Assessment of seismic performance of extended pile‐shafts

The seismic performance of extended pile-shafts subjected to the current level of displacement ductility demand is assessed for different soil conditions. Local curvature ductility demand is compared with the curvature ductility capacity provided by the current level of confining steel. Parameters in the assessment of extended pile-shafts include the undrained shear strength of cohesive soils, relative density of cohesionless soils, aboveground height, longitudinal reinforcement ratio, axial force level and pile diameter. Results indicate that the curvature ductility demand in the pile decreases with increased soil stiffness but increases with increased aboveground height. The curvature ductility demand however is not sensitive to the longitudinal reinforcement ratio or axial force level, and is independent of the pile diameter. Results further indicate that the curvature ductility capacity available from the current level of confining steel may not be adequate for tall extended pile-shafts, especially for piles with large longitudinal reinforcement ratio and embedded in soft or loose soils. Limits on the maximum longitudinal reinforcement ratio are suggested in the paper. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.