Soil Pile Group Interaction

in FB-MultiPier
Dr. J. Brian Anderson, P.E.

Developed by: Florida Bridge Software Institute

Dr. Mike McVay, Dr. Marc Hoit, Dr. Mark Williams
Session Goals
Soil-Pile Group Interaction
Discussion of Soil Strucuture Interaction Model
Lateral p-y multipliers
Axial efficiency factors
Example #2 Pile Group Analysis Load
Test at Roosevelt Bridge
Coupled Soil-Structure
Interaction
Live and Dead Loading

Debris Impact
Scour Ship Impact
Plumb Piles/Shafts Scour

Battered Piles
Earthquake
Typical Deep Foundations:
Soil-Structure Interaction

Vertical Nonlinear Spring

Torsional Nonlinear Spring

Lateral Nonlinear Spring

Nonlinear Tip Spring

Single Pile Model
Y
Z
P
(F/L2) (F/L)

Z Y

P
(F/L2) (F/L)

Z Y

(F/L2) P
(F/L)

Y
Lateral Soil-Structure Interaction
Y

Passive State
Active State

2
Y
P ( F / L)
0
r r d
Soil-Pile Group Interaction

Lead Row
Smallest
Disturbance
Soil-Pile Group Interaction

P x Pm2

P-y curves

P x Pm1

P-y curves

Group Interaction:
Modeled with Multipliers
Soil-Pile Group Interaction - Lateral
P-Multipliers

BROWN & REESE (1988)

R I RII R III
- Multipliers, Pm for P Values in P-y Curves
- Function of Row Position in Group
ROW Pm
RI 0.8
R II 0.4
Static
Ship Load RIII 0.3
Pm would be 0.3 for RIV or greater
Soil-Pile Group Interaction - Axial
Axial Efficiency

Summing Effects of a Friction

Pile Group (FHWA)
Soil-Pile Group Interaction - Axial
Axial Efficiency

Block Failure Mode of

Piles in Cohesive Soils
(FHWA)
Experiments
Scale Cenrtifuge Models (UF)
Plumb and battered pile groups
Embedded caps
Full Scale
Roosevelt Bridge Lateral Load Test (UF)
Axial Group Study (UH)
Centrifuge Modeling

Field 1 ft Centrifuge
50 g

50 ft

Same Soil Stresses

Full Scale Load Test at Roosevelt Bridge
Roosevelt 4x4 Field Study
Prediction of Field Response
LOAD-DEFLECTION CURVE
ROOSEVELT BRIDGE - TEST PILE GROUP
1200
TEST PILE GROUP (MEASURED) FB-PIER PREDICTION
1000

800
LOAD (KIPS)

600

400

200

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6

DEFLECTION (IN)
Single vs. Group Axial Behavior

3D

FHWA: Houston 10.75 pipe

25 ft
clay
Study 3D
18 ft Sandy clay

Total Group Individual Group Axial Single Axial

Experimental Results: Plumb Piles
Efficiencies and multipliers are independent
of soil density
Group Efficiencies:
At 5D Spacings - 95%
At 3D Spacings - 70% to 75%
Lateral Multipliers:
At 3D Spacing- 0.8, 0.4, 0.3, 0.2, 0.2,,0.3
At 5D Spacing- 1.0 , 0.85, 0.7,..,0.7
Experimental - Battered Piles
Efficiencies and multipliers are independent
of soil density
Lateral Multipliers:
At 3D Spacing- 0.8, 0.4, 0.3, 0.2, 0.2,,0.3
At 5D Spacing- 1.0 , 0.85, 0.7,..,0.7
Data Available only for A frame design
Pinned Laterally Loaded Pile Group

Moment Shear Axial

No Vertical
Movement
Fixed Head Laterally Loaded Group

Moment Shear Axial Forces

Design Summary
Pile Group response is strongly influenced
by geometry, loading, connectivity, &
material characterization
geometry: 3D vs. 5D, battered vs. plumb
connectivity: fixed vs. pinned pile heads
loading: lateral or combined lateral & axial
material: linear vs. nonlinear pile models
References
Zhang, L.M., McVay, M.C., Han, S.J., Lai, P. and Gardner, R., Effects of Dead Loads on the Lateral
Response of Battered Pile Groups, Canadian Geotechnical Journal, Vol. 39, No. 6, June 2002, pg.
188-203.
McVay, M.C., Zhang, L., Molnit, T., Bollmann, H., and Lai, P., Centrifuge Testing of Large Plumb
Pile Groups (3x3 To 7x3) in Sands, ASCE, Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, Oct. 1998, Vol.
124, No 10, pp. 1016-1026.
Zhang, L., McVay, M.C., and Lai, P., Numerical Analysis of Fixed Head 3x3 to 7x3 Plumb Pile
Groups in Sands, ASCE, Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, Nov, 1999, Vol. 125, No. 11, pp.
936-946.
Brown, D, Morrison, C., and Reese, L. Lateral Load Behavior of a Pile Group in Sand, ASCE,
Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, 1988, Vol 114, No. 11, pp. 1261-1276
McVay, M.C., Zhang, L., Han, S., and Lai, P., Experimental and Analytical Modeling of Laterally
Loaded Pile Groups with Embedded Pile Caps in Sand, Transportation Research Record, No. 1736,
Dec. 2000, pp. 12-18.
Pinto, P. and McVay, M.C., Hoit, M., and Lai, P, Centrifuge Testing of Plumb and Battered Pile
Groups in Sand, Transportation Research Record, No. 1569, Jan. 1997, pp. 8-16.
O'Neill, M. W., Brown, D. A., Anderson, D. G., El Naggar, M. H., Townsend, F. C., Mcvay, M. C.
(1997). Static and dynamic lateral loading of pile groups. NCHRP 24-9, Highway Research
Center, Harbert Engineering Center, Auburn University, Auburn, AL