Simulation Analysis Dynamic Test Of Inclined Pile

Pile foundation,with unique advantages including high load-bearing capacity and small settlement, has been widely applied in soft soil areas, such as offshore towers, nuclear power plants, high rise buildings, dams and bridges. During the construction process, the piles may be frequently caused inclination, either by human factors or field geological conditions, thus lowering their load bearing capacity. In this case, improved pile integrity testing techniques are compellingly needed for the benefit of the current engineering practice.In the present research, a study was conducted on the pile-soil contact properties under dynamic loading conditions, from which a reasonable type of contact pair between pile and soil, together with a validated damping factor for the pile-soil interaction were determined, and then executed in ANSYS/LS-DYNA. By adopting these contact pairs and damping factors, the finite element model for inclined piles was constructed, from which the stress wave propagation characteristics were analyzed and compared with that of the straight piles. Further work was then conducted on the analyzing and comparing of the stress wave propagation characteristics for the inclined piles with and without soil effects taken into consideration. Basing on the fitting results of the bow wave amplitude on the top surfaces of the piles, a method for judging the inclined direction and calculating the inclined angle were developed.Most research on the dynamic technique for pile integrity testing has been limited to the straight pile at present, while that for the inclined pile is still in its infancy. Based on this situation, the stress wave propagation characteristics of inclined pile were discussed, and some qualitative conclusions were obtained. It is expected that these conclusions would pave the road towards a further research on the mechanisms of the stress wave propagation and the technique advancement of the integrity test for the inclined pile.