Nonlinear macroelements for performance-based design applications of pile-supported wharves

Abstract eng:
Implementation of performance-based design procedures for pile-supported waterfront structures involves estimation of the dynamic wharf response for hazard scenarios that include liquefaction of the backfill. In these cases, empirical techniques based on quasi-static observations and widely implemented in practice for the analysis of dynamic soil-pile interaction problems, may not be used to address the role of critical parameters such as soil permeability, rate of loading and residual soil strength in the wharf performance, nor simulate radiation damping phenomena for liquefiable soils in transient loading. On the other hand, very few experimental results exist on dynamic soil-pile interaction effects in liquefiable sites to justify the development of generic mechanical elements for this class of problems. In this paper, we investigate the macroscopic response of pile foundations in liquefiable soils during transient loading by means of 3D FEM and identify the critical parameters of the response. We then propose a dynamic macroelement formulated explicitly to simulate soil-pile interaction effects in liquefiable sites during transient loading on the basis of our parametric analyses. Calibration of the macroelement and validation of its performance by comparison with full-scale field experiments is currently under progress.

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