Advances in Civil Engineering

Hindawi
Advances in Civil Engineering

Volume 2022, Article ID 7343847, 14 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/7343847
Research Article
Numerical Simulation and Application of Zero-Thickness Contact
Surface Element with Variable Shear Stiffness on Pile Foundation
You Wang ,1 Fan Xiong,1 and Jialin Ren2

1
School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410075, China
2
Shanghai Jianke Project Management Co., Ltd., Shanghai, 200030, China
Correspondence should be addressed to You Wang; [email protected]
Received 8 January 2022; Revised 29 April 2022; Accepted 12 May 2022; Published 15 June 2022
Academic Editor: Abdulkadir Cuneyt Aydın
Copyright © 2022 You Wang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
In this study, a contact surface constitutive model with zero-thickness unit and variable shear stiffness was improved based on the
statistical damage constitutive model. The model parameters were derived by means of the shear stress-shear displacement curve
of the pile-soil contact surface, and the model parameters under different normal stresses were obtained by the linear interpolation
method. At the same time, the influence of the interpolation interval range on the model parameters was explored. The shear
stiffness adjustment factor was introduced, and the improved pile-soil contact surface constitutive model was applied to the
numerical simulation of pile-soil contact surface shear calculations using the fish language embedded in FLAC 3D, and the
variation of monopile bearing characteristics and ultimate bearing capacity were investigated and analyzed. The results show that
the improved contact surface constitutive model is able to reflect the nonlinear variation of shear stiffness, and that different
normal stresses correspond to different fitting parameters, demonstrating the depth effect of the model. The accuracy of the model
parameters reduces as the interpolation interval increases, and the interpolation results are more accurate when the interval range
is smaller. The numerical model accurately simulates the pile-soil contact surface shear calculation and the monopile bearing
calculation, and the simulation results of the ultimate pile bearing capacity are closer to the results computed by the equations in
the Chinese code. At the same time, the variation law of pile axial force and pile lateral frictional resistance along the depth
direction and the variation of pile ultimate bearing capacity under different working conditions are reasonable, which shows the
validity of the contact surface principal structure model and the reasonableness of numerical calculation in this study.
1. Introduction has a significant effect on pile foundation bearing capacity

and bearing characteristics, it is required to conduct an in-
Pile foundations have a long history and a wide range of depth analysis of the pile-soil contact surface.
applications in the field of civil engineering. Whether a A contact surface implies the presence of two different
bridge erection is being built, a foundation pit is being materials in touch and interacting, so that their mechanical
supported, or a housing is being constructed, a pile foun- properties are determined by the combined influence of the
dation will be used. Scholars currently employ a variety of two materials [19]. Coulomb proposed an Earth pressure
research methods, including field tests [1, 2], model tests theory as early as the 18th century, based on the friction
[3, 4], numerical simulations [5–7], and others, to investigate between soil and walls in practical engineering, which es-
numerous macroscopic problems of pile foundations, in- sentially represents the strength attributes of the contact
cluding settlement [8–10], deformation [11, 12], and bearing surface within the soil. Since piles are made of concrete, early
characteristics [13–15], and various explanations are put pile-soil contact surface studies were mainly carried out
forward for pile-soil interactions [16–18]. Due to the con- through soil-concrete contact surface shear tests. Potyondy
siderable differences in soil properties, the mechanical [20] conducted hundreds of tests to determine the magni-
properties of the contact surface are also complicated and tude of contact surface friction and discovered that soil type,
variable. At the same time, since the pile-soil contact surface moisture content, roughness, and normal stress significantly
7074, 2022, 1, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2022/7343847 by Turkey Cochrane Evidence Aid, Wiley Online Library on [07/11/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License
2 Advances in Civil Engineering
affect the contact surface. Shi et al. [21] utilized large cyclic application. At the same time, to facilitate modeling and
load direct shear tests to evaluate the shear characteristics of computation, the model and contact surfaces are typically
the contact surfaces of red clay and concrete under a dif- simplified by using the software’s built-in model and setting
ferent number of cycles. Xiong et al. [22] conducted a shear the shear stiffness of the pile-soil interface to a constant value
test at the concrete-frozen soil interface and found that the [50–52]. However, the contact surface shear stiffness is not
initial moisture content and temperature had a substantial constant in practice, which significantly impacts the accu-
effect on the shear behavior of the frozen pile-soil interface. racy of the pile-soil numerical simulation. )erefore, it is
In addition, experimental studies on pile-soil contact surface necessary to develop new contact surface intrinsic structure
shear have been undertaken to determine the soil particle models.
size [23, 24], roughness [25], shear rate [26], and shear path In order to accurately simulate the pile-soil contact
[27]. surface unit and its interaction, the effect of contact surface
According to the stress-strain relationship during shear, thickness is eliminated, which accounts for the nonlinear
several conventional contact surface instantiation models variation of shear stiffness at the pile-soil interface. )is
have been developed, including the hyperbolic model [28], study develops a new contact surface constitutive rela-
the elasto-plastic model [29], the rigid-plastic model [30], tionship independent of the contact surface thickness using
and the damage model [31]. In response to the results of the statistical damage constitutive model proposed by Yang
contact surface experimental studies, the contact surface and Liu [41]. )e first section of the study reviews the lit-
element theory was proposed to better explain the me- erature and analyzes pile-soil contact surface tests, as well as
chanical behavior of contact surface shear. )e contact the constitutive model and the pile-soil interface. In the
surface element theory is mainly divided into two types: second section, mathematical treatment is used to get the
contact surface element without thickness [32] and element improved contact surface constitutive equations. )e fol-
with thickness [33]. Numerous scholars have proposed the lowing section describes the calculation of the model pa-
contact surface constitutive models under a variety of rameters. )e fourth section programs the improved contact
conditions based on the early investigations [34–37], and surface constitutive model using the FISH language in
numerous studies on contact surface units have been done FLAC3D and applies it to pile-soil contact surface shear
[38–40]. With the help of continuous strength theory, Yang numerical simulations. Ultimately, the case study in Section
[41] developed the statistical damage constitutive model of 5 simulates the monopile bearing and analyzes the pile
the soil-structure interface from the randomness of the bearing characteristics as well as the final pile bearing ca-
internal damage distribution. )is study will expand on the pacity under a variety of working conditions.
research using this model.
With the advancement of measurement technology and
test equipment, related scholars have conducted in-depth 2. Improved Constitutive Model of Pile-
studies of the pile-soil contact surface [42–45]. Aldaeef and Soil Interface
Rayhani [46] introduced a roughness factor to study the
characteristics of the pile-soil interface in permafrost and 2.1. Contact Surface Shear Band and *ickness. Under the
found that the residual strength of the interface was pri- extrusion of the adjacent soil, normal stress will exist be-
marily due to residual interfacial friction and that the tween the pile surface and the soil particles, and the two will
roughness factor decreased with decreasing temperature. be in close contact. After the load is applied to the top of the
Zhang et al. [47] employed direct shear tests to determine the pile, it tends to move downward, generating static friction at
mechanical properties of the pile-soil interface in clay soils. the pile-soil contact surface. When the pile top load grad-
)ey found that roughness, water content, and shear rate ually increases and exceeds the maximum static friction, the
were the main influencing factors. For the precast concrete pile will generate downward displacement with respect to
pile-hydraulic soil interface friction problem, Zhao et al. [48] the soil; at that point, the static friction is transformed into
found that the interface friction capacity is highly dependent sliding friction and shear occurs between the two. During
on the hydraulic soil strength. Additionally, numerical the shearing process, shear stress is applied to the soil along
simulations have become a critical tool for investigating pile- the contact surface, casing, and the soil particles to be
soil contact surfaces [49–52]. For example, Wang et al. [53] compressed, dislocated, and slipped amongst one another,
developed a finite element model based on shear test data to before being reorganized and finally reaching a stable
explore the effect of thermal loads and the pile-soil interface condition. )erefore, the soil region adjacent to the contact
on the thermo-mechanical behavior of piles. González et al. surface is referred to as the shear band, as illustrated
[54] developed a BEM-FEM equivalent linear model to schematically in Figure 1.
analyze the horizontal load response of piles in the case of )e contact surface thickness is difficult to measure since
pile-soil interface degradation. the shear mechanical behavior of the contact surface is af-
)e majority of the literature on the above-mentioned fected by numerous factors, including normal stress
research focuses on the factors influencing the mechanical roughness soil properties. On the relatively smooth surface,
properties of the pile-soil interface [46–48, 53, 54], whereas shear stress is minimal, and the range of soil influence is
the thickness of the contact surface itself receives less at- small, resulting in a thin contact surface. However, for rough
tention. In addition, it is difficult to determine the thickness surfaces, the contact surface thickness is typically greater.
of the contact surface, which complicates practical )e schematic diagram is shown in Figure 2.
Advances in Civil Engineering 3
Load Load
t Shear band t Shear band
thickness thickness
Soil particles Soil particles
Pile Shear band Pile Shear band
Normal stress Normal stress
Static friction
Sliding Friction
Δy
Figure 1: Schematic diagram of contact surface shear band.
Soil Soil
Shear band t2 Shear band

