STUDY OF VARIABLE PROFILE PILE PERFORMANCE USING NUMERICAL MODELING IN PLAXIS 2D SOFTWARE PACKAGE

Abstract

The paper presents the results of the study of the performance of a new type of variable profile piles with rotating sections. The studies were performed in a plane problem formulation using the Plaxis 2D software package. Numerical modeling was performed in conditions of homogeneous medium. The performance of the piles was evaluated using given displacements and given stresses. The aim of the study was to evaluate the performance of the proposed pile type with the conventional prismatic driven pile. According to the results of the predetermined displacement tests, the lateral stress distribution along the pile shaft was obtained, which had a definite pattern: the stress under the lower end of the pile decreased as the number of segments increased, i.e. the more segments, and hence the more extensions, the more the peri-pile soil mass was included in the work. By comparing the test results for the given stresses, it was determined that Type 3 piles with an average number of pivoting sections have the lowest settlement. The highest settlement of Type 2 piles (relative to piles with pivoting sections) can be explained by the too small soil thickness at the extensions (as a consequence of the lower frontal resistance of the soil under the extensions) due to the too small size of the sections. Based on the results of the study, a technological solution of the optimal pile size was obtained, which corresponds to the best performance in soil conditions. Thus, if we evaluate the performance of the pile as a whole, the best option in terms of the lowest settlement is Type 3 piles, with a length of 0.5 m pivoting sections.