first and the wave modes of the layer are used in the analysis of the pile response. The pile response to a harmonic load is obtained in a closed form and used to define stiffness and damping at the level of the pile head. The dimensionless parameters of the problem are identified. A parametric study is conducted to determine the main features of the response and of the equivalent stiffness and damping. The validity of equivalent viscous damping is examined. A comparison is made with the simpler plane strain theory used previously and its accuracy is assessed.     

Kinematic response of single piles for different boundary conditions: Analytical solutions and normalization schemes

Kinematic pile–soil interaction is investigated analytically through a Beam-on-Dynamic-Winkler-Foundation model. A cylindrical vertical pile in a homogeneous stratum, excited by vertically-propagating harmonic shear waves, is examined in the realm of linear viscoelastic material behaviour. New closed-form solutions for bending, displacements and rotations atop the pile, are derived for different boundary conditions at the head (free, fixed) and tip (free, hinged, fixed). Contrary to classical elastodynamic theory where pile response is governed by six dimensionless ratios, in the realm of the proposed Winkler analysis three dimensionless parameters suffice for describing pile–soil interaction: (1) a mechanical slenderness accounting for geometry and pile–soil stiffness contrast, (2) a dimensionless frequency (which is different from the classical elastodynamic parameter a₀=ω d/V_s), and (3) soil material damping. With reference to kinematic pile bending, insight into the physics of the problem is gained through a rigorous superposition scheme involving an infinitely-long pile excited kinematically, and a pile of finite length excited by a concentrated force and a moment at the tip. It is shown that for long piles kinematic response is governed by a single dimensionless frequency parameter, leading to a unique master curve pertaining to all pile lengths and pile–soil stiffness ratios.     

Natural vibration frequency and damping of slender structures founded on monopiles

Offshore wind turbine (OWT) is a typical example of a slender engineering structure founded on large diameter rigid piles (monopiles). The natural vibration characteristics of these structures are of primary interest since the dominant loading conditions are dynamic. A rigorous analytical solution of the modified SSI eigenfrequency and damping is presented, which accounts for the cross coupling stiffness and damping terms of the soil–pile system and is applicable but not restrictive to OWTs. A parametric study was performed to illustrate the sensitivity of the eigenfrequency and damping on the foundation properties, the latter being expressed using the notion of dimensionless parameters (slenderness ratio and flexibility factor). The application of the approximate solution that disregards the off diagonal terms of the dynamic impedance matrix was found to overestimate the eigenfrequency and underestimate the damping. The modified SSI eigenfrequency and damping was mostly affected by the soil–pile properties, when the structural eigenfrequency was set between the first and second eigenfrequency of the soil layer. Caution is suggested when selecting one of the popular design approaches for OWTs, since the dynamic SSI effects may drive even a conservative design to restrictive frequency ranges, nonetheless along with advantageous – from a designers perspective – increased damping.     

Strain effects on kinematic pile bending in layered soil

The kinematic bending of single piles in two-layer soil is explored to account for soil stiffness degradation and associated damping increase with increasing levels of shear strain, a fundamental aspect of soil behaviour which is not incorporated in current simplified seismic design methodologies for pile foundations.A parametric study of a vertical cylindrical pile embedded in a two-layer soil profile to vertically-propagating S waves, carried out in the time domain by a pertinent beam-on-dynamic-Winkler-foundation (BDWF) model, is reported. Strain effects are treated by means of the equivalent-linear procedure which provides soil stiffness and damping ratio as function of shear strain level. Whereas the approach still represents a crude representation of the actual soil behaviour to dynamic loading, it is more realistic than elementary solutions based on linear visco-elasticity adopted in earlier studies.The paper highlights that soil nonlinearity may have either a detrimental or a beneficial effect on kinematic pile bending depending on the circumstances. The predictive equations for kinematic pile bending in visco-elastic soil recently developed by the Authors are extended to encompass strain effects. Numerical examples and comparisons against experimental data from case histories and shaking table tests are presented.     

Transient kinematic pile bending in two-layer soil

The dynamic response of piles to seismic loading is explored by means of an extensive parametric study based on a properly calibrated Beam-on-Dynamic-Winkler-Foundation (BDWF) model. The investigated problem consists of a single vertical cylindrical pile, modelled as an Euler–Bernoulli beam, embedded in a subsoil consisting of two homogeneous viscoelastic layers of sharply different stiffness resting on a rigid stratum. The system is subjected to vertically propagating seismic S waves, in the form of a transient motion imposed on rock outcrop. Several accelerograms recorded in Italy are employed as input motions in the numerical analyses. The paper highlights the severity of kinematic pile bending in the vicinity of the interface separating the two soil layers. In addition to factors already investigated such as layer stiffness contrast, relative soil–pile stiffness, interface depth and intensity of ground excitation, the paper focuses on additional important factors, notably soil material damping, stiffness of Winkler springs and frequency content of earthquake excitation. Existing predictive equations for assessing kinematic pile bending at soil layer interfaces are revisited and new regression analyses are performed. A synthesis of findings in terms of a set of simple equations is provided. The use of these equations is discussed through examples.     

