Dynamic response of piled structures including pile-soil-pile interaction

Abstract This article presents a numerical model and analyses of the dynamic response of structures supported by groups of piles. The model uses a finite element discretization to represent arbitrarily-shaped structures, and a coupled finite-boundary element scheme to represent the embedded pile group. This scheme properly takes into account the energy transferred from the structure to the piles and between piles through the soil, so that the effect of dynamic pile-soil-pile interaction in the response of the structure can be studied. The model is used to analyze the dynamic response of a wind turbine tower and foundation blocks of various designs. The results show that some common design approximations may result in considerable misrepresentation of the response of these structures. The model is also used to analyze cases in which the only source of excitation to a structure comes through the soil from neighboring structures. The results showed that the farther the structure is from the source of vibration, the lower its amplitude of vibration and that the taller the structure, the lower its resonant frequencies. These analyses are only possible with models like the one presented in this article, which are able to describe the energy exchanged through the soil by the piles in a group.