Soil-pile-structure interaction using 3D FEM

Abstract

Importance of soil-structure interaction during earthquake ground motions has been emphasized by damages in the structures in recent earthquakes. Currently available analytical tools to consider soil-structure interaction oversimplify the interaction between soil and structure and they lack proper calibration with full-scale testing. This research aims to study the non-linear behavior of the pile-soil interaction during earthquakes using 3D Finite Element Analysis based on full-scaled lateral loading tests. Full-scale concrete piles embedded into cohesive soil were tested under monotonic and reversed cyclic loading. The experimental results were used as the basis for 3D Finite Element Analysis. The applicability of three node fiber based beam element for modeling concrete piles were investigated based on the results from full-scaled testing and 3D FEM analysis. The analysis showed that three node fiber based beam elements with rough mesh division and perfect bond between pile and soil can adequately simulate the behavior of concrete piles.