Numerical study of the effect of pile driving on the position of a neutral plane

Abstract

The position of the neutral plane is required to be implicitly known for the accurate determination of the magnitude and profile of negative skin friction. In contrary to the conventional analysis of bored piles, this study reports the effect of pile installation procedure on the final position of the neutral plane. Two types of initial conditions are considered, one where the pile driving is simulated (actual) and the other where the pile is considered in place (in situ). Finite element analysis exhibited that the neutral plane is at a greater depth in the 'actual' case relative to the 'in situ' case. Contours of effective stress near the pile tip implied higher soil stiffness near the pile base in the driven pile (actual) simulation, resulting in a lesser settlement and is postulated as the reason for the lowering of the neutral plane in the latter (in situ) case. Show more