Transient response of single piles under horizontal excitations

Abstract

The general time-domain boundary element in cylindrical co-ordinates developed for the study of wave propagation in a layered half-space is extended to the response analysis of single piles under horizontal tranisient excitations. The pile is treated as a beam, and therefore, only the bending stiffness has to be considered in the analysis. The soil is modelled by boundary (cylindrical) elements with the vertical, radial and tangential displacements as well as their corresponding tractions as independent variables. The characteristic matrices for the two different types of element are combined to form the equation of motion for the whole system by virtue of compatibility and equilibrium conditions along the pile-soil interface. The transient responses of a pile under Heaviside loads are found to converge to the static values. Parametric studies are carried out to reveal the influences of pile-soil stiffness ratio (Ep/Es) and soil layering. -Authors