Finite element analysis of soil-structure interaction in pile groups with comparison to Cone model

In this paper the interaction between the pile and soil in piles groups was investigated using a three-dimensional finite element model and the Cone method. The three- dimensional finite element modeling of a 2x2 pile group was constructed. The material behavior for piles elements was linear elastic and for soil material an elastic-plastic behavior complying with the Drucker-Prager yield criterion was considered. The contact elements were also used to evaluate the interaction between pile and soil. A parametric study on FEM model was carried out to investigate the effects of pile spacing. A wide range of pile spacing ranging from S=2d to S=8d (d as pile diameter) was investigated in order to evaluate the influence of pile spacing. Finally the obtained results were compared with results obtained by Cone method

Keywords:

3D- FEM Modeling , Pile Group , Soil-Structure Interaction , Cone Model