Experimental study of a modeled building frame supported by pile groups embedded in cohesionless soil

This paper presents the results of static vertical load tests carried out on a model building frame supported by pile groups embedded in cohesionless soil (sand). The effect of soil interaction on displacements and rotation at the column base and also the shears and bending moments in the columns of the building frame were investigated. The experimental results have been compared with those obtained from the finite element analysis and conventional method of analysis. Soil nonlinearity in the lateral direction is characterized by the p-y curves and in the axial direction by nonlinear vertical springs along the length of the piles (τ-z curves) at their tips (Q-z curves). The results reveal that the conventional method gives the shear force in the column by about 40-60%, the bending moment at the column top about 20-30% and at the column base about 75-100% more than those from the experimental results. The response of the frame from the experimental results is in good agreement with that obtained by the nonlinear finite element analysis.

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