An Automated Approach to Analyzing Media Contribution to H-Piles Driven into Compacted Fills

Author

Alan D. Tackie, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Date of Award

5-2004

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Civil Engineering

Major Professor

Earl E. Ingram

Committee Members

Edwin G. Burdette, David W. Goodpasture

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to establish the contribution of a soil medium to the behavior of a laterally displaced pile in a displacement-controlled system. Engineers have often assumed that piles driven into well-compacted fills have a lateral response that correlates closely to those driven into undisturbed soils. An investigation into whether this assertion holds throughout the media cross-section forms the crux of this thesis. HPILE, a pile analytic program, was developed by the author of this thesis to foster a quicker analysis of a laterally loaded pile driven into a given media. HPILE uses strain data collected along the length of a laterally displaced pile under various degrees of static lateral loading to develop soil p-y curves by solving the regulating differential equation. The significant contribution in lateral resistance by a medium led to results that will influence design considerations and subsequently discount the assumption regarding behavioral similarity.

Recommended Citation

Tackie, Alan D., "An Automated Approach to Analyzing Media Contribution to H-Piles Driven into Compacted Fills. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2004.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/4815