Centrifuge model study of pile foundation system for oil tank

Abstract

Piles are often installed as the foundation for large oil storage tanks constructed on soft soils. The transfer of loads between the piles and soft soil is still not well understood. A series of centrifuge model tests were conducted on oil tank supported by piles having the same size and plan layout with various pile cap sizes to investigate the load transfer mechanism of the foundation system. The model setup was instrumented such that the load carried by each pile and the settlement at the center and the corner of the tank were obtained. Based on the test results, the efficacy (percentage of applied loads carried by the pile) of the foundation system with different pile cap sizes was determined and the practical implications of the findings were elaborated.