Computer simulation of the dynamic layered soil–pile–structure interaction system

A three-dimensional finite element analysis of the soil–pile–structure interaction system is presented in this paper. The analysis is based on data from shaking table model tests made in the State Key Laboratory for Disaster Reduction in Civil Engineering, Tongji University, China. The general finite element program ANSYS is used in the analysis. The surface-to-surface contact element is taken into consideration for the nonlinearity state of the soil–pile interface, and an equivalent linear model is used for soil behavior. A comparison of the results of the finite element analysis with the data from the shaking table tests is used to validate the computational model. Furthermore, the reliability of the test result is also verified by the simulation analysis. It shows that separation, closing, and sliding exist between the pile foundation and the soil. The distribution of the amplitude of strains in the pile, the amplitude of contact pressure, and the amplitude of sliding at the soil–pile interface are also discussed in detail in this paper.Key words: soil–pile–structure interaction, shaking table model test, computer simulation, ANSYS program.