Analysis of the Response of an Axially Loaded Pile Considering Softening Behavior of Pile-Soil System

Abstract

The skin friction degradation was analyzed by using a softening model, and the relationship between unit end resistance and pile end displacement was simulated using a hyperbolic model. Determinations of the parameters related to the softening model of skin friction were presented. As to the bearing behavior of an axially loaded pile, an iterative computer program was developed by using the proposed softening model of skin friction and hyperbolic model of end resistance. Comparisons of the response of an axially loaded pile demonstrate that the proposed method is generally in good agreement with the field-observed behavior, and can assess the failure characteristic of skin friction. For practical purposes, different load transfer functions can be selected in the proposed method to capture the response of an axially loaded pile.