Seismic Response Analysis of Pile Foundation using Finite Element Method

In this paper, 3-D seismic response analyses of RC pile-soil coupled system were conducted using nonlinear finite element method. The abutment of highway bridge supported by cast-in RC piles was modeled in detail, including surrounding soils, and seismic wave was input at the engineering base layer. The dynamic response of the abutment was fully investigated by comparing the result of static pushover analysis, in terms of the overall deformation and strain distribution in the piles. In addition, 2-D response analyses of the same structure were performed and the effect of thickness of soil elements in the 2-D models was investigated.