A FINITE-ELEMENT MODEL FOR THE SIMULATION OF PILE DRIVING

The feasibility of conducting a detailed analysis of pile driving using a finite element technique is examined in this paper, taking into account the non-linear behaviour of undrained clayey soil and tracing the penetration of the pile into the soil. A three-dimensional model is used for this purpose, which is handled by two-dimensional analysis due to the axisymmetric nature of the problem. A non-linear time-domain dynamic analysis is performed in which the hammer blows on the pile are represented by a periodic forcing function, and the pile penetration is treated using a frictional contact slideline algorithm. The model is applied to the driving of a concrete pile in a clayey soil.