Journal of Structural and Construction Engineering

Journal of Structural and Construction Engineering

Physical modeling of concrete piles with variable geometry in the carbonate sand (Lateral and axial loading)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Department of Civil Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
10.22065/jsce.2026.486971.3562
Abstract
Given the importance of piling projects and their prevalence in carbonate sands, it is essential to examine pile designs and methodologies to enhance the carrying capacity of carbonate soil in these areas. Due to their distinctive structure, carbonate sands, classified as problematic soils, exhibit brittleness and corrosiveness, thereby complicating pile driving operations. This work aimed to implement the physical and numerical modeling of piles with varied geometry to achieve effective performance in this specific soil type. We fabricated four concrete piles with differing geometries and identical material quantities to achieve this goal. We employed four tapered angles, each with a height of 50 cm and a length-to-diameter ratio of 10, to assess the performance of concrete piles. We used the loading frame and hydraulic jack to conduct eight static loading tests in both axial and lateral orientations. We conducted experiments on a soil type that exhibits 60% density. We conducted the experiment using carbonate sand from the Bushehr region. The overall bearing capacity went up as the tapered angle went up. For three conic angles, the axial bearing capacity of the concrete piles went up by 18%, 67%, and 108% compared to the cylindrical sample. We juxtaposed and evaluated the laboratory results against the outcomes of numerical modeling. The results indicated that the data from the laboratory experiments closely aligned with the data from the 3D finite element modeling.
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  • Receive Date 04 November 2024
  • Revise Date 29 December 2025
  • Accept Date 04 January 2026