Performance of X-Section Concrete Pile Group in Coral Sand Under Vertical Loading

To reveal the bearing capacity of the X-section pile group in coral sand, a series of model load tests are conducted. The testing results are presented as load-settlement curves, pile-soil stress ratios, distributions of side friction and axial force, and load-sharing ratio between side and tip resistances. The reliability and accuracy of the numerical simulation model are verified by comparing the results of the model test. Comparative analysis between X-section and circular section piles with the same cross-sectional area indicates that the bearing capacity of the X-section pile group is much larger than that of the circular pile group. The axial force of X-section piles is smaller while the peak skin friction is larger than that of circular piles at the same depth. The skin friction of the core pile is the largest, followed by the side pile and the corner pile is the smallest when the load is relatively small; however, it is converse when the load is larger than 10 kN. Compared with piles in silica sand, the pile in coral sand has a lower bearing capacity, and the sand breakage leads to the steep drop failure of pile foundation. Moreover, pile positions under the raft have less effect on the load-share differences among corner, side and core piles in coral sand. This study provides a reference for the construction of pile foundations in coral sand.