The 2002 Canadian Geotechnical Colloquium: The role of soil-pile interaction in foundation engineering

Soil-pile interaction (SPI) plays an important role in the analysis and design of foundations and structures. Geotechnical engineers have recognized this role, and many studies have focused on several aspects of the topic in the past four decades. As the third millennium begins, geotechnical engineers are challenged to provide more reliable and efficient foundation solutions to support larger, heavier, and more complicated structures. SPI must be thoroughly understood to properly address the issues that arise when designing foundations to meet these challenges. This presentation investigates some of the important features of SPI as they relate to some innovative applications in foundation engineering. Specific problems examined here include design of tapered piles where understanding SPI and interface conditions is utilized to develop efficient design procedures; construction of fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) and thin-walled pipe piles using an innovative device that exploits the understanding of aspects of SPI during driving for efficient installation; and Statnamic pile load testing where analysis of SPI is used to establish the characteristics of the pile static behaviour from the dynamic loading event.