Soil-pile interaction in vertical vibration induced through a frictional interface

The interaction between a soil layer and an end bearing pile in vertical vibration induced through the frictional interface is theoretically investigated. The pile is assumed to be vertical and elastic, whereas the soil is considered as a linear visco-elastic layer with hysteretic damping. Slip between the pile and the soil is allowed to occur along the frictional interface, in which the hysteretic frictional stress is linearized to permit modal decomposition. Approximate solutions of the pile and the soil for steady-harmonic loads are obtained in closed form by composing the wave modes of the layer. The displacement amplitudes of the pile and the soil, the critical slip force, the stiffness of the pile head, and the modal stiffness contribution of the soil to the pile are evaluated numerically with respect to the ratio of applied force level to the slip stress level and the slenderness ratio, at various frequencies.     

Resistance of soil to a horizontally vibrating pile

The resistance of a soil layer to steady horizontal vibration of an elastic pile is theoretically investigated. The pile is assumed to be vertical and of circular cross-section. The soil is modelled as a linear viscoelastic layer with hysteretic material damping. A closed form solution is obtained for the resistance of the soil layer to the motion. This resistance depends on shear modulus of soil, frequency, pile slenderness, material damping and Poisson's ratio. A parametric study of the effect of these parameters is included. The soil layer resistance is expressed in a form which can be used directly in the solution of the soil-pile interaction problem which is treated in a subsequent paper. The approach also applies for rigid deeply embedded footings.     

Soil–pile–structure interaction under SH wave excitation

A continuum model for the interaction analysis of a fully coupled soil–pile–structure system under seismic excitation is presented in this paper. Only horizontal shaking induced by harmonic SH waves is considered so that the soil–pile–structure system is under anti‐plane deformation. The soil mass, pile and superstructure were all considered as elastic with hysteretic damping, while geometrically both pile and structures were simplified as a beam model. Buildings of various heights in Hong Kong designed to resist wind load were analysed using the present model. It was discovered that the acceleration of the piled‐structures at ground level can, in general, be larger than that of a free‐field shaking of the soil site, depending on the excitation frequency. For typical piled‐structures in Hong Kong, the amplification factor of shaking at the ground level does not show simple trends with the number of storeys of the superstructure, the thickness and the stiffness of soil, and the stiffness of the superstructure if number of storeys is fixed. The effect of pile stiffness on the amplification factor of shaking is, however, insignificant. Thus, simply increasing the pile size or the superstructure stiffness does not necessarily improve the seismic resistance of the soil–pile–structure system; on the contrary, it may lead to excessive amplification of shaking for the whole system. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pile‐head kinematic bending in layered soil

Kinematic effects at the head of a flexible vertical pile embedded in a two‐layer soil deposit are investigated by means of rigorous three‐dimensional elastodynamic finite‐element analyses. Both pile and soil are idealized as linearly viscoelastic materials, modelled by solid elements, without the restrictions associated with the use of strength‐of‐materials approximations. The system is analyzed by a time‐Fourier approach in conjunction with a modal expansion in space. Constant viscous damping is considered for each natural mode, and an FFT algorithm is employed to switch from frequency to time domain and vice versa in natural or generalized coordinates. The scope of the paper is to: (a) elucidate the role of a number of key phenomena controlling the amplitude of kinematic bending moments at the pile head; (b) propose a simplified semi‐analytical formula for evaluating such moments; and (c) provide some remarks about the role of kinematic bending in the seismic design of pile foundations. The results of the study provide a new interpretation of the interplay between interface kinematic moments and corresponding head moments, as a function of layer thickness, pile‐to‐soil stiffness ratio, and stiffness contrast between the soil layers. In addition, the role of diameter in designing against kinematic action, with or without the presence of an inertial counterpart, is discussed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Calibration of dynamic analysis methods from field test data

In view of the heterogeneity of natural soil deposits and approximations made in analysis methods, in situ methods of determining soil parameters are highly desirable. The problem of interest here is the nonlinear dynamic behavior of pile foundations. It is shown in this paper that soil parameters needed for simplified dynamic analysis of a single pile may be back-calculated from the dynamic response of the pile measured in the field. A pile was excited by applying a large horizontal dynamic force at the pile-head level, and the response measured. In this paper, two different (simplified) methods of modeling the dynamic response of the pile are considered. One of the methods is based on the Winkler foundation approach, with the spring constant characterized by the so-called nonlinear p–y springs. The second method is based on the equivalent-linear finite element approach, with the nonlinearity of shear modulus and damping accounted for by employing the so-called degradation relationships. In the latter, the effect of interface nonlinearity is also considered. Starting with best estimates of soil parameters, the experimental data on the response of pile is used to fine-tune the values of the parameters, and thereby, to estimate parameters that are representative of in situ soil conditions.     