t1
thickness thickness
Pile Pile
Broad shear Thin shear

band band
Rough Smooth
surface surface
(a) (b)
Figure 2: Schematic diagram of contact surface thickness. (a) Broad shear band. (b) Thin shear band.
2.2. Improved Contact Surface Constitutive Model. Yang and λ

m
Liu [41] developed a statistical damage constitutive model τ Gλ⊿exp− ⊿m . (2)

F
for the soil contact surface based on the continuous strength
and statistical damage theory, whose expression is as follows: Taking the logarithm of both sides of the above equation,
we obtain
τ Gc exp− ,
c m
(1)
F
Y C + DX ,
where τ is the shear stress at the pile-soil contact, G is the
τ
shear modulus, c is the shear strain, and m and F are the Y In− ,
fitted parameters. Further improvement of this constitutive Gλ⊿
model is achieved by considering the relatively small
X In⊿, (3)
thickness of the pile-soil contact surface and assuming that
the shear stress and shear strain are uniformly distributed λ
along the contact surface and the shear strain is linearly C mIn ,
related to the shear displacement, that is, c λΔ, where F
λ 1/t and t is the thickness of the contact surface, allowing
D m.
equation (1) to be expressed as follows:
Then, considering the displacement Δ of the derivative of τ

equation (2), we can get the shear stiffness ks and shear τult
displacement of the relationship as follows:
m m ksi
λ λ
ksi Gλ exp− ⊿m − Gλm⊿m
F F
(4)
m
λ
· exp− ⊿m .
F
Let the displacement Δ 0 and the initial shear stiffness

be
0 . Δau Δu Δ
ksi Gλ. (5)
Figure 3: Shear stress-shear displacement curve at the pile-soil
Then, Y in equation (3) can be expressed as follows: interface.
τ
Y In−In . (6)
ksi ⊿ model established in this section is not directly related to the
contact surface thickness, and because the contact surface
Therefore, all that is required is to find the initial stiffness thickness has no direct effect on the shear stress and shear
ksi and to combine it with the points on the contact surface stiffness, this study referred to it as the “zero-thickness
shear test-curve to determine C and D in equation (3). The element.”
parameters m and F can be expressed in terms of C and D, According to equation (9), shear stiffness varies con-
respectively: tinuously with shear displacement, which can be utilized to
λ characterize the nonlinear fluctuation of contact surface
m D, C mIn . (7) shear stiffness, and is thus will more accurate. In addition,
F the shear stiffness-shear displacement relationship in
Substituting equations (5) and (7) into equations (2) and equation (9) is programmatically calculable, which forms the
(4) yields basis for the numerical computation of the monopile bearing
characteristics that will be performed in this study.
τ ksi ⊿ exp−⊿D exp C, (8)
3. Methodology for Calculating
ks ksi exp−⊿D exp C − ksi D⊿D exp C exp−⊿D exp C. Model Parameters
(9)
3.1. Pile-Soil Contact Surface Shear Test. To evaluate the
From equations (8) and (9), it can be seen that ksi will accuracy of the improved pile-soil contact surface intrinsic
have a large effect on the fitting effect of the shear process, so model presented in the previous subsection, this section uses
in order to ensure the validity of the fitting results, an ap- the data from Yang et al.’s contact surface shear test [56],
propriate solution must be chosen to calculate the initial which includes the following pertinent information:
shear stiffness ksi. Considering the presence of slip between The test apparatus was modified based on a powered
the pile and soil and the fact that the shear stiffness at the single shear apparatus. The lower box of the shear apparatus
pile-soil interface does not vary uniformly, a solution ap- was a precast concrete slab to simulate the concrete pile, and
proach proposed by Alonso [55] was borrowed. As shown in the shear stress was directly applied through the right
Figure 3, in the τ−Δ curve, the slope of the initial tangent line weight. The contact circle diameter between the soil sample
is the initial shear stiffness: ksi τ ult /Δau , and in order to and the concrete slab was raised from 61.8 to 88 mm, and the
calculate Δau , the parameter χ Δu /Δau is introduced to shear area was doubled, reducing stress concentration at the
establish the link between Δu and Δau so that the relationship edge of the soil sample and the effect of oblique shear.
between the initial shear stiffness ksi and the ultimate shear Figure 4 illustrates the schematic diagram of shear test.
stress at the pile-soil interface can be established Soil samples were taken from yellow clay excavated from
ksi χτ ult /Δu . In the above equation, the ultimate shear the foundation pit of a new university building. Prior to the
stress τ ult and the ultimate shear displacement Δu can be test, the soil samples were air dried and then sieved to a
derived from the experimental shear curve. fineness of 0.5 mm. The redesigned soil samples were then
The proposed procedure successfully obtains the initial taken according to the geotechnical test procedure, and the
pile-soil shear stiffness ksi, which in turn results in an im- dry density was maintained at 1.63 g/cm3 for 1–2 days by
proved constitutive model of the pile-soil contact surface and stratified compaction. The loading control standard is as
the shear stiffness ks during shear. This method produces ksi follows: (1) the shear displacement is stable under the action
directly by deriving the displacement Δ in equation (2) and of this stage load; (2) the displacement is not stable, but the
calculating its value without regard for the contact surface load of this stage has been applied for 2 minutes and the next
thickness. This means that the contact surface constitutive load is applied at this time; (3) if the shear displacement
100
90
Force transferring lever 80
70
Shear stress (kPa)

