AbstractsEngineering

Analysis of settlement-induced bending moments in battered piles within a levee embankment

by Jehu Brick Johnson




Institution: Mississippi State University
Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Degree: MS
Year: 2015
Keywords: settlement; Bending moment; Soil-structure interactions; Centrifuge testing; Numerical modeling; T-walls
Record ID: 2058020
Full text PDF: http://sun.library.msstate.edu/ETD-db/theses/available/etd-11252014-134904/


Abstract

Settlement-Induced Bending Moments (SIBM) are an important design condition that must be considered whenever battered piles are placed in settling soils. The objective of this research was to investigate various parameters which can affect SIBM in battered piles within a levee embankment. The results from the current study were compared and verified against those obtained from centrifuge testing and alternative numerical simulations. A series of centrifuge testing as well as finite difference numerical simulations in Fast Langrangian Analysis of Continua (FLAC) were conducted. Different parameters which may affect the bending moments were investigated including pile connection fixity, batter, and stiffness of the pile as well as the magnitude of settlement. The simulations show that these parameters can have large impacts on the magnitude and location of the bending moments. Findings of this research can be used to validate or identify the need for adjustment of the current modeling/design approach.