Finite element modeling of jacked piles in clay and loose sand

ABSTRACT: Pile jacking is one of the alternative pile installation methods to conventional dynamic installations. Jacking does not cause significant vibration or disturbance of the surrounding soil. The present study uses a Coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian (CEL) approach of finite element analysis to simulate the pile jacking process. Quasi-static penetration of a rigid pile in clay and loose sand is simulated. The simulations are performed for an undrained condition for clay and a drained condition for sand. The penetration resistance, penetration-induced radial stress, ground surface heave, and plastic shear strain resulting from pile jacking in clay and sand are compared.