Styrram 60
50
Force-transferring rod 40
30
Force-transferring plate
20
Soil Stacking rings 10
Steering
bearings 0
Concrete 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0
Shear displacement (mm)
Gliding track 22 kPa 88 kPa

42 kPa 107 kPa
Fixed piers 55 kPa
Figure 5: Contact surface shear test τ-Δ curve.
Figure 4: Contact surface shear test schematic diagram. Table 1: Initial shear stiffness values under different normal
stresses.
Normal stress (kPa) 22 55 88 107
continues to develop under the current load, the soil sample Initial shear stiffness (Mpa/m) 135.9 141.03 167.4 234.28
is regarded as destroyed. The contact surface shear stress-
shear displacement curves for various normal stresses are
shown in Figure 5. After obtaining the values of the parameters at the four
nodes, the next step is to request the values of the parameters
at remaining normal stresses. The normal stress range of
3.2. Calculation of Model Parameters under Different Normal 22–107 kPa is divided into three intervals: 22–55 kPa,
Stresses. First, the initial shear stiffness ksi is determined 55–88 kPa, and 88–107 kPa, with the respective intervals of
from ksi χτ ult /Δu , where Δu is not greatly affected by the 33 kPa, 33 kPa, and 19 kPa. Because the range of each in-
normal stress and Δu is uniformly taken to be 2.5 mm. To terval has a minor difference, we may obtain the relevant
ensure the accuracy of the simulation results, the error model parameter values under various normal stress con-
analysis coefficient R2 is introduced to determine the pa- ditions by performing linear interpolation computation on
rameter χ, and the expression is as follows: the node parameters.
To prove the effectiveness of the linear interpolation
yi − fi
2
R2 1 − 2, (10) method, this section examines the normal stress of 42 kPa
yi − y that is included in the range 22–55 kPa, and the corre-
sponding model parameter values are listed in Table 3. Also,
where yi is the experimental stress value, fi is the simulated the simulation curve for 42 kPa normal stress may be ob-
stress value, y is the average value of the experimental stress. tained, and the comparison with the shear test curve ob-
By fitting the experimental data from the literature [56], tained in reference [56] is displayed in Figure 6.
selecting suitable parameters χ to make the fitting results Figure 6 reveals that the shear stress-shear displacement
closer to the experimental data, and then deriving the initial curves derived from the calculation of the model parameters
shear stiffness ksi at different normal stresses, the results are using the linear interpolation approach fit very well and meet
obtained, as listed in Table 1. the accuracy requirements, indicating that this method is
Then, the data ksi, τ, and Δ are substituted into equation feasible for calculating the model parameter values.
(3) to obtain the model parameters under different normal
stress and the results are listed in Table 2.
Tables 1 and 2 demonstrate that as the normal stress 3.3. Influence of the Range of Normal Stress Interpolation
increases, the initial shear stiffness ksi of the contact surface Intervals on the Parameters. The interpolation interval range
increases; additionally, different pile depths correspond to of the linear interpolation method may affect the accuracy of
different normal stresses, and changes in normal stresses interpolation results. Interpolation calculations are per-
lead to changes in the values taken for the parameters, in- formed on the model parameters corresponding to the
dicating that the constitutive model has a depth effect that normal stress 42 kPa, in the interval ranges 22–55 kPa,
accurately describes the nonlinear variation in contact 22–88 kPa, and 22–107 kPa, and values are 85 kPa, 66 kPa,
surface shear stiffness. and 33 kPa, respectively. The model parameters obtained
Table 2: Model parameter values under different normal stresses obtained by fitting.
Normal stress (kPa) χ Δu (mm) D C Correlation coefficient R2
22 12.5 2.5 0.3648 3.1236 0.9991
55 7.7 2.5 0.4979 3.6888 0.9983
88 6.5 2.5 0.4610 3.4120 0.9992
107 7.8 2.5 0.4350 3.3272 0.9993
Table 3: Model parameter values obtained by interpolation under Table 4: Model parameter values obtained by interpolation using
normal stress of 42 kPa. different interval regions.
Normal stress (kPa) χ Δu (mm) D C Interval range (kPa) χ Δu (mm) D C
42 9.591 2.5 0.44547 3.46615 33 9.591 2.5 0.44547 3.46615
66 10.682 2.5 0.39395 3.21100
85 11.394 2.5 0.38132 3.17151
50
50
40
Shear stress (kPa)
40
30
Shear stress (kPa) 30

20
20
10
10
0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0
Shear displacement (mm) 0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0
Simulation curve Shear displacement (mm)
Test curve
Test curve Simulation curve2: 66 kPa
Figure 6: Simulation when the normal stress is 42 kPa. Simulation curve1: 33 kPa Simulation curve3: 85 kPa
Figure 7: Simulation curves obtained using different interpolation
regions.
using different interpolation regions for the normal stress
42 kPa are summarized in Table 4.
From the data in Table 4, the corresponding simulation surface as expressed in equation (9), and in order to adapt to
curve can be obtained. The comparison of the simulation the FLAC3D solution method and apply it more accurately
and the test curves at 42 kPa normal stress calculated in to FLAC3D, the shear stiffness adjustment factor is added to
various interpolation areas is illustrated in Figure 7. equation (9) to obtain the following equation:
As can be seen from Figure 7, the accuracy of the
ks,j φksi,j exp−Δj j exp Cj − ksi Dj Δj j
D D
simulation curve varies with the interpolation interval
ranges; from high to low, the accuracy of the simulation (11)
curve is 33 kPa, 66 kPa, and 85 kPa, and its accuracy falls as · exp Cj exp−Δj j exp Cj .
D
the interpolation area increases. To ensure the accuracy of
the model parameters, it is recommended that the inter-
where ks,j is the contact surface shear stiffness of the jth node
polation interval should be kept below 40 kPa in order to
of the contact surface, Δj is the shear displacement of the jth
obtain a reasonable simulation curve depicting the me-
node of the contact surface, ksi,j is the initial shear stiffness of
chanical behavior of the contact surface.
the jth node of the contact surface, Cj and Dj are model
parameter value of the jth node of the contact surface, and φ
4. Numerical Realization of Improved is the adjustment coefficient for shear stiffness.
Constitutive Model The contact surface fish function embedded in FLAC3D
may be used to acquire the normal stress value corre-
4.1. Numerical Calculation Process Design. Due to the ideal sponding to the contact surface nodes, and the model pa-
elastoplastic model embedded in FLAC3D having a fixed rameters under the normal stress can be derived using the
pile-soil contact surface stiffness, it cannot accurately reflect approach mentioned above for calculating model parame-
the nonlinear characteristics. Considering the characteristics ters. The initial contact surface shear stiffness can be de-
of variable shear stiffness and the depth effect of contact termined by substituting the model parameter values into
Based on the data of contact surface

shear test, the model parameters
were fitted for different normal
Based on the fitted model
parameters, linear interpolation is
used to obtain the expressions at each
normal stress interval
Programming of the model

