skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


This content will become publicly available on June 9, 2026

Title: Experimental analysis of the response of open-ended pipe piles to static and cyclic axial loading using digital image correlation
Offshore foundation elements are often subjected to cycles of compressive and tensile loading. Open-ended pipe piles are frequently used as foundations for wind turbines as monopiles or as part of jacket structures. This paper reports the results of two open-ended pipe pile tests in a half-cylindrical calibration chamber with image analysis capabilities. The model piles, with diameters of 44 mm and 63 mm, were jacked into dense silica sand samples, statically load tested in compression, cyclically load tested (under displacement-controlled conditions), and statically load tested in compression a second time. The cyclic load tests had 100 cycles with a half-amplitude of 1 mm. Digital images captured during testing were analysed using digital image correlation to obtain the displacement fields in the soil domain. Image analyses of compressive static load tests indicate that the soil plug undergoes vertical compression during static loading. Cyclic loading leads to shaft resistance degradation, which is correlated with contractive radial strains around the model pile. Cycling also causes vertical compression below the pile base and inside the soil plug, which increases the base resistance of the piles and ultimately increases the total compressive capacity of the model open-ended piles under static loading.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2028672
PAR ID:
10600828
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ;
Publisher / Repository:
Proceedings of ISFOG 2025
Date Published:
ISBN:
978-2-85782-758-0
Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
Open-ended pipe piles axial loading cyclic loading digital image correlation
Format(s):
Medium: X
Location:
https://doi.org/10.53243/ISFOG2025-206
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. McGreevy, Julian; De Groot, Maraika (Ed.)
    The accurate prediction and computational simulation of 3D multi-modal dynamic soil-pile interaction remains a significant challenge. As part of an ongoing research project to advance fundamental knowledge on this subject, dynamic soil-pile interaction experiments will be performed on single piles and pile groups, and new computational continuum models will be developed for seismic applications. To help calibrate the computational models, full-scale field tests are being planned for a single pile and a 2x2 pile group, including lateral vibration tests with small soil strains and quasi-static cyclic loading to failure. This paper describes the estimation of the ultimate lateral capacity of the single pile and 2x2 pile group at the selected project sites, required for designing the experiments. 
    more » « less
  2. Sheet piles are interlocked segments used for temporary or permanent soil and water retaining structures such as below-grade parking structures and sea walls. Although steel is commonly used due to its strength and ease of manufacturing, it rusts in saltwater. Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite sheