Analytical solutions for a vertically loaded pile in multilayered soil

Abstract

Explicit elastic solutions for a vertically loaded single pile embedded in multilayered soil are presented. Solutions are also provided for the case in which the pile base rests on a rigid material. Energy principles are used in the derivation of the governing differential equations. The solutions, which satisfy compatibility of displacement in the vertical and radial directions, were obtained by determining the unknown integration constants using the boundary conditions, Cramer's rule, and a recurrence formula. The solutions provide the pile vertical displacement as a function of depth, the load-transfer curves, and the vertical soil displacement as a function of the radial distance from the pile axis at any depth. The use of the analysis is illustrated for a pile that was load-tested under well-documented conditions by obtaining load–transfer and load–settlement curves that are then compared with those obtained from the load test.

Keywords:

• Analytical solutions
• Elasticity
• Piles
• Multilayered soil
• Vertical load
• Settlement

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the financial support received from Fugro N. V., provided in the form of a Fugro Fellowship, and are very grateful to Fugro, Nick Aschliman and Joe Cibor for this support.