Dynamic response of bridge piles on soft ground using NUS geotechnical centrifuge

Abstract

Pile foundations are widely used for both inland and offshore structures, especially under adverse soil conditions. Of particular interest is the case of bridges which are structurally simple, yet highly response-sensitive to soil-structure interaction effects. The performance of these structural systems under seismic excitations has been the subject of considerable attention in recent years, particularly after the numerous failures of pile-supported bridges during recent major earthquakes. Series of dynamic centrifuge tests were performed on the model piles placed in soft kaolin beds in order to study the interference of the vibration of piles on the free-field ground motion. The experimental investigation had been carried out at Geotechnical Centrifuge Laboratory of Centre for Soft Soil Engineering of National University of Singapore under a joint venture of IIT-Roorkee and National University of Singapore. The investigation revealed the soil-pile interaction effects during earthquakes obtaining response spectrums at different positions in the soil and model piles.