Pile
Substructure: Choose the substructure element associated with the pile, such as end or interior bents, columns, or pile caps.
Pile Length/Section:
Section Length(Starts at bottom of footing): The top of the pile, which begins at the bottom of the footing, serves as the starting point for section definition. Users can define multiple rows to create sections with varying characteristics. The total length of the pile is calculated by summing the lengths of each row.
Start Section: The starting location of a section is determined by adding the lengths of all previously defined rows. If it is the first row, then the starting point is at the top of the pile.
End Section: The position of the end section is determined by adding the distance defined in this row to the sum of all previously specified rows.
Longitudinal Offset: Employed to determine the position of the pile. Longitudinal offset along the Projected Grade Line (PGL), where 0 refers to the center point of the substructure above.
Transverse Offset: Employed to determine the position of the pile. Transverse offset along the Projected Grade Line (PGL), where 0 refers to the center point of the substructure above.
Section Orientation [deg]: Rotates the pile section; when set to the default value of 0, the X direction in the section editor aligns with the longitudinal direction, while the Y direction represents the transverse direction.
Batter Angle (Longitudinal) [deg]:
Batter Angle (Transverse) [deg]:
Embed. Length into Substructure (Top pile portion): This value represents embedment length of pile into the substructure it is connected to. This value affects only 3D model and generated CADD drawings.
Pile Capacity: This value represents the compression capacity, and the axial force in the pile will be evaluated in comparison to it.
FEA
Soil Spring Type[Linear Spring/Nonlinear Spring/ Nonlinear Spring from the Soil Set]: This property allows the user to define the types of springs that are desired to be employed between the soil and the pile. For more details please refer to the Soil Structure Interaction page.
Soil Springs (Linear): If the Soil Spring Type is selected as Linear Spring, this tab should be activated. Then user can define the soil characteristics using fixities or linear stiffness values.
Offset from the bottom of the footing/bent: The offset from the bottom of the footing or bent parameter is used to determine the location of springs representing soil properties. For each row, the total distance to the top position should be entered. A node will be introduced at each location, and this length can also serve as a means to modify the pile's mesh.
Tx[Fixed/Free/Stiffness Value]: Translational stiffness along the longitudinal direction of the alignment. A nonzero or fixed value is generally employed to represent lateral soil resistance.
Ty[Fixed/Free/Stiffness Value]: Translational stiffness along the transverse direction of the alignment. A nonzero or fixed value is generally employed to represent lateral soil resistance.
Tz[Fixed/Free/Stiffness Value]: Translational vertical stiffness is employed to define axial soil resistance. A nonzero stiffness value or fixed is commonly applied at the bottom of the pile to represent the soil's tip resistance. If the user wishes to disregard soil side friction, a free condition can be applied at other locations; alternatively, if side friction should be considered, a nonzero stiffness value can be used.
Rx[Fixed/Free/Stiffness Value]: Rotational torsional stiffness is employed to define torsional soil resistance.
Ry[Fixed/Free/Stiffness Value]: Usually set to free, but users may input small values to address stability concerns in finite element analysis
Rz[Fixed/Free/Stiffness Value]: Usually set to free, but users may input small values to address stability concerns in finite element analysis
Soil Springs (Nonlinear): If the Soil Spring Type is selected as Nonlinear Spring, this tab should be activated. This input allows the user to define custom nonlinear P-Y, T-Z, Q-Z and T-θ Curves. These curves must be defined in the Soil Spring (Nonlinear) tab and set to the pile. For more information, please refer to the Soil Spring (Nonlinear) page.
Offset from the bottom of the footing/bent: The offset from the bottom of the footing or bent parameter is used to determine the location of springs representing soil properties. For each row, the total distance to the top position should be entered. A node will be introduced at each location, and this length can also serve as a means to modify the pile's mesh.
Fixity[Free,Spring]: If this option is selected as Free, a free node will be introduced at the specified location. However, if the Fixity is set to Spring, a node will be created that utilizes the spring properties that must be assigned under Soil Spring Custom (Nonlinear) tab.
Soil Spring Custom (Nonlinear): Specify the Soil Spring with custom nonlinear P-Y, T-Z, Q-Z, and T-θ Curves.
If the Soil Spring Type is selected as Nonlinear Spring from the Soil Set, OpenBrIM library will assign the appropriate spring properties to the pile. To generate these springs, following inputs are necessary, Section Type, Soil Springs from the Soil Set (Nonlinear), and Mesh Size.
Section Type[Circular, Rectangular, H-Shaped]: Specify the type of the section. This input will affect the effective diameter calculations that are needed by soil material models, unless the section is circular.
Soil Springs from the Soil Set (Nonlinear): Assign the Soil Set. Soil Sets are defined under the Soil Structure Interaction tab. For more information, please refer to the Soil Set page.
Mesh Size: Specify the length of the finite elements of the pile.
Top Connection[Fixed/Pinned]: Use this parameter to specify the connection type between pile and cap/bent.
Generate FEM[Yes/No]: Setting the "Generate FEM" parameter to "No" can disable the analytical representation of the pile.
Add Comment