Writing parameter variable parameters for different normal
expressions based on fish language stresses based on the fish
language embedded in FLAC3D
Obtaining node normal stress with

contact surface fish variables
Get the calculated model

parameter variable values
Assuming φ = 1, the shear stress-shear
displacement relationship is calculated
for several normal stresses, compared
Based on equation (11), use fish with the theoretical calculation, and the
language to write shear correction factor for the numerical
stiffness calculation formula simulation is determined based on the
ratio of the maximum shear stress
between the two
Get node shear displacement with

contant surface fish variables
Substitute the correction coefficients into
equation (11) for calculation, and compare
the simulation results with the theoretical
calculation results to verify the accuracy
of the numerical simulation
Figure 8: Flowchart of FLAC3D model implementation.
equation (9), which is then corrected and the contact surface

shear stiffness parameters assigned. The specific imple-
mentation and solution process of the shear stiffness ad-
justment factor are depicted in Figure 8.
4.2. Model Building and Parameter Setting. On the basis of

the foregoing, the numerical calculation process was suc-
cessfully applied using an improved pile-soil contact surface
principal structure model. Due to the symmetry of the pile Soil
Pile
structure and applied loads, a half-pile-soil FLAC3D model
is developed here. The diameter of the pile is 0.6 m, and the
Figure 9: Pile-soil FLAC3D shear model.
length is 5.1 m in this model (exposed ground 0.1 m). The soil
specifications are as follows: 5 m in thickness, 16 m in length,
and 8 m in width; grid division: 2196 units and 3000 nodes boundary surfaces at Y 0 m and Y 8 m. The pile was
(not excluding empty units and nodes). The model is shown modeled as an elastic model with a bulk modulus of 13.9 GPa
in Figure 9. and a shear modulus of 10.4 GPa, while the surrounding soil
The numerical calculation model boundary cases are as was modeled as a Mohr–Coulomb model. The values of the
follows: the top surface is free, the bottom surface is con- parameters are listed in Table 5.
strained in the Z direction only (except for solid pile), the X According to the shear test results [56], the internal
direction is constrained in the displacements at the two friction angle of the pile-soil contact surface was set at 29.4°
boundary surfaces at X −8 m and X 8 m, and the Y di- and the cohesive force was set to 14.8 kPa. It is sufficient that
rection is constrained in the displacements at the two the normal stiffness is not negligible, and twice the maximum
Table 5: Material parameters of soil in the numerical model.

Bulk modulus (MPa) Shear modulus (MPa) Cohesion (kPa) Internal friction angle (°)
16.67 7.69 10 20
normal stiffness of the surrounding unit body was considered Table 6: Adjustment coefficient of shear stiffness under different
to be 292.9 MPa/m based on the numerical calculation ex- normal stress.
perience. Since there is a constant variation in shear stiffness, Normal stress (kPa) Shear stiffness adjustment factor
the contact surface shear stiffness in the interval 22–107 kPa 16 0.99
can be computed using the fitted data from Section 3 and the 22 0.99
interpolation method. The following solution is proposed for 25 1.02
shear stiffnesses in the 0–22 kPa normal stress interval; it is 27 1.02
assumed that when the normal stress value is small, the shear
stiffness in the 0–22 kPa normal stress interval varies simi-
larly to the 22–55 kPa normal stress range, such that the 35
initial shear stiffness in the 0–22 kPa normal stress interval
30
can be obtained via linear extrapolation.
25
Shear stress (kPa)

4.3. Implementation of Numerical Simulation and Compari- 20
son with Theoretical Calculation Results. Vertical displace-
ment of the pile can be achieved through the command flow 15
in the software by applying vertical displacement to the pile 10
unit to simulate pile-soil shear, and the greater the vertical
displacement, the greater the shear displacement between 5
the pile and the soil. The track of the shear displacement and
0
shear stress is kept during the shear process in order to plot 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
the shear curve. In this study, the ratio of the maximum Shear displacement (mm)
imbalance force to the typical internal force is less than 10−6
Numerical calculation results 16 kPa 22 kPa
as the convergence criterion of the calculation, and the
Theoretical calculation results 25 kPa 27 kPa
calculation is considered complete when the criterion is met.
However, the range of values for the normal stress is Figure 10: Comparison of the theoretical and numerical calcu-
rather scattered, resulting in insufficient data to be used to lation results under different normal stresses.
determine constant normal stress. Therefore, to simulate the
shear stress-shear displacement curves of the nodes at the
contact surface of the pile-soil interface under constant more accurately. Using equation (10) to calculate the cor-
normal stress, the normal stress increments are applied to relation coefficient of the two, when the normal stress is
each node using fish language programming to ensure that 16 kPa, 22 kPa, 25 kPa, and 27 kPa, the correlation coeffi-
the nodal normal stress is a certain value, ensuring that the cients are 0.9832, 0.9826, 0.9844, and 0.9851, respectively, all
majority of the nodal normal stresses are concentrated of which are close to 1. Therefore, the numerical calculation
around the simulated normal stress value, thereby satisfying can be regarded as precise.
the requirement for data acquisition. Four different normal
stresses of 16 kPa, 22 kPa, 25 kPa, and 27 kPa are selected 5. Case Study
below, and the associated shear stress-shear displacement
curves are obtained through simulation using the shear 5.1. Numerical Calculation of Ultimate Bearing Capacity of
stiffness adjustment factors for the four cases, as listed in Single Pile. In this section, the simulation and analysis of
Table 6. The shear stress-shear displacement curves obtained monopile load bearing will be introduced with the pile-soil
numerically were then compared to those derived using the shear model. Considering that the shear stress-shear dis-
improved contact surface constitutive structure model, placement curves for the selected pile-soil indoor shear tests
which is displayed in Figure 10. exhibit lateral resistance hardening characteristics, this
In this section, the improved pile-soil contact surface was section will further optimize the implementation path of the
put to the numerical calculation software FLAC3D, and the model reflecting lateral resistance hardening in FLAC3D. As
contact surface shear calculation was successfully completed, shown in equation (9), when Δ (DexpC)−1/D, the shear
yielding a numerical simulation graph of shear stress-shear stiffness ks 0 and the shear stress is at its maximum value, it
displacement. As can be seen from the comparison graph of can be assumed that when the shear stiffness is less than or
the results, the numerical and theoretical results are quite equal to 0, the shear stress is maintained constant to reflect
similar, and the fitting degree is quite high. Additionally, the lateral resistance hardening characteristics of the pile-
when the normal stress is in the range of 0–22 kPa, the linear soil contact surface during the shear process, and the above
extrapolate approach can be used to solve the shear stiffness idea can be implemented in FLAC3D through fish language
programming. According to the data in Table 6, the shear

