Theoretical Load-Transfer Curves along Piles Considering Soil Nonlinearity

Soil stress-strain behavior is highly nonlinear and considerably influences the performance of a foundation. The response of single piles under axial load can be predicted from the load-transfer, or t-z, curve. This paper presents a new approach to predict the load-transfer curve and subsequently the load-settlement curve. This new approach incorporates nonlinear soil stress-strain behavior and accommodates differences in soil behavior in laboratory and field conditions. Expressions are given for the load-transfer curve, which capture the hardening and softening behavior of soil-pile interactions. Predictions of load-transfer curves and load-settlement curves from the proposed approach have been compared with the measured values from two case studies. The predictions show good agreement with the measured values.