| Numerical analysis is increasingly used in geotechnical engineering. With the increase in computational efficiency of personal computers and the development of several commercial finite, element and finite difference codes, numerical models have become standard tools in today's geotechnical research and design environments. Numerical analysis is often used for consideration of pile behavior, however it presents several challenges. Besides capturing the nonlinear response of soils, numerical models must also describe potentially nonlinear pile behavior, soil-pile interaction effects, and complex load-transfer mechanisms.; Over the last two decades, numerous advances have been made across multiple engineering disciplines related to three-dimensional modelling. This has included the development and implementation of new constitutive models, contact and interface elements, and numerical integration techniques.; This research aims to expand and improve capabilities in the field of geotechnical engineering for modelling the interaction between piles and soils. This includes the robust and efficient implementation of existing contact interface elements and the development and implementation of a new contact formulation for modelling the interface behavior between a pile and the surrounding soil. In this new formulation, the pile is modelled using a beam element and the soil is modelled using solid elements. The use of beam elements may allow for better characterization of the pile response.; This thesis describes the development and implementation of new elements for modelling pile-soil interface behavior. The new element is validated in models of axial and laterally loaded pile problems. The value of the new element is further demonstrated in two studies of common laterally loaded pile problems that require special consideration using conventional analysis. |
