Deep Foundation Numerical Analysis Using Modified Compression Modulus

This paper is a study on the behavior and prediction of settlement values of bridge pile foundations due to con-struction loads. Field test results show new field technique using the single point of account settlement meter to estimate the thickness of compressed layer in the deep soft soils which is considered as a difficult task in the field. The settlement is predicted using hyperbolic model and statistical regression. The statistical models indicate that the structure would re-main safe for a long period of time, and the field measurements are compared with the hyperbolic model results and those predicted by the statistical regression. The finite element Plaxis 3D Foundation program is used in the analysis with a new empirical equation to modify the input parameters represented by the soil compression modulus. The foundation soils are modeled with the Mohr-Coulomb plasticity material model. The piles are represented with pile elements, between the pile and the surrounding soil, interface elements are automatically generated by the program. In the analysis, the effects due to soil stiffness, pile length and pile spacing are considered. The calculated results for the simulation of the pile installation sequence are compared with the measured results obtained from the field monitoring. The results of the numerical analy-sis using the proposed empirical equation provide insight to the settlement analysis of pile groups in soft clayey soils and the finite element Plaxis 3D program can be a useful tool for numerical analysis. In this paper, the numerical analysis cal-culations are modified using a new empirical equation to calculate the compression modulus from those obtained from the test which modify the results of the settlement and thus become close to the reality. Finally, the numerical finite element analysis produced logical and conservative results as compared to the statistically derived equations and those calculated by hyperbolic model analysis. This scenario can be applied to the similar problems in the theoretical applications of bridge foundations.

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