PILE COLLAPSE ANALYSES USING AN ELASTO-PLASTIC MODEL

Marcos Massao Futai1, Mrcio S. S. Almeida2 and Francisco C. da Silva Filho3

ABSTRACT A new elasto-plastic constitutive model for unsaturated collapsible soil implemented in a finite element program able to simulate complex loading conditions including variable suction during loading. The numerical model has been applied for the prediction of a pile test installed in a collapsible soil in Southeast Brazil. The pile test consisted of initial loading followed by unloading-reloading, soil inundation and further reloading. The numerical simulation of the test was able to predict quite well the whole load-settlement curve including the measured soil collapse, although this has been slightly overestimated. INTRODUCTION Predictions of pile capacity and pile displacements are usually carried out using empirical methods based on CPT or SPT data. These methods have a number of drawbacks, and do not take into account, for instance, variations in water content (suction) due to inundation or precipitation, but just external loading changes. Predictions of the response of unsaturated soils subjected to complex soil loading has experienced great advances with the elasto-plastic critical state models recently proposed (e.g., Alonso et al., 1990; Josa et al., 1992; and Wheleer & Sivakumar, 1995). However the collapsible and expansible behaviour associated with these soils still makes difficult accurate predictions. The present paper presents numerical analysis of a pile load test (Villar et al, 1995) using an elasto-plastic critical state model for unsaturated collapsible soils (Futai et al.,1998; Silva Filho, 1998). The pile test analysed is non-conventional and could not be analysed by constitutive models that do not consider the influence of suction. SOIL AND PILE LOAD TESTS Some soil properties (Vilar et al., 1995; Machado and Villar, 1998) are described in Figure 1. The soil consists of a fine clayey and lateritic collapsible sand with maximum thickness of 10m. It is noticed, Figure 1a, that the water content is in the range 19 26% and is just in between plastic and liquid limits. The bulk weight, Figure 1b, increases with depth and, consequently, the voids ratio, Figure 1c, in the range 0.7 1.0 decrease with depth. Yield or pre-consolidation stresses for natural and saturated conditions are shown in Figure 2a. It is noticed that yield stress of the soil in its natural water content is greater than the yield stresses for the soil at saturated condition. This is a clear indication of the influence of the suction on soil properties. Variations of the compression index with depth for both natural and saturated conditions are shown in Figure. Data of varying with suction are also available and have been used for calibration of the model functions. Controlled suction triaxial tests (Vilar et al., 1995; Machado and Villar, 1998) have produced data of cohesion and friction angle as shown in Figure 3. It is noticed that the cohesion increases non-linearly with suction. The variation of the friction angle with suction is not quite clear, although there is a trend of slight increase particularly for suction greater then 70 kPa.

1 2

COPPE/UFRJ, Fed. Univ. of Rio de Janeiro, CP 21945-970, CEP 21945-970, RJ Brazil COPPE/UFRJ, Fed. Univ. of Rio de Janeiro, CP 21945-970, CEP 21945-970, RJ Brazil 3 UNIFOR, Fed. Univ. of Rio de Janeiro, CP 21945-970, CEP 21945-970, RJ Brazil

wP

wL
15

wnat. (%)
25 35

nat (kN/m)
3

e
0,6 0,9 1,2
0

Vertical stress (kPa)

0 50 100 150 200 0,00

= Cc/2,3
0,20 0,40

15 17,5 20

0 (a) 2
Depth (m)

(b)

(c)
2

4 6 8 10 12

Depth (m)

vo (kPa) vm (sat.) vm (nat.)

(saturated)

4 6 8
(natural)

(a)
10

(b)

Figure 1. Soil properties (Vilar et al., 1995)

Figure 2. Stress history and compressibility (Machado and Vilar (1998)

Friction angle (degrees)

60

35 (b) 30
2,0 m 5,0 m 8,0 m

Cohesion (kPa)

(a)
40 20 0 0 50 100 150 Suction (kPa) 2,0 m 5,0 m 8,0 m 200

25 0 50 100 150 200

Suction (kPa)

