MASTER THESIS SIMULATION

Pile Buckling Instability In Liquefiable Ground – Numerical Simulation

Finite Element Calculation Method with OpenSeesPL Full Version

The calculation method is made in accordance with the following;

a. Define a model for the pile, soil, mesh parameters, boundary conditions, advanced
b. Analysis type for pushover analysis and single motion analysis
c. Compute of Finite Element Analysis

Case Study
In this case study is simulation and validate the pile buckle due to seismic excitation in the
liquefiable ground.

Problem Describe
The analysis results comparison of excess pore pressure, deformation, shear deformation, shear
strain, and shear strength. To examine characteristics of motion effect, different models have been
subjected to the El Centro (1940) with various scaled peak ground accelerations. The maximum
acceleration during the El Centro event occurred at 2 s. The characteristics of this earthquake are
presented in Table 1. The physical and mechanical properties of the soil layer. The soil parameter
and pile-pinning are presented in Table 2 and 3, respectively. Liquefaction model can be performed
with saturated soil analysis which is the water table depth of 0.9 m below ground surface. The
dimensions of the model for length and width are 4.6 m (square shape). Finite element 3D for the
case study can be seen in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1. Plan view 3D

OpenSeesPL 1/8 Printed on: 2019-06-14

Table 1
Earthquake data for the parametric analysis
Earthquake motion parameters El Centro (USA)/N-S
Date of occurrence 18/05/1940
Recording station 117 El Centro
Moment magnitude of an earthquake, Mw 7.1
Maximum horizontal acceleration, MHA (g) 0.314
Predominant period, Tp (sec) 0.5
Bracketed duration (sec) 28.78
Significant duration, D5-95 (sec) 23.84
Time of MHA (tp (sec)) 2
PGV/PGA (sec) 0.113
Arias intensity for scaled PGA = 0.35 g (m/sec) 2.175
Energy flux for scaled PGA = 0.35 g (Jm-2sec-1) 2469
Number of significant excitation cycles, Nc 14.5
Table 2
Soil model parameters
Parameters Medium Unit
Mass density, 𝜌 1900 kg/m3
Low-strain shear modulus, G 78.5 MPa
Permeability coefficient, k 1 x 10-5 m/s
Liquefaction yield strain, 𝛾𝑦 1 %
Contraction parameter, c1 0.3
Phase transformation (PT) angle, 𝜑𝑃𝑇 26.5 Degree
Dilation parameter, d1 0.4
Dilation parameter, d2 2.0

Table 3
Pile-pinning parameters
Parameters Pile-pinning Unit
Diameter 0.6 m
Length of pile 7.5 m
Modulus rigidity, EI 1.27 x 105 kNm2
Note: Either the thickness of soil and pile of 18 m depths.

OpenSeesPL 2/8 Printed on: 2019-06-14

Result of the case study
Longitudinal acceleration response time history

Surface 4 m depth

8 m depth 12 m depth

16 m depth 18 m depth

OpenSeesPL 3/8 Printed on: 2019-06-14

Excess pore pressure (EPP) response time history

4 m depth, maximum EPP and effective 8 m depth, maximum EPP and effective
vertical stress are 36.22, 45.59 kPa, vertical stress are 71.49, 82.35 kPa,
respectively. respectively.

12 m depth, maximum EPP and effective 16 m depth, maximum EPP and effective
vertical stress are 106.52, 119.11 kPa, vertical stress are 142.14, 155.87 kPa,
respectively. respectively.

OpenSeesPL 4/8 Printed on: 2019-06-14

 18 m depth, maximum EPP and effective vertical stress are 155.74, 174.25 kPa,
respectively.

Shear response stress strain (xz) at the edge of pile

3.789 m depth 7.789 m depth

11.79 m depth 15.79 m depth

OpenSeesPL 5/8 Printed on: 2019-06-14

 17.79 m depth

Shear path at the edge of pile

3.789 m depth 7.789 m depth

11.79 m depth 15.79 m depth

OpenSeesPL 6/8 Printed on: 2019-06-14

 17.79 m depth

Longitudinal Displacement Shear Force

0 0
End
Max
-2 -2

-4 -4

-6 -6
Pile height (m)

Pile height (m)

-8 -8

-10 -10

-12 -12

-14 -14

End
-16 -16
Max

-18 -18
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 0.12 0.14 0.16 -400 -300 -200 -100 0 100
Longitudinal displacement (m) Shear Force (kN)

OpenSeesPL 7/8 Printed on: 2019-06-14

 Bending Moment
0
End
Max
-2

-4

-6
Pile height (m)

-8

-10

-12

-14

-16

-18
-500 0 500 1000
Bending Moment (kN-m)

OpenSeesPL 8/8 Printed on: 2019-06-14