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Papers » In this paper, an indirect formulation and implementation of the boundary element method (I-BEM) is used to investigate the time-harmonic vertical, horizontal and rocking response of a rigid cylindrical bar embedded in a three-dimensional, transversely isotropic half-space.

The formulation of I-BEM is based on non-singular influence functions corresponding to the boundary value problem of the elastic half-space due to internal loads. The response is conveniently written in terms of cylindrical coordinates. The final influence functions come from the integration of displacement and stress kernels according to the Hankel integral transform.

The embedded pile is modeled by discretizing the corresponding surface within the half-space with cylindrical shell boundary elements on the surface corresponding to its side, and concentric annular discs on the surfaces corresponding to its upper and lower ends. These elements are obtained with the integration of the influence functions mentioned above.

The discretized I-BEM model is solved upon inclusion of the appropriate boundary conditions. The kinematic boundary conditions impose full bonding contact between the rigid pile and its surrounding half-space. The loading conditions depend on each case of vertical, horizontal, or rocking excitation. The solution of the final linear system of equations results in the displacement and stress fields at discrete points along the body of the pile.

The results obtained from the proposed numerical scheme are compared with previous results from the literature. The impedance of the system comprising the bar and its surrounding half-space are shown for different frequencies and directions of excitation. The present model contributes to the study of dynamic response of buried piles in homogeneous soils.

Author(s):

Josue Labaki
University of Campinas
Brazil

Euclides Mesquita
University of Campinas
Brazil

Persio Barros
University of Campinas
Brazil