| This study presents a general numerical simulation approach to predict pile behavior during driving, subsequent consolidation and pile loading and to predict the increase in load carrying capacity of friction piles, or pile setup. The procedure is based on nonlinear finite element analysis and advanced elasto-plastic modeling of geomaterials. The exact penetration of the pile from the ground surface was modeled using finite element techniques. Finite sliding frictional contact formulation was used to model the soil-pile interface. The anisotropic modified Cam clay model (AMCCM) and the HISS-delta 2i* model were used to characterize the clay behavior. The AMCCM was implemented in this study into the general purpose finite element program ABAQUS via a user defined material subroutine. The integration of the stress-strain relation was based on an explicit method with automatic sub-stepping and error control algorithms. The HISS-delta2i * model, based on anisotropic hardening and nonassociative flow rule, was developed and implemented in previous studies and is used here for comparison and verification purposes.;The numerical model is verified and evaluated by simulating experimental field tests that involved pile installation, subsequent consolidation, and a series of pile load tests. The prediction of pile setup was based on the results of the numerical experiments of the pile load tests performed on the pile segment models.;Reasonable agreement between numerical analyses results and field measurements is an indication of the reliability of the numerical solutions. |
