Energy-Based Approach for the Analysis of a Vertically Loaded Pile in Multi-layered Non-linear Soil Strata
Abstract Numerous studies have been reported in published literature on analytical solutions for a vertically loaded pile installed in a homogeneous single soil layer. However, piles are rarely installed in an ideal homogeneous single soil layer. This study presents an energy-based approach to obtain displacements in an axially loaded pile embedded in multi-layered soil considering soil non-linearity. A simple power law based on published literature is used where the soil is assumed to be nonlinear-elastic and perfectly plastic. A Tresca yield surface is assumed to develop the soil stiffness variation with different strain levels that defines the non-linearity of the soil strata. The pile displacement response is obtained using the software MATLAB R2019a and the results from the energy-based method are compared with those obtained from the field test data as well as the finite element analysis based on the software ANSYS 2019R3. It is observed that the results obtained from the energy-based method are in better agreement with the field measured values than those obtained from the FEA. The approach presented in this study can be extended to piles embedded in multi-layered soil strata subjected to different cases of lateral loads as well as the combined action of lateral and axial loads. Furthermore, the same approach can be extended to study the response of the soil to group piles.