Bearing Capacity of Bored Pile Using Semi-analytical and Numerical Modeling

Pile foundations are one of the most common types of foundations used for civil engineering structures such as bridges, high-rise buildings, etc. In the case of pile foundations, there are several semi-analytical/empirical relationships proposed to estimate pile tip and skin friction capacities. Different design codes and methods result in a significant difference in pile capacities. So, the pile load test, a reliable but expensive method has to be conducted. However, the number of pile load tests at a site is generally limited. In situations where pile load tests are limited or not performed, numerical methods can be a powerful tool to predict the pile behavior. In this study, a 2-D model of a bored pile with the surrounding soil under a vertical load is simulated in the commercial general finite element software, ABAQUS. The predictive ability of the models is verified by comparing them with data obtained from the pile load test. The numerical results are also compared with semi-empirical correlations available. The results show that the 2-D FEM model of a bored pile is more conservative than the conventional result, but it can be used to simulate the pile load test efficiently. The output of this study will be very useful for the determination of the bearing capacity of axially loaded piles supplementing the semi-analytical approach and avoiding/supplementing expensive pile load test.