Dynamic nonlinear response of pile foundations under vertical vibration—Theory versus experiment

The influence of nonlinearity on the dynamic response of cast-in-situ reinforced concrete piles subjected to strong vertical excitation was studied. Forced vibration test of single piles (L/d=10, 15, 20) and 2×2 pile groups (s/d=2, 3, 4 for each L/d) were conducted in the field for two different embedded conditions of pile cap. From the measured nonlinear response curves, the effective pile–soil system mass, stiffness and damping were determined and the nonlinear response curves were back-calculated using the theory of nonlinear vibration. The test results were compared with the continuum approach of Novak with dynamic interaction factor approach using both linear and linear-equivalent numerical methods. Reasonable match between the measured and predicted response was found for linear-equivalent methods by introducing a weak boundary-zone around the pile to approximately account for the nonlinear behaviour of pile–soil system. The test data were used to establish the empirical relationship in order to estimate the extent of soil separation around the pile with soil under vertical vibration.     

Dynamic pile-soil-pile interaction. Part I: Analysis of axial vibration

Simple methods of analysis are developed for computing the dynamic steady-state axial response of floating pile groups embedded in homogeneous and non-homogeneous soil deposits. Physically-motivated approximations are introduced to account for the interaction between two individual piles. It is found that such an interaction arises chiefly from the ‘interference’ of wave fields originating along each pile shaft and spreading outward. For homogeneous deposits the wave fronts originating at an individual pile are cylindrical and the interaction is essentially independent of pile flexibility and slenderness. For non-homogeneous deposits the wave fronts are non-cylindrical and ray-theory approximations are invoked to derive pile flexibility-dependent interaction functions. Results are presented for the dynamic stiffness and damping of several pile groups, as well as for distribution of the applied load among individual piles. For deposits with modulus proportional to depth, the agreement with the few rigorous solutions available is encouraging. A comprehensive parameter study focuses on the effects of soil inhomogeneity and pile-group configuration. It is demonstrated that the ‘dynamic group efficiency’ may far exceed unity at certain frequencies. Increasing soil inhomogeneity tends to reduce the respective resonant peaks and lead to smoother interaction functions, in qualitative agreement with field evidence.     

Seismic response analysis of pipes by a probabilistic approach

Seismic response of buried pipes in longitudinal direction is studied. The effect of the variation of geotechnical properties of the surrounding soil on the stiffness, mass and damping of the soil is considered. The soil–structure interaction depends on pipe stiffness, joint stiffness, the variation of the soil stiffness and the soil mass and damping. Variations of the properties of the surrounding soil along the pipe are described by the random field theory. A numerical model is developed in order to simulate the effects of the variation of the soil on displacements, bending moments in the pipe and also to carry out a statistical analysis. The influence of different parameters regarding design and safety level of the pipe is conducted.     

Dynamic stiffness of deep foundations with inclined piles

The influence of inclined piles on the dynamic response of deep foundations and superstructures is still not well understood and needs further research. For this reason, impedance functions of deep foundations with inclined piles, obtained numerically from a boundary element–finite element coupling model, are provided in this paper. More precisely, vertical, horizontal, rocking and horizontal–rocking crossed dynamic stiffness and damping functions of single inclined piles and 2 × 2 and 3 × 3 pile groups with battered elements are presented in a set of plots. The soil is assumed to be a homogeneous viscoelastic isotropic half‐space and the piles are modeled as elastic compressible Euler–Bernoulli beams. The results for different pile group configurations, pile–soil stiffness ratios and rake angles are presented. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于动力BNWF法的冻土-桩相互作用模型研究

基于水平循环荷载作用下不同负温冻土环境中单桩动力特性模型试验结果,在已有分析桩-土-结构相互作用的动力BNWF模型的基础上,提出改进的冻土-桩基动力相互作用非线性反应分析模型。在该模型中,利用改进的双向无拉力多段屈服弹簧考虑桩侧冻土的水平非线性力学特性,同时兼顾桩侧与冻土间的竖向非线性摩擦效应、桩尖土的挤压与分离作用以及远场土体阻尼对桩基动力特性的影响。其中桩侧水平多段屈服弹簧参数根据冻土非线性p-y关系获得,该关系曲线以三次函数曲线段及常值函数段共同模拟,并由室内冻土压缩试验结果确定。最后基于改进的动力BNWF模型,提取动位移荷载作用下该桩顶力-位移滞回曲线及桩身不同埋深处的弯矩动响应数值分析结果,并与相应的模型试验结果对比,二者具有较好的拟合度,表明本文所提出的改进模型在分析冻土-桩动力相互作用时有较好的适用性。     

