Cross validation of analytical solutions against the computational model predictions of the response of end bearing energy pile

Kansas State University, Department of Civil Engineering, 1701C Platt St., Manhattan, KS 66506-5000, US

^* Corresponding author: peric@ksu.edu

Abstract

Predictions of responses of a single energy pile to a combined mechanical and thermal loading are presented. They were obtained from computational and analytical models. The former model provided predictions based on a coupled thermal hydro-mechanical finite element analysis while the predictions of the latter were obtained from the recently derived analytical solutions. The energy pile is surrounded by a single uniform soil layer underlain by a very stiff bedrock. Two scenarios of temperature history were considered. In the first scenario the pile remained in a net heated state while the second one induced a net cooled state. In both loading scenarios a compressive axial load was applied at the pile head prior to the thermal loading. The net heating induced an upward axial displacement, tensile strain and compressive stress while the net cooling induced a downward vertical pile displacement, compressive strain and tensile stress. In spite of different methods of obtaining the soil stiffness for computational and analytical models the predictions of the axial pile displacement, stress and strain show a very good agreement.