stiffness adjustment factor can be assumed as 1 during the
numerical calculation process. In the line of the above ideas,
the calculation program of the previous section for the pile-
soil shear process can be modified to perform the numerical
calculation for single pile bearing.
Due to the symmetry of the pile foundation structure
and the added load, only half of the model needs to be built.
The model specifies the following pile parameters: diameter
0.6 m and length 5.1 m (exposed ground 0.1 m). The soil
specifications are as follows: 8 m in soil thickness, 16 m in Pile
length, 8 m in width, and 3492 cells and 4205 nodes of the Soil
grid. The model is depicted in Figure 11. The numerically
Figure 11: Pile bearing calculation model.
calculated boundary cases of the model are as follows: the
top surface is the free surface; in the X direction, the dis-
placements of the two boundary surfaces at X −8 m and Stress on pile top (kPa)
X 8 m are constrained; in the Y direction, the displace- 0 200 400 600 800 1000
0
ments of the two boundary surfaces at Y 0 m and Y 8 m
are constrained (except for the solid pile); in the Z direction, 2
Pile top displacement (mm)

the surface at Z −8 m is constrained. The pile and soil 4
model parameters are the same as in the numerical pile-soil 6
shear simulation approach described previously.
8
The pile-soil interface constitutive model is based on the
lateral resistance hardening model given previously, with the 10
remaining parameters identical to those in Figure 9. To 12
execute the numerical simulation of the bearing capacity of a 14
single pile, the pile top is loaded incrementally at a rate of
16
40 kPa. The ultimate bearing capacity of a single pile is
determined by observing the dramatic shift of pile foun- 18
dation settlement, and the load-settlement curve is seen in Figure 12: Load-settlement curve obtained by numerical
Figure 12. calculation.
As displayed in Figure 12, when the load applied to the
top of the pile is minimal, the load-settlement curve changes
Stress on pile top (kPa)
essentially linearly. However, when the applied load reaches
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
a critical value, the settlement displacement of the top of the 0
pile reduces steeply as the load increases. The settlement
curve presented in Figure 8 follows a pattern similar to that 1
observed during the static load test of the monopile, which

has a bearing capacity of approximately 760 kPa under such
conditions. 2
3
5.2. Applied Research on Pile Foundation Bearing
Characteristics 4
5.2.1. Numerical Analysis of Axial Stresses in Piles.

5
Figure 13 describes the variation of axial stresses within the
pile body as the function of pile top load. As can be seen from 120 kPa 480 kPa
the figure, the pile is subjected to vertical loads of 120 kPa, 240 kPa 600 kPa
240 kPa, 360 kPa, 480 kPa, 600 kPa, and 720 kPa, respec- 360 kPa 720 kPa
tively. As the load increases, the axial stress in the pile body Figure 13: Axial stress curve of pile body under different pile top
increases accordingly, resulting in a compressed stress state loads.
throughout the pile foundation. Within the ultimate bearing
capacity of the pile foundation, the axial stress at the same
position on the pile body grows essentially linearly with the stresses gradually decrease and the pile end resistance values
vertical load. drop, indicating that the pile side frictional resistance carries
Axial pile stresses exhibit the same variation rule under the majority of the pile top load. The axial stress of pile
different vertical loads, which can be summarized as follows: diminishes nonlinearly with depth at all levels of load. The
as the depth of the pile foundation increases, the axial pile slope of the curve is greater in the upper soil part, revealing a
faster rate of change, whereas the slope of the curve declines Stress on pile top (kPa)
in the lower soil part, revealing a slower rate of change. This 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
0
suggests that the axial force of the upper part of the pile
drops rapidly, while the lower part slows down and tends to

remain stable. 1
2
5.2.2. Numerical Analysis of Pile Side Friction Resistance.
Figure 14 depicts the variation curves for pile lateral friction
resistance under various pile top loads. As the pile top load 3
increases, the pile side frictional resistance increases pro-
portionately, and the pile side frictional resistance caused by 4
the soil at the upper part of the pile perimeter is greater.
During the loading process, the upper part of the pile is 5
compressed, resulting in downward displacement relative to
120 kPa 480 kPa
the soil, while the pile side is also subjected to the upward
240 kPa 600 kPa
frictional resistance of the soil; thus, the pile top load is
360 kPa 720 kPa
transferred to the soil around the pile through the frictional
resistance, resulting in decreasing pile axial stress with Figure 14: Curves of pile side friction resistance under different
depth. pile top loads.
When the load value on the pile top is increased, the load
is transferred from top to bottom, increasing the com- Table 7: Pile bearing capacity parameter values.
pression and displacement of the pile body. The relative
displacement between the pile and the lower soil occurs, and U (m) fi (kPa) li (m) m0 A (m2) [σ] (kPa)
the friction of the lower soil layer of the pile body is gradually 0.6π 38 5 0.8 0.09π 240
exerted. This demonstrates that the lateral friction of the
upper and lower soil layers of the pile is not synchronized,
is the thickness of the soil layer on the side of the pile, m0 is
but that the friction of the upper soil layer of the pile plays a
the discount factor for the support force at the base of the
role first. If the load continues to increase, the resistance at
pile, A is the area of the base of the pile, and [σ] is the
the pile end will begin to play out until it reaches the bearing
allowable bearing capacity of the foundation soil at the base
limit of the bearing layer, and the pile top displacement will
of the pile. Based on the basic parameters of the pile
increase significantly, resulting in damage.
foundation model in this section and the provisions of the
From the above analysis, it is clear that the simulation
code on the relevant coefficients, the above parameters are
results for the variation curves of axial stress and lateral
obtained, as listed in Table 7.
frictional resistance of the pile under vertical load are
By substituting the coefficients from Table 7 into
consistent with the conventional pile foundation load
equation (12), the theoretical value of the ultimate bearing
transfer law, which more accurately simulates the top-down
capacity of the single pile can be obtained. After calculation,
pile top load transfer.
the final bearing capacity is about 233.36 kN, which is then
divided by the pile area to get around 825 kPa. In com-
5.3. Theoretical Calculation of Monopile Bearing Capacity. parison to the numerical calculation result of 760 kPa, the
There are numerous requirements and methods in various theoretical calculation value is 825 kPa, and the discrepancy
codes for calculating the vertical bearing capacity of a single between the two values is stable at 10%. This reveals that the
pile; but in general, the bearing capacity of the pile is divided theoretical calculation results provide a more robust veri-
into two parts: pile side friction and pile end resistance. The fication of the numerical simulation’s correctness.
pile side friction is determined by the different rock layers
traversed by the pile, and different coefficients are chosen,
5.4. Analysis of Influencing Factors of Ultimate Bearing Ca-
but the method of calculation is based on friction theory,
pacity of Single Pile. To facilitate comprehension of the
whereas the pile end resistance is primarily determined by
application of the improved contact surface constitutive
the lithology of the bearing layer and the load transfer
model and to further verify the validity of the model, this
mechanism.
subsection will simulate the ultimate bearing capacity of a
According to the Chinese code—“Code for Design on
single pile with varying pile lengths and soil moduli.
Subsoil and Foundation of Railway Bridge and Culvert” [57],
the axial compressive bearing capacity of a single pile can be
computed using the following equation: 5.4.1. Effect of Different Pile Lengths. In Section 5.1, the
1 length of the pile in the model is 5 m in length and 0.6 m in
[P] U fi li + m0 A[σ], (12) diameter. Keeping the pile diameter constant and changing
2
the length of the pile, models with pile lengths of 7.5 m, 10 m,
where U is the perimeter of the pile section, fi is the ultimate and 12.5 m, were established to investigate the effect of
frictional resistance of the soil layer on the side of the pile, li varying pile lengths on the ultimate bearing capacity of the
Stress on pile top (kPa) Stress on pile top (kPa)