Figure 3. Variation of cohesion and friction angle with suction (Machado e Vilar, 1998) The pile analysed is 20 cm in diameter and 6m in length and has been tested by Vilar et al. (1995). SPT and CPT data are shown in Figure 4. The average N value of SPT up to 6m depth is 4. Below 6m the N value increases with depth. A similar pattern has been found for both point resistance qc and sleeve friction fs. The pile load test, Figure 5, shows that the pile was loaded up to 200 kN and then unloaded and reloaded up to 100 kN, at which point the soil pit was inundated. The load was then further increased and at 150 kN the pile experienced large settlements associated with collapsible behaviour. CONSTITUTIVE MODEL The elasto-plastic critical state model developed by Futai (1997) and Futai et al. (1998) has been used here and for the lack of space just the main equations will be shown. The model assumes that the yield stress increases with suction according to the equation
p 0 (0 ) s + p atm + s ln N(s )N( 0) 0) +( ( (0 ))ln p p atm atm ( s ) ( s)

(1)

p0 ( s ) = patm e

Load (kN) 0 0
Settlement (mm)

50

100

150

200

250

20 40 60 80 100

Figure 4. SPT and CPT data (Vilar et al., 1995)

Figure 5. Load-settlement curve (Vilar et. al, 1995)

where N(s) e N(0) are the specific volumes for isotropic compression lines for suction s and for saturated condition, both at p = patm. The value of N(s) is given by
pf N(s) = N(0) [ (s) (0)]ln p atm

(2)

where pf is the average net stress at which the isotropic compression lines converge and (s) and (0) are the slopes of the isotropic compression lines for suction s and for saturated condition. The function (s) is given by
(s) = (0 ) + [ ( ) (0 )]1 es

) )

(3)

where ( ) is the slope of the virgin compression line when suction tends to infinity and is the controlling
parameter of the soil stiffness under variable suction. The function (s) is given by

(s) = (0 ) + [( ) (0 )]1 e s

(4)

where (s), (0) and ( ) are the slopes of unloading-reloading, respectively for suction s, for saturated condition and for suction increasing to infinite; is the controlling parameter of the soil stiffness under variable
suction for the elastic condition.

For each suction value there will be an yield surface in the 3-D space p:q:s, as for the modified Cam-clay model. The increase in the yield stress is given by
q2 = M2 ( p+p s )( p0+p ) = 0

(5)

where ps = ks , and k is a constant that represents the increase in the cohesion with the increase in suction. MODELS PARAMETERS AND PREDICTION The parameters of the constitutive model, presented in Table 1, have been obtained from oedometer test data (Machado and Vilar, 1998). The soil deposit has been idealised in two soil layers, the more compressible upper layer up to 6,0 m depth where most of the pile is situated, and then a bottom layer. Figures 6 present the functions proposed by Futai (1997) and the experimental data. It is observed that (s) increase with the suction increase, but (s) decrease with the suction increase. The good fitting is quite clear.

Table 1: Models parameters

Parameter (0) ( ) (0) ( ) (kPa-1) (kPa-1)

4,0 m 0,051 0,005 0,135 0,190 0,005 0,008

8,0 m 0,020 0,006 0,082 0,120 0,008 0,007

Parameter pf (kPa) vm(0) (kPa) G (mean) (kPa) M (mean) k

4,0 m 11000 60 3500 1,2 0,5

8,0 m 3500 170 6300 1,1 0,5

0,2

Experimental
4m 4m 8m

500 400
Experimental
4m 8m

(s)

Suction ( kPa)

(s)

8m

300 200 100 0

model

(s)

0,1
model

(s)

0 0 100 200 300 400 Suction (kPa) 500

200 400 Vertical stress (kPa)

600

Figure 6. Fitting of (s) and (s) to values measured by Machado and Vilar (1998)

Figure 7. Fitting of suction to values measured by Machado and Vilar (1998)

