This paper presents a series of centrifuge tests on the axial response of a single, 15 m long, 1 m dia., non-displacement pile on dense dry sand. To quantify scale effects, the pile is subjected to axial compression and tension at two different scales (1:50 and 1:100). To explore installation effects, the model piles are installed by two different methods: (a) pre-installed buried (adopting two different pluviation techniques) and (b) monotonically jacked at 1g. In addition, two distinct interface conditions are investigated using either epoxy-sand coating on aluminium piles or micro-concrete, both targeting rough conditions, matching the prototype bored reinforced concrete piles. Important aspects are further evaluated through numerical simulations, employing both conventional small-deformation three-dimensional finite element analyses and the coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian scheme for large deformations. In addition, conventional constant normal load interface tests supplement the study. The key outcomes of the study are further extrapolated to the rocking response of pile groups subjected to combined loading. Employing simple analytical models, the implications of centrifuge modelling on the rocking stiffness and moment capacity of pile groups are documented and quantified. Guidelines are provided for careful transition from model to prototype scale, accounting for the inherent limitations of centrifuge modelling on the studied problem.
Sakellariadis et al. (Thu,) studied this question.