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200
0 0
2 2

4 4
6 6
8
8
10
10
12
12
14
14
5m 10 m
7.5 m 12.5 m 10 MPa
16.67 MPa
Figure 15: Load-settlement curves of piles with different pile 20 MPa
lengths.
Figure 16: Pile load-settlement curves for different soil moduli.
monopile. To minimize the influence of boundary effects, the

model height is adjusted to double the length of the pile, and surrounding the pile result in a decrease in the settlement at
the remaining material characteristics and boundary con- the top of the pile and an increase in ultimate bearing ca-
ditions remain unchanged. The model loading scheme is still pacity. This corresponds to the impact of lengthening the
loaded incrementally with 40 kPa, and the settlement of pile pile. When the soil modulus around the pile increases, the
tops is recorded for each load step. Figure 15 illustrates the pile lateral frictional resistance increases as well. Because the
load-settlement curves for various pile lengths. The inflec- soil at the bottom of the pile gets stronger, its bearing ca-
tion point of the curve represents the ultimate bearing capacity increases and the compression deformation decreases,
pacity of the single pile. and increasing the soil modulus can reduce settlement and
As shown in Figure 15, the pile top settlement increases enhance the pile bearing capacity.
linearly with increasing load at the commencement of As can be observed from the above analysis, the simu-
loading. After the inflection point of the curve, the settle- lation results for the ultimate bearing capacity of a single pile
ment accumulated rapidly and the pile foundation is under various pile lengths and soil moduli are consistent with
damaged. The longer the pile length is, the less settlement the actual pile bearing capacity variation law, which more
there will be under the same load. At the same time, the accurately simulates the pile bearing capacity variation law.
ultimate bearing capacity of a pile foundation grows with the This section applies an improved constitutive model of
pile length increases. This is because as the pile length in- the pile-soil interface to the simulation of single pile bearing
creases, the pile side frictional resistance increases bearing capacity, verifies the ultimate bearing capacity of a single
capacity, and the pile axial force is transferred more to the pile, analyzes the variation law of pile axial force and pile side
pile perimeter soil, which reduces pile body compression friction, and investigates the influence of pile length and soil
and pile bottom soil compression. Therefore, increasing the modulus around the pile on the ultimate bearing capacity of
pile length can reduce settlement and improve the pile a single pile. The case study proves the effectiveness of the
bearing capacity. improved constitutive model, which has a certain engi-
neering application value.
5.4.2. Effect of Different Soil Moduli. The pile length of 5 m

