EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH ON MODEL STEEL H-PILE-TO-PILE-CAP CONNECTIONS

H-shaped piles are widely used in bridge foundations, but the study on H-pile-to-pile-cap connections is limited. Monotonically loaded static tests on model H-pile-to-pile-cap connections were carried out, in which the piles were subjected to tensile loading or horizontal loading with a bending in their strong and weak directions of the H pile. The cap models consisted of reinforcement concrete footing and H-piles foundation. Four bars were welded to the web on the top of each H-pile and shallowly anchored into the footing. The tests indicated that H-pile-footing connections were effective in transferring vertical and lateral loads. The results of load-displacement analysis show that the connections can sustain a certain amount of moment, though no specific design procedure was followed. A method modified from a previous study by the first author can predict the capacity reasonably well. The study also shows that the FEM analyses can capture the load and deformation relationships satisfactorily.