Axial dynamic response of pile foundation: analytical study

Abstract

This thesis re-evaluates the theoretical models reported in the literature for individual piles subject to axial vibration. Analytical procedures have been used to investigate three independent sub-topics: (1) development of a closed form solution to Novak’s elastic theory; (2) formulation of a new mathematical model for axial vibration of tapered piles; and (3) incorporation of modified elastic parameters in Novak’s theory to account for nonlinear characteristics of driven piles. The general conclusions obtained from each study were found to be: (1) the proposed explicit expressions are easily programmed in spreadsheet software, thus allowing one to avoid the approximations and interpolations associated with classical design charts; (2) the proposed tapered pile model respects the uniformly tapered geometry, and is shown to be in good agreement with more rigorous segment-by-segment procedures reported in the literature; and (3) Novak’s elastic theory can accurately represent multiple sets of experimental data reported in the literature provided that modified soil shear moduli values are used.