Centrifuge Modeling of Pile-Sand Interaction Induced by Normal Faulting
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 142, Issue 10
Abstract
Many forensic studies conducted after catastrophic earthquakes revealed severe damages to pile foundations caused by bedrock fault movement. The mechanism behind these pile foundation failures is not yet fully understood. In this study, two centrifuge model tests are carried out on a single pile and on a group of three piles in sand subjected to normal faulting. The surface settlement profile and additional internal forces of the piles are measured. The surface settlement profile in sand could be well fitted and predicted with a profile function (error function). The single pile, which is located in a differential settlement zone, is displaced, and the pile top rotates toward the hanging wall, inducing an additional bending moment along the pile. The pile group is then forced to rotate toward the hanging wall because the three piles are well connected to the pile cap. Driven by the movement of the two additional piles and a pile cap in place, the pile on the footwall side experiences greater displacement and bending moment than it does when it is only for a single pile. Due to relative downward displacement of the surrounding soil, negative shaft friction is mobilized and the middle pile could fail in tension. Both the downward drag force in the middle pile and the working load are transferred to the other two piles, resulting in pile failure that exceeds the ultimate capacity.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Project No. 2013M541854), the Promotion Program for Young and Middle-aged Teachers in Science and Technology Research of Huaqiao University (Project No. ZQN-PY216), the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province of China (Project No. 2014J01194), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51208218).
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 142 • Issue 10 • October 2016
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 18, 2014
Accepted: Jan 21, 2016
Published online: May 24, 2016
Published in print: Oct 1, 2016
Discussion open until: Oct 24, 2016
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