Biegeknickwiderstand von Mikropfählen gemäß den Eurocodes

Flexural Buckling Resistance of Micropiles according to the Eurocodes

The analysis of sufficient resistance against flexural buckling is required for slender piles with only partial lateral support due to their embedment in water or layers of soft soil. The design code used for checking the inner load carrying capacity is dependent on the materials making up the pile cross section. For example the rules of DIN EN 1993 apply for the design of piles mainly consisting of a steel section. This paper illustrates the calculation of the resistance against flexural buckling using the specifications according to DIN EN 1993. Thereby the problem arises that requirements regarding imperfections reduce the buckling resistance strongly. The resulting design value of the pile resistance is therefore well below the established experience of geotechnical engineers, resulting in higher construction costs. When in doubt, it is thus recommended to conduct pile load tests in order to obtain an experimental, statistically evaluated design value of flexural buckling resistance.