ABSTRACT
The current procedures for pile design are generally semi-empirical, based on elastic theories, in-situ tests and pile load-test data. However, several researchers have shown that sands and clays are elasto-plastic materials. Some attempts have been made to model the constitutive relations realistically, built on the failures criteria such as Mohr Coulomb, Drucker Prager, Cam Clay, etc. This paper uses a finite element computer package ABAQUS to model the load deflection characteristics of a model pile in varying sand conditions. Two constitutive models are used to describe the soil’s behaviour within the ABAQUS numerical model namely, linear elastic and Mohr Coulomb models. The resulting load-deflection curves for the model pile are compared with measured laboratory responses.
