Modelling Tips and Tricks

Single Pile Analysis

March 2017

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 Gotowebinar User Interface

1. Viewer Window 2. Control Panel

If you cannot
hear, please
check this setting

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 Who is Oasys?

Wholly owned by Arup

Formed in 1976 to develop software for in-house and
external use
Most programming and sales staff are engineers
In recent years have added marketing and sales staff
Have expanded the development team worldwide

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 Oasys Customers

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 Webinar Objectives

1. Understand the process of designing a single pile

2. Familiarise users with common mistakes in setting up
and analysing models
3. Demonstrate methods to set up analysis more quickly
and efficiently

Previous webinars:
Theory
Advanced Analysis Options
Step by step guide

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 Analysis Process

1. Prepare the model (theory)

2. Set up the model
3. Run the analysis
4. View tabular outputs
5. View graphical outputs

Recent Developments
Advanced Features

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 The design of a single pile - Definition

What is a single pile?

A pile that when loaded does
not have any interaction effects
with the adjacent pile
Spacing between the piles will
depend on solution modelled
and the ground conditions

Craigs Soil Mechanics, 7th Edition

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 The design of a single pile - Analysis
Program Analysis Design Outputs
Pile Pile vertical capacity and settlement Required length
analyses Pile settlement
Alp Pile lateral loads and displacements Moment
Cage length
AdSec Non-linear concrete and composite Stiffness
section analysis Cracking

but, if you are interested in:

Pile Groups Oasys GSA Raft
Retaining Walls Oasys Frew

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Pile
Pile Capacity and Settlement
 Pile Capacity
What does it do?

Determines the vertical load capacity of a pile for:

Different pile types
Different pile materials
A range of pile lengths
Numerous different soil layers
Site specific groundwater conditions
Different factors of safety or design resistance

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 Pile - Capacity

Output
Ultimate and
allowable
capacities
Tension and
compression
capacities
Input
Pile section
Under-reams
Soil parameters

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 Pile Capacity
Theory

Replaces the need for spreadsheet calculations and errors that

maybe within them!
Calculates shaft and base capacity for:
Total stress (undrained parameters)
Effective stress (drained parameters)
Combination of both
Models plugged and unplugged behaviour for tubular and H piles
Can incorporate negative skin friction (not used in tension
calculations)

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 Pile Capacity
Theory Shaft

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 Pile Capacity
Theory End Bearing

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 Pile Capacity
Theory Ultimate Capacity

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 Pile Settlement
Theory
Purely elastic model
Youngs Modulus of
Soil above pile toe
Soil below pile toe
Pile
Compressible pile in sections
Continuum soil
Based on paper by Mattes and
Poulos (1969)

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 Pile - Settlement

Settlement of a pile and surrounding soil

Output
Pile settlement
Soil settlement away
from pile
Pile stresses
Input
Pile dimensions
Soil stiffness
Negative skin friction
Heave

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 2. Set up the model in Pile

Analysis methods
Compare soil profiles and groundwater
Compare cross sections
Stages
Stepped diameter
Partial Factor Wizard
Tabular Input shortcuts

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 Preferences and defaults

Tabbing past a table cell with a default will fill the cell with the
default value
Defaults can also be edited click in the grey cell at the top
= in a cell copies the cell above
== in a cell copies the rest of the line above
Copy and paste from excel

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 3. Run the analysis

Avoiding long analysis times

Saving
Checking data window

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 4. View the Tabular Outputs

Checking results
Exporting to Excel
Printing options

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 5. View the Graphical Outputs

Checking results
Plotting external data
Navigating the graphical output
Selecting pile length

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 Advanced features

t-z curves
Thermal piles
Cyclic loading
Stages
Negative skin friction

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Alp
Horizontal Loading and Displacements on Pile
 Alp
Alp calculates:
Earth pressures
Horizontal movements
Bending moments
Shear forces

Based on:
Lateral loads, moments or displacements
Lateral and rotational restraints
Soil load deflection behaviour

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 Alp
Theory - Representation
Models the pile as a series of
elastic beam elements
Models the soil as a series of
non-interactive non-linear
springs
Forces, moments and
stiffnesses are applied at nodes
Soil response modelled as
Elastic Plastic or P-Y

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 Alp
Theory Elastic-Plastic

Assumes elastic behaviour until a

passive limit is reached simplistic!
At limit, a constant limiting passive
force is used

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 Alp
Theory P-Y Soil Model
BUT Soils are not Elastic-Plastic
Predefined models for: P-Y Curve:
Soft Clay (Matlock 1970)
Stiff Clay (API 21)
Sand (API 18 or 21)
Weak Rock (Reese 1997)
Strong Rock (Turner 2006)
User can define P-Y curves for different
strata
Cyclic loading can be considered

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 2. Set up the model in Alp

Sign convention
Alp Wizard
Section Wizard
Varying section diameter
Partial Factor option
Incrementing loads

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 3. Run the analysis

Checking
Saving

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 4. View the Tabular Outputs

Checking results
Exporting to Excel

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 5. View the Graphical Outputs

Checking results
Plotting external data

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 Advanced features

COM interface

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 Where do I go for help?

Program
Sample Files
Manual
Website:
Tutorials
Webinars
FAQ
User Voice

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 Some tips never go out of date:

Remember that you (the user) are the main tester of the software.
(This is true of all software.) Fairly often, check results more than
one way. GCN 1996
Read the manual of every program you use. Skip over the bits
you are comfortable with. Study the bits you are not comfortable
with! (Brians Oasys Frew presentation 1998)

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 Find out more?

Download a trial or look at our tutorial manual.

Website: www.oasys-software.com

Email: oasys@arup.com

Call: +44 (0) 191 238 7559

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 www.oasys-software.com

Any questions?
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