The aim of this work is to present a strut-and-tie model for design of reinforced concrete pile caps. The model considers both failure by crushing of the compressed struts and by yielding of the tie reinforcement. Unlike some traditional models, crushing of the compressed concrete is not checked at the section in direct contact with the column base (column/pile cap interface). In this work, crushing of concrete is verified in a section at a certain depth inside the pile cap. Thus, this verification is replaced by determining the height of the nodal zone at the top of the pile cap required not to cause crushing of the struts. An iterative algorithm is used for this purpose. Comparison with a large number of experimental results available in the literature demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed model for the design of concrete pile caps. Numerical examples of practical use of the model are also presented.
The aim of this work is to present a new strut-and-tie model for design of rigid pile caps based on the concept of magnified area under the column. In this magnified area, compressive stresses have been reduced enough not to cause crushing of the struts. An iterative algorithm is used to determine the required depth of the magnified area. The model considers both failure by crushing of the compressed struts and by yielding of the tie reinforcement. A large number of experimental results available in the literature is used to test the model. The partial safety factors method is employed for pile caps design and structural safety is evaluated by means of the reliability index. The small failure probability, estimated through the reliability index, demonstrates the safety of the proposed method. A numerical example of practical use of the model is also presented.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.