Seismic response and nonlinear characteristics of pile‐soil springs in structures supported by pile group in granular soil on sloping bedrock

Abstract

In places prone to earthquakes, piles need to be designed to resist seismic damage. However, the characteristics of the soil significantly impact the seismic resistance of piles. Accordingly, in this study, shaking table tests and three‐dimensional finite element analyses were conducted to investigate the seismic response and nonlinear characteristics of pile‐soil springs of a structure supported by a pile group in granular soil on a sloping bedrock. The analytical experiments and simulation were conducted on a group of nine piles arranged in the shape of a square. The results showed that the constraint condition at the pile tip influenced the bending moment response of piles during large input motion, such as that observed during earthquakes. Furthermore, the pile location, direction of pile displacement, and depth was found to affect the influence of the sloping bedrock on the pile soil springs.