The proposed model has been implemented (Silva Filho, 1997) in CRISP finite element program (Brito and Gunn, 1987). A number of theoretical and experimental validations analyses have been carried out (Silva Filho, 1997) to assure that the implementation was correct. The finite element mesh adopted is shown in Figure 7. Some lines have been omitted for better visualisation. The actual loading sequence adopted for the pile test has also been adopted for the numerical simutation. The initial adopted profile of suction with depth was based on the measured profile of water content shown in Figure 1 and on the available characteristic curve (Vilar et al. (1995). The final profile of suction with depth was based on a measured average increase of 2.2 % in water content following inundation. The result of load-settlement prediction is shown in Figure 8. It is noticed that the proposed model predicts reasonably well the measured behaviour. During monotonic loading measurements and predictions are fairly close. The major difference is observed during the unload-reload cycle, when inundation takes place, and collapse occurs. The numerical prediction indicates that the collapse occurs at 100 kN, whereas observations indicate that this occurs at 150 kN. Numerical predictions also overestimate collapse deformations. Three relevant nodal points have been chosen to illustrate the soil behaviour according to the proposed model, all three nodes are 5 cm away from the pile into the soil: node 1 just below the pile tip, node 288, laterally and close to the pile head, and node 179 at half the pile length. Stress paths in p:q plane are shown in Figure 9 and include loading and unloading-reloading of the pile As expected, the change in stresses at node 1 at the pile tip and within a more resistant soil are greater than at nodes 179 and 288 along the pile length. The loading (AB), unloading (BCD) and reloading (DE) are clearly noticed in Figure 9 for node 1. Deviator stresses mobilised along the pile length increase with depth, as shown in Figures 9 and 10. Figure 10 shows the change of deviator stresses versus vertical strains for node 1 and it is noticed that the mobilised strain levels at the pile shaft (nodes 179 and 288) are quite small.

0
6m

50

Load (kN) 100 150

200

250

Settlement (mm)

20 40 60 80

Predicted

6m

measured

12 m

Figure 7. Finite Element Mesh

100 Figure 8. Predicted and measured load-settlement curves

100
B C, E
1

100
Deviator stress ( kPa )

60 40

179 288 A D

Deviator stress (kPa)

80

80 60 40 20 0 0.00
30 20 10 0 0.E+00 5.E-05 1.E-04
179

20 0 0 50 100

288

2.E-04

Mean net stress (kPa)

Figure 9. p : q stress paths

0.02 0.04 Vertical strain

0.06

Figure 10. Deviator stress against vertical strain

50
Suction (kPa)
1

50 Suction (kPa) 40 30 20 10 0 0
288 179 1

40 30 20 10 0 0
288 179

50 100 150 Mean net stress (kPa)

200

100 200 Desviator stress (kPa)

300

Figure 11. Variation of suction with mean net stress

Figure 12. Variation of suction with deviator stress

CONCLUSIONS A new model for unsaturated collapsible soil has proposed by Futai (1997) and Futai et al. (1998). The model is able to simulated complex loading conditions, including variable suction during loading, has been applied for the prediction, followed by unloading-reloading, soil inundation and further reloading. The parameters of the proposed constitutive model have been obtained from a programme of laboratory test with variable suction. The model has been implemented in a finite element program and a numerical simutation of pile test was carried out. The whole load-settlement curve including the measured soil collpase has been quited well predicted, although the soil collpase has been slightly overestimated. It is show that greater stress changes occur at the pile tip but the pile shat does not experience great stress changes. BIBLIOGRAFIA Alonso, E. E., Gens, A. & Josa, A. (1990) A constitutive Model for Partially Saturated Soils. Gotechnique, vol. 40, N. 3, 405 - 430. Britto A. M. and Gunn, M. J. (1987), Critiacl state Soil Mechanics Via Finet Elements, Chichester, Ellis Horwood Ltd. Futai, M. M. (1997) Analysis of oedometer suction controlled test in collapseble soil (in Portuguese), MSc thesis COPPE, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Futai, M.M., Almeida, M.S.S. & Soares, M.M. (1998) Estimating soil collapse by means of laboratory tests (in Portugues) , XI COBRANSEG, Braslia, 1023-1030. Josa, A., Balmaceda, A., Gens, A. & Alonso, E. E. (1992) An Elastoplastic Model for Partially Saturated Soils Exhibiting a Maximum of Collapse. Proc. 3th Int. Conf. Computational Plasticity, Barcelona, 815 826. Machado, S. L. & Vilar, O. M. (1998) Compressibility and strength of unsaturated soil of So Carlos SP, XI COBRAMSEG, Braslia. Silva Filho, F. C. (1998) Numerical Analysis of unsaturated soil: modeling and applications (in Portugues), MSc thesis COPPE, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brasil Vilar, O. M. et al. (1995) Laboratory and in situ tests in unsaturated soils, Workshop on unsaturated soils, Porto Alegre, 184-201. Wheeler, S. J. & Sivakumar, V., (1995) An elasto-plastic Critical State Framework for Unsaturated Soil. Gotechnique, vol. 45, N. 1, 35 - 53.