Effects of Cyclic Loading and Pile Flexibility on Axial Pile Capacities in Clay

The paper investigates the degree to which relative pile-soil stiffness, rate of pile loading and severity of axial load cycling influence the behaviour of piles in clays which are typical of those found in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). It is confirmed that each factor can impact axial pile behaviour substantially. Results of analyses of typical piles subjected to design storm load patterns also are presented. These show that some pile foundations in GOM-type clays can have greater calculated axial capacity when cyclic loading effects are considered explicitly than when static procedures are used. This improvement was demonstrated for a deepwater and a shallow water steel jacket platform, a compliant tower and a TLP.