Pile Capacity Estimation Considering Variability in Soil Adhesion Factor

Estimation of the ultimate bearing capacity of the pile is considered to be the main challenge in geotechnical engineering from a technical and economical viewpoint. To avoid pile failure under design axial superstructure load, end bearing and skin friction capacity of the pile should be carefully estimated. Calculation of skin friction capacity of the pile for soft soils is crucial when compared to other soils. As soft soils are considered to possess less shear strength, they undergo large deformation leading to variation in skin friction capacities. This paper focuses on the estimation of skin friction capacity of pile for a cohesive soil stratum, considering the variation in adhesion factor along the depth of the strata, using PLAXIS software. As observed by many authors, the adhesion factor for soil pile is dependent on different parameters. Therefore, by the numerical modeling, the adhesion factor values calculated based on different empirical equations are validated.