Non-linear base and shaft reaction models for 1-D pile driving analysis

Abstract

Simulation of pile driving is frequently used in present design practice to study pile drivability and to estimate pile static capacity based on driving data. The accuracy of both drivability analysis and static resistance back calculation depends on the models used for the calculation of the soil reactions developing along the shaft and at the base of the pile during driving. In this paper, a pair of shaft and base reaction models that take into account soil pre-failure nonlinearity and hysteretic damping using a hyperbolictype law, along with radiation damping and rate effects on soil strength, are proposed for use in classical 1-dimensional pile driving analysis. The proposed approach is validated through comparison of numerical predictions with data from dynamic field tests on two fully instrumented piles