A generalized hysteresis model for biaxial response of pile foundations in sands

Abstract We present the development and calibration of a macroelement model that captures the response of piles in cohesionless soils subjected to biaxial lateral loading. The model is founded on actual physical mechanism of soil resistance and provides the framework for extending a uniaxial model to biaxial case by means of a single cross-stiffness parameter. Both upper and lower bounds for the cross-stiffness parameter are also presented. The model is calibrated and verified using three-dimensional finite element (FE) simulations of soil-pile interaction for uniformly prescribed displacement along the pile length. Comparison of predictions from uniaxial and biaxial models with the FE results for transient loading indicates that the response assuming no coupling between the two horizontal directions for biaxial loading can differ significantly from the ‘true’ response for some cases. Accounting for coupling in the lateral direction, the proposed model captures the transverse pile response with very good accuracy while retaining the simplicity and computational efficiency of macroelement formulations compared to 3D FE analyses.

[1]  H. Matlock.  Correlation for Design of Laterally Loaded Piles in Soft Clay , 1970 .

[2]  Y. Wen.  Method for Random Vibration of Hysteretic Systems , 1976 .

[3]  Raymond B. Seed,et al.  Determination of Multidirectional p-y Curves for Soft Clays , 2005 .

[4]  Nii Allotey,et al.  Generalized dynamic Winkler model for nonlinear soil–structure interaction analysis , 2008 .

[5]  Nicos Makris,et al.  Nonlinear response of single piles under lateral inertial and seismic loads , 1996 .

[6]  Radu Popescu,et al.  Centrifuge validation of a numerical model for dynamic soil liquefaction , 1993 .

[7]  Yi-Kwei Wen,et al.  Evaluation of Pre-Northridge Low-Rise Steel Buildings. I: Modeling , 2000 .

[8]  Jean H. Prevost,et al.  A simple plasticity theory for frictional cohesionless soils , 1985 .

[9]  George Gazetas,et al.  Development of Winkler model for static and dynamic response of caisson foundations with soil and interface nonlinearities , 2006 .

[10]  Y. K. Wen,et al.  Random vibration of hysteretic systems under bi‐directional ground motions , 1986 .

[11]  George Gazetas,et al.  SEISMIC SOIL-STRUCTURE INTERACTION: BENEFICIAL OR DETRIMENTAL? , 2000 .

[12]  Milos Novak,et al.  Nonlinear analysis for dynamic lateral pile response , 1996 .

[13]  K. Rajagopal,et al.  Numerical Investigation of the Effect of Vertical Load on the Lateral Response of Piles , 2007 .

[14]  Daniel W. Wilson,et al.  Seismic Soil-Pile-Structure Interaction Experiments and Analyses , 1999 .

[15]  Ertugrul Taciroglu,et al.  Coupled Macroelement Model of Soil-Structure Interaction in Deep Foundations , 2007 .

[16]  L. Reese,et al.  Analysis of Laterally Loaded Piles in Sand , 1974 .