Effect of the Pile Properties and Soil Parameters on the Dynamic Behavior of Piled Foundations

Abstract

The rapid urbanization in today’s world has resulted in decrease of suitable lands for new constructions, forcing people to construct new buildings on challenging soils with bearing capacity and settlement issues. To overcome these challenges, various methods are implemented in the past few decades. Piled foundations are one of the most frequently used solutions for the structures built on problematic soils. The proper design of piled foundation system is an important aspect from engineering point of view.

In the design of structures, it is crucial to consider the interactions between the structure, foundation system and soil under seismic effects. For instance, a building with identical foundation systems on the same soil layer may exhibit varying behavior during different earthquake scenarios. Moreover, numerous variables impact the seismic behavior of piled foundations, such as soil parameters and structural properties. To ensure the structural integrity and safety of a structure against seismic effects, thorough analysis of the earthquake-soil-structure interaction is significantly important.

In this study, the behavior of piled foundations under the effect of seismic forces was investigated using Plaxis 2D finite element software. A parametric study was conducted involving kinematic interaction analysis of piles of different diameters, spacing, and lengths in layered soil profiles consisting of loose sand, dense sand, and rock units using earthquake records with different peak ground accelerations. Analysis results, including the accelerations in the soil and the internal forces of piles (bending moments and shear forces), were compared and the influence of different variables on the analysis results were discussed.