and the pile diameter of 0.6 m are maintained, but the soil 6. Conclusion
modulus around the pile is altered. To test the effect of
The constitutive model of the pile-soil interface with variable
different soil deformation moduli on the ultimate bearing
shear stiffness and zero thickness element is improved using
capacity of the monopile, the soil deformation modulus was
the original contact surface model. At the same time, the
set to 10 MPa, 16.67 MPa, and 20 MPa. The remaining
numerical simulation of the new constitutive model is re-
material characteristics and boundary conditions remain
alized, as well as a case study of a single pile is carried out.
unchanged, as does the loading method. The load-settlement
The following conclusions are drawn:
curves for the pile with varying soil moduli around the pile
are plotted in Figure 16. (1) The improved constitutive model is capable of de-
As depicted in Figure 16, the variation pattern of pile Q-S scribing the nonlinearity of the contact surface shear
curves with varying soil moduli is similar to that of Q-S stiffness, and it is beneficial to program computation
curves with varying pile lengths, where settlement initially and numerical simulation research, laying the
increases linearly and then rapidly increases once the in- foundation for further contact surface and single pile
flection point appears. Increases in the soil modulus bearing numerical calculations.
(2) Combined with the data from the shear test, the [4] C. Yao, J. Takemura, and J. Zhang, “Centrifuge modeling of
parameter calculation method is proposed. )e pa- single pile-shallow foundation interaction in reverse fault,”
rameter values for various normal stresses can be Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, vol. 141, Article
determined by linear interpolation, which reflects the ID 106538, 2021.
depth effect of the model. Because the accuracy of the [5] Q. Xu, Z. Bao, T. Lu, H. Gao, and J. Song, “Numerical
model parameters reduces as the interpolation area simulation and optimization Design of end-suspended pile
support for soil-rock composite foundation pit,” Advances in
increases, it is recommended that the interpolation
Civil Engineering, vol. 2021, pp. 1–15, Article ID 5593639,
interval be kept small.
2021.
(3) Implementing an improved constitutive model of the [6] F. Liu, J. Yi, P. Cheng, and H. Yao, “Numerical simulation of
pile-soil interface in FLAC 3D is proposed, as is the set-up around shaft of XCC pile in clay,” Geomechanics and
usage of a linear extrapolation method for the shear Engineering, vol. 21, no. 5, pp. 489–501, 2020.
stiffness in the normal stress range of 0–22 kPa. )e [7] J. Li, D. R. Fuhrman, X. Kong, M. Xie, and Y. Yang, “)ree-
model and calculation procedure successfully sim- dimensional numerical simulation of wave-induced scour
ulate pile-soil shear, and the numerical results are in around a pile on a sloping beach,” Ocean Engineering, vol. 233,
good agreement with the theoretical results, which Article ID 109174, 2021.
accurately depict the nonlinear stiffness of the [8] X. Jin, T.-H. Wang, W.-C. Cheng, Y. Luo, and A. Zhou, “A
contact surface. simple method for settlement evaluation of loess-pile foun-
dation,” Canadian Geotechnical Journal, vol. 56, no. 11,
(4) )e improved constitutive model is used in the pp. 1690–1699, 2019.
bearing simulation of a single pile. )e case study [9] M. Shakeel and C. W. W. Ng, “Settlement and load transfer
demonstrates that during pile top load transfer, the mechanism of a pile group adjacent to a deep excavation in
upper soil part of the pile provides more pile lateral soft clay,” Computers and Geotechnics, vol. 96, pp. 55–72,
friction resistance than the lower soil part because 2018.
the pile and upper soil body are the first to be dis- [10] M. R. Kaloop, J. W. Hu, and E. Elbeltagi, “Pile-raft settlements
placed relative to one another. By increasing the pile prediction under coupled static-dynamic loads using four
length and the soil modulus around the pile, set- heuristic regression approaches,” Shock and Vibration,
tlement can be reduced and the pile bearing capacity vol. 2018, pp. 1–10, Article ID 3425461, 2018.
increased. )e feasibility of the model is verified by [11] H. Wang, Z. Lv, H. Qin, and J. Zhang, “Deformation control
method of the antislide pile under trapezoidal load in the
comparing the calculated results to the equations in
Zhangjiawan landslide,” Advances in Civil Engineering,
the Chinese code, which serves as a guide for en-
vol. 2020, pp. 1–14, Article ID 1405610, 2020.
gineering practice. [12] P. Yu and X. Fu, “Study on vertical bearing deformation
behavior of single pile considering Poisson’s effect,” Journal of
Data Availability Railway Science and Engineering, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 901–907,
2021.
)e data used to support the findings of this study are in- [13] Z. Feng, J. Huo, H. Hu et al., “Research on corrosion damage
cluded in the article. and bearing characteristics of bridge pile foundation concrete
under a Dry-Wet-Freeze-)aw Cycle,” Advances in Civil
Conflicts of Interest Engineering, vol. 2021, pp. 1–13, Article ID 8884396, 2021.
[14] Y. Dong, Z. Feng, H. Hu, J. He, Q. Zhang, and F. Wang, “)e
)e authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. horizontal bearing capacity of composite concrete-filled steel
tube piles,” Advances in Civil Engineering, vol. 2020, pp. 1–15,
Acknowledgments Article ID 3241602, 2020.
[15] Q. Wang, Z. Hu, Y. Ji, J. Ma, and W. Chen, “Centrifugal model
)e authors would like to thank “SCI Capability Sharing test based bearing characteristics and analytical model of
United Group” for the English editing during the prepa- uplift pile in combined composite ground,” Rock Mechanics
ration of this manuscript. )is work was supported by the and Rock Engineering, vol. 55, 2022.
Natural Science Foundation of China (grant nos. 51308552 [16] L. Qu, X. Ding, G. Kouroussis, and C. Zheng, “Dynamic
and 51778633). interaction of soil and end-bearing piles in sloping ground:
numerical simulation and analytical solution,” Computers and
Geotechnics, vol. 134, Article ID 103917, 2021.
References [17] S. Zhang, J. Zhang, Y. Ma, and R. Y. S. Pak, “Vertical dynamic
[1] L. Gao, C. Han, Z. Xu, Y. Jin, and J. Yan, “Experimental study interactions of poroelastic soils and embedded piles consid-
on deformation monitoring of bored pile based on BOTDR,” ering the effects of pile-soil radial deformations,” Soils and
Applied Sciences, vol. 9, no. 12, p. 2435, 2019. Foundations, vol. 61, no. 1, pp. 16–34, 2021.
[2] X. Wang, “Field test investigation of the pile jacking per- [18] D. Kong, M. Deng, and Z. Zhao, “Seismic interaction char-
formance for prefabricated square rigid-drainage piles in acteristics of an inclined straight alternating pile group-soil in
saturated silt sandy soils,” Advances in Civil Engineering, liquefied ground,” Advances in Civil Engineering, vol. 2019,
vol. 2019, pp. 1–11, Article ID 4587929, 2019. pp. 1–12, Article ID 3758286, 2019.
[3] Z. Feng, H. Hu, R. Zhao et al., “Experiments on reducing [19] D. K. Feng, *ree-dimensional Constitutive Laws, Mechanism
negative skin friction of piles,” Advances in Civil Engineering, and Model of Gravel-Structure Interfaces, Tsinghua University,
vol. 2019, Article ID 4201842, 2019. Beijing, 2012.
[20] J. G. Potyondy, “Skin friction between various soils and rock,” Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engi-
construction materials,” Géotechnique, vol. 11, no. 4, neering, vol. 14, 2022.
pp. 339–353, 1961. [37] X. Cao and J. Li, “A shear damage model of the interface
[21] X. Shi, J. Zhang, G. Deng, F. Meng, J. Xu, and B. Liu, “Ex- between soil and sulfate-corroded concrete,” Construction
perimental research on shearing property of red clay-concrete and Building Materials, vol. 293, Article ID 123450, 2021.
interface under cyclic loading,” Journal of Railway Science and [38] X.-x. Qian, H.-n. Yuan, Q.-m. Li, and B.-y. Zhang, “Com-
Engineering, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 88–93, 2014. parative study on interface elements, thin-layer elements, and
[22] M. Xiong, P. He, Y. Mu, and X. Na, “Modeling of concrete- contact analysis methods in the analysis of high concrete-
frozen soil interface from direct shear test results,” Advances faced rockfill dams,” Journal of Applied Mathematics,
in Civil Engineering, vol. 2021, pp. 1–11, Article ID 7260598, vol. 2013, pp. 1–11, Article ID 320890, 2013.
2021. [39] I. P. Damians, Y. Yan, A. Lloret, R. J. Bathurst, and A. Josa,
[23] H. Cheng, X. Wang, J. Zhang, and Z. Wu, “Effects of particle “Equivalent Interface Properties to Model Soil-Facing In-
size on shear behavior of interface between coarse-grained soil teractions with Zero-)ickness and Continuum Element
and concrete,” Journal of Basic Science and Engineering, Methodologies,” Fundamentals to Applications in Geotechnics,
vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 145–153, 2018. IOS Press, Amsterdam, pp. 1065–1072, 2015.
[24] L.-J. Su, W.-H. Zhou, W.-B. Chen, and X. Jie, “Effects of [40] L. Rouleau, A. Legay, and J.-F. Deü, “Interface finite elements
relative roughness and mean particle size on the shear for the modelling of constrained viscoelastic layers,” Com-
strength of sand-steel interface,” Measurement, vol. 122, posite Structures, vol. 204, pp. 847–854, 2018.
pp. 339–346, 2018. [41] L. D. Yang and Q. J. Liu, “Research on statistical damage
[25] G. Han, Y. Zhou, R. Liu, Q. Tang, X. Wang, and L. Song, model for soil-structure interface,” Chinese Journal of Un-
“Influence of surface roughness on shear behaviors of rock derground Space and Engineering, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 79–83,
joints under constant normal load and stiffness boundary 2006.
conditions,” Natural Hazards, vol. 112, no. 1, pp. 367–385, [42] P. Staubach, J. Wichtmann, and T. Wichtmanna, “Mortar
2022. contact discretisation methods incorporating interface
[26] A. Martinez and H. H. Stutz, “Rate effects on the interface models based on Hypoplasticity and Sanisand: application to
shear behaviour of normally and overconsolidated clay,” vibratory pile driving,” Computers and Geotechnics, vol. 146,
Géotechnique, vol. 69, no. 9, pp. 801–815, 2019. Article ID 104677, 2022.
[27] D. K. Feng and J. M. Zhang, “Influence of shear paths on 3D [43] Y. Zhao, X. Mao, Q. Wu, W. Huang, and Y. Wang, “Study on
cyclic behaviors of the gravel-structure interface,” China Civil shear characteristics of interface between frozen soil and pile
Engineering Journal, vol. 51, no. 9, pp. 84–91+101, 2018. during thawing process in permafrost area,” Advances in Civil
[28] R. E. Goodman, R. L. Taylor, and T. L. Brekke, “A model for Engineering, vol. 2022, pp. 1–12, Article ID 1755538, 2022.
the mechanics of jointed rock,” Journal of the Soil Mechanics [44] S. Yazdani, S. Helwany, and G. Olgun, “Influence of tem-
and Foundations Division, vol. 94, no. 3, pp. 637–659, 1968. perature on soil-pile interface shear strength,” Geomechanics
[29] C. S. Desai, M. M. Zaman, J. G. Lightner, and for Energy and the Environment, vol. 18, pp. 69–78, 2019.
H. J. Siriwardane, “)in-layer element for interfaces and [45] W. Zhou, Z. Guo, L. Wang, J. Li, and S. Rui, “Effect of cyclic
joints,” International Journal for Numerical and Analytical jacking on sand-pile interface shear behaviour,” Soil Dynamics
Methods in Geomechanics, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 19–43, 1984. and Earthquake Engineering, vol. 141, Article ID 106479, 2021.
[30] G. W. Clough and J. M. Duncan, “Finite element analyses of [46] A. A. Aldaeef and M. T. Rayhani, “Pile-soil interface char-
retaining wall behavior,” Journal of the Soil Mechanics and acteristics in ice-poor frozen ground under varying exposure
Foundations Division, vol. 97, no. 12, pp. 1657–1673, 1971. temperature,” Cold Regions Science and Technology, vol. 191,
[31] M. Boulon and R. Nova, “Modelling of soil-structure interface Article ID 103377, 2021.
behaviour a comparison between elastoplastic and rate type [47] M. Zhang, S. Sang, Y. Wang, and X. Bai, “Factors influencing
laws,” Computers and Geotechnics, vol. 9, no. 1-2, pp. 21–46, the mechanical characteristics of a pile-soil interface in clay
1990. soil,” Frontiers of Earth Science, vol. 7, 2020.
[32] Z. Z. Yin, H. Zhu, and G. Xu, “Deformation and mathematical [48] J. Zhou, J. Yu, X. Gong, M. H. El Naggar, and R. Zhang, “)e
simulation of interface between soil and structural materials,” effect of cemented soil strength on the frictional capacity of
Chinese Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, vol. 3, pp. 14–22, precast concrete pile-cemented soil interface,” Acta geo-
1994. technica, vol. 15, no. 11, pp. 3271–3282, 2020.
[33] C. S. Desai and Y. Ma, “Modelling of joints and interfaces [49] N. Terfaya, A. Berga, M. Raous, and N. Abou-Bekr, “A contact
using the disturbed-state concept,” International Journal for model coupling friction and adhesion: application to pile/soil
Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics, vol. 16, interface,” International Review of Civil Engineering (IRECE),
no. 9, pp. 623–653, 1992. vol. 9, no. 1, p. 20, 2018.
[34] M. Saberi, C.-D. Annan, and J.-M. Konrad, “)ree-dimen- [50] W. D. Wang, Y. H. Li, and J. B. Wu, “Pile-soil interface shear
sional constitutive model for cyclic behavior of soil-structure model of super long bored pile and its FEM simulation,” Rock
interfaces,” Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, and Soil Mechanics, vol. 33, no. 12, pp. 3818–3832, 2012.
vol. 134, Article ID 106162, 2020. [51] Y. Yin, B. Y. Zhang, H. N. Yuan, and X. Sun, “Experimental
[35] Q. Gao, Z. Wen, Z. Zhou, A. Brouchkov, D. Wang, and R. Shi, and numerical study on interface direct shear tests,” Journal of
“A creep model of pile-frozen soil interface considering Hydroelectric Engineering, vol. 37, no. 6, pp. 84–92, 2018.
damage effect and ice effect,” International Journal of Damage [52] R. C. Qiu and J. S. Ai, “FLAC3D-based study on sensitivity of
Mechanics, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 3–21, 2022. pile-soil interface parameters by static load test of single pile,”
[36] W. Zhong, D. Ouyang, X. Yang, J. Wang, Q. Guo, and Subgrade Engineering, vol. 2, pp. 164–169, 2019.
K. J. Hu, “Effect of the in situ leaching solution of ion- [53] D. Wang, L. Lu, and P. Cui, “Simulation of thermo-me-
absorbed rare earth on the mechanical behavior of basement chanical performance of pile geothermal heat exchanger
(PGHE) considering temperature-depend interface behav-

