Characteristics of non-uniform cross-section piles in drivability

A numerical analysis of pile driving for tapered piles is presented in this paper. A three-dimensional finite difference analysis for tapered angle and geometry effects has been used on pile driving response of tapered piles. The simulation considers an idealization for pile–soil system in drivability. The vertical pile is assumed to have linear and elastic behavior. It is also assumed that the soil is elasto-plastic material and its failure stage is controlled using the Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion. At the soil–pile contact surfaces along the pile shaft and pile toe, slip is allowed to occur during the driving procedure using interface elements. Quiet boundaries are used to prevent waves traveling in the lateral and vertical directions for the soil. Cylindrical, fully tapered, and semi-tapered piles were analyzed. The results obtained from numerical analyses were compared with those obtained from available laboratory tests and also other available numerical data, resulting in a satisfactory agreement. The results have shown that among piles of the same length and material volume, with increasing the taper angle from zero (representing a cylindrical pile), the driving stresses decrease and the permanent pile toe settlement (set) increases. These are interesting in pile driving and are on the safe side for driven piles and increasing the driving efficiency. It has also been found that the geometry of the pile can generally influence the pile drivability. Generally speaking, tapered and partially tapered piles offer better drivability performance than cylindrical piles of the same volume and length.