Open AccessFailure envelopes of pile groups under inclined and eccentric load
Author(s) -
María Iovino,
R. M. S. Maiorano,
Luca de Sanctis,
Stefano Aversa
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
géotechnique letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.845
H-Index - 28
ISSN - 2045-2543
DOI - 10.1680/jgele.21.00059
Subject(s) - pile , structural engineering , moment (physics) , eccentric , bearing capacity , ultimate load , geotechnical engineering , foundation (evidence) , dynamic load testing , engineering , limit state design , point (geometry) , mathematics , finite element method , geometry , physics , classical mechanics , archaeology , history
A novel numerical procedure for defining failure envelopes of pile groups under inclined and eccentric load is proposed. The starting point is a closed-form exact solution for interaction diagram of pile groups under combined axial-moment loading recently published in the literature. Failure envelopes in the generalised force space are then derived as an extension of this solution by means of an incremental algorithm. It is shown that the axial load at foundation level has always a beneficial effect on the lateral capacity of the pile group, even if this favourable effect is often neglected in practice. On the contrary, the amount of interaction between the horizontal and moment components of the resultant action at failure is usually very small, with the exception of piles groups with end-bearing piles. Some example applications of the proposed method are provided and a simple, yet reliable procedure for ultimate limit-state analysis of pile groups subjected to inclined and eccentric loads is suggested.