Simple formulas for the dynamic stiffness of pile groups

Simple formulas are derived for the dynamic stiffness of pile group foundations subjected to horizontal and rocking dynamic loads. The formulations are based on the construction of a general model of impedance matrices as the condensation of matrices of mass, damping, and stiffness, and on the identification of the values of these matrices on an extensive database of numerical experiments computed using coupled finite element–boundary element models. The formulations obtained can be readily used for the design of both floating piles on homogeneous half‐space and end‐bearing piles and are applicable for a wide range of mechanical and geometrical parameters of the soil and piles, in particular for large pile groups. For the seismic design of a building, the use of the simple formulas rather than a full computational model is shown to induce little error on the evaluation of the response spectra and time histories. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic response of bridge piers on pile groups for different soil damping models and lumped parameter representations of the foundation

This paper presents a wide parametric study aimed at elucidating the influence, on the computed seismic response of bridge piers, of two related aspects of the model: (1) the adoption of the classical hysteretic or the causal Biot's damping models for the soil and (2) the use of two different lumped parameter models of different complexity and accuracy to approximate the impedances of the pile foundation. A total of 2072 cases, including different superstructures, pile foundations, soil deposits, and seismic input signals, are studied. The results are presented so that the influence of the different parameters involved in the analysis can be assessed. From an engineering point of view, both lumped parameter models provide, in general, sufficiently low errors. The choice of the most adequate model for each case will depend not only on the configuration of the structure and the soil-foundation system but also on the assumed soil damping model, whose influence on the computed seismic responses is relevant in many cases. The nonphysical behaviour provided by the classical hysteretic damping model for the soil at zero frequency generates issues in the process of fitting the impedance functions. It is also found that larger deck displacements are predicted by Biot's model due to the higher damping at low frequencies provided by the classical hysteretic damping model.     

Seismic response of single-column bent on pile: evidence of beneficial role of pile and soil inelasticity

While seismic codes do not allow plastic deformation of piles, the Kobe earthquake has shown that limited structural yielding and cracking of piles may not be always detrimental. As a first attempt to investigate the consequences of pile yielding in the response of a pile-column supported bridge structure, this paper explores the soil–pile-bridge pier interaction to seismic loading, with emphasis on structural nonlinearity. The pile–soil interaction is modeled through distributed nonlinear Winkler-type springs and dashpots. Numerical analysis is performed with a constitutive model (Gerolymos and Gazetas 2005a, Soils Found 45(3):147–159, Gerolymos and Gazetas 2005b, Soils Found 45(4):119–132, Gerolymos and Gazetas 2006a, Soil Dyn Earthq Eng 26(5):363–376) materialized in the OpenSees finite element code (Mazzoni et al. 2005, OpenSees command language manual, p 375) which can simulate: the nonlinear behaviour of both pile and soil; the possible separation and gapping between pile and soil; radiation damping; loss of stiffness and strength in pile and soil. The model is applied to the analysis of pile-column supported bridge structures, focusing on the influence of soil compliance, intensity of seismic excitation, pile diameter, above-ground height of the pile, and above or below ground development of plastic hinge, on key performance measures of the pier as is: the displacement (global) and curvature (local) ductility demands and the maximum drift ratio. It is shown that kinematic expressions for performance measure parameters may lead to erroneous results when soil-structure interaction is considered.     

Numerical simulations of shake-table experiment for dynamic soil-pile-structure interaction in liquefiable soils

A shake-table experiment on pile foundations in liquefi able soils composed of liquefi able sand and overlying soft clay is studied. A three-dimensional(3D) effective stress fi nite element(FE) analysis is employed to simulate the experiment. A recently developed multi-surface elasto-plastic constitutive model and a fully coupled dynamic inelastic FE formulation(u-p) are used to model the liquefaction behavior of the sand. The soil domains are discretized using a solid-fl uid fully coupled(u-p) 20-8 noded brick element. The pile is simulated using beam-column elements. Upon careful calibration, very good agreement is obtained between the computed and the measured dynamic behavior of the ground and the pile. A parametric analysis is also conducted on the model to investigate the effect of pile-pinning, pile diameter, pile stiffness, ground inclination angle, superstructure mass and pile head restraints on the ground improvement. It is found that the pile foundation has a noticeable pinning effect that reduces the lateral soil displacement. It is observed that a larger pile diameter and fi xed pile head restraints contribute to decreasing the lateral pile deformation; however, a higher ground inclination angle tends to increase the lateral pile head displacements and pile stiffness, and superstructure mass seems to effectively infl uence the lateral pile displacements.