ABSTRACT
Under earthquake excitation, piles undergo loads arising both from the deformation of the surrounding soil (kinematic interaction) and the inertial forces due to the vibration of the superstructure (inertial interaction). Evaluating these interactions is an important issue for the seismic design of deep foundations and has been an active research topic since the early 1970s. A series of dynamic centrifuge tests has been conducted to examine the behaviour of free-head end-bearing single piles subjected to several sinusoidal and earthquake events. The soil profile consists of three horizontal layers alternating dense HN31 sand (bottom and top layers) and overconsolidated speswhite kaolinite. The reproducibility of the soil foundation is verified using bender element measurements. The seismic response of the piles is analysed in terms of maximum, minimum and residual bending moments.