ior,” Applied *ermal Engineering, vol. 139, pp. 356–366, 2018.
[54] F. González, L. A. Padrón, J. J. Aznárez, and O. Maeso,
“Equivalent linear model for the lateral dynamic analysis of
pile foundations considering pile-soil interface degradation,”
Engineering Analysis with Boundary Elements, vol. 119,
pp. 59–73, 2020.
[55] E. E. Alonso, A. Josa, and A. Ledesma, “Negative skin friction
on piles: a simplified analysis and prediction procedure,”
Géotechnique, vol. 34, no. 3, pp. 341–357, 1984.
[56] L. J. Yang, W. Wang, and T. H. Lu, “A study on laboratory
simple shearing test of pile-soil interface,” Highways, vol. 8,
no. 8, pp. 209–212, 2008.
[57] TB 10093-2017, “National Railway Administration of the
People’s Republic of China,” Code for Design on Subsoil and
Foundation of Railway Bridge and Culvert, TB 10093-2017,
China Railway Publishing House, China, 2017.

Advances in Civil Engineering - 2022 - Wang - Numerical Simulation and Application of Zero Thickness Contact Surface

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Advances in Civil Engineering - 2022 - Wang - Numerical Simulation and Application of Zero Thickness Contact Surface

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Advances in Civil Engineering - 2022 - Wang - Numerical Simulation and Application of Zero Thickness Contact Surface

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Hindawi

You Wang ,1 Fan Xiong,1 and Jialin Ren2

Correspondence should be addressed to You Wang; [email protected]

Academic Editor: Abdulkadir Cuneyt Aydın

1. Introduction has a significant effect on pile foundation bearing capacity

Soil particles Soil particles

Pile Shear band Pile Shear band

Normal stress Normal stress

Figure 1: Schematic diagram of contact surface shear band.

Shear band t2 Shear band

Broad shear Thin shear

2.2. Improved Contact Surface Constitutive Model. Yang and λ

Liu [41] developed a statistical damage constitutive model τ  Gλ⊿exp−  ⊿m . (2)

Then, considering the displacement Δ of the derivative of τ

Let the displacement Δ  0 and the initial shear stiffness

Shear stress (kPa)

Gliding track 22 kPa 88 kPa

Shear stress (kPa) 30

Based on the data of contact surface

Programming of the model

Obtaining node normal stress with

Get the calculated model

Get node shear displacement with

Figure 8: Flowchart of FLAC3D model implementation.

equation (9), which is then corrected and the contact surface

4.2. Model Building and Parameter Setting. On the basis of

Table 5: Material parameters of soil in the numerical model.

Shear stress (kPa)

programming. According to the data in Table 6, the shear

Pile top displacement (mm)

observed during the static load test of the monopile, which

5.2.1. Numerical Analysis of Axial Stresses in Piles.

Pile top displacement (mm)

Stress on pile top (kPa) Stress on pile top (kPa)

Pile top displacement (mm)

monopile. To minimize the influence of boundary effects, the

5.4.2. Effect of Different Soil Moduli. The pile length of 5 m

(PGHE) considering temperature-depend interface behav-

You might also like

Liu [41] developed a statistical damage constitutive model τ Gλ⊿exp− ⊿m . (2)

Let the displacement Δ 0 and the initial shear stiffness