Finite Element Investigations on the Interaction between a Pile and Swelling Clay

This paper aims to investigate the interaction between a pile and a swelling soil modelled as a cohesive soil subjected to unloading. The investigations include analyses of the heave of the excavation level, shear stresses at the soil–pile interface and internal pile forces based on a case study of Little Belt Clay. The case study involves a circular concrete pile installed in clay immediately after an excavation. The influence of the swelling soil on the soil–pile interaction and the internal pile forces are analysed by solely observing the upper pile part positioned in the swelling zone. For the investigated case study, the influence of the pile is observed in a radius of approximately 3 pile diameters from the pile centre creating a weak zone inside this radius. The maximum heave of the excavation level inside this radius decreases polynomially with increasing interface strength. The swelling of the surrounding soil implies upward shear stresses at the soil–pile interface leading to tensile vertical stresses in the pile. In the current case, they exceed the tensile strength of concrete. The tensile vertical stresses peak after 35-50 years. However, the heave of the soil continues for additional 300 years. It appears that the development of plastic interface implies the shrinkage of the pile.