Numerical analysis of a two-pile cap on steel piles

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Steel piles are used on various fields on civil construction. However, there are still some uncertainties about the structural behavior of pile caps supported on steel piles. On this study the finite element method was used to develop numerical models of a two-pile cap on steel pile, with the aim of identifying tendencies on the structural behavior of the element. The numerical results showed good match with the experimental results of Tomaz (2018), which were used for analysis. It was concluded that the strut and tie model proposed by Blévot & Frémy (1967), usually used on the design of pile caps, doesn’t depict the actual structural behavior of pile caps on steel piles and, therefore, further studies must be made in order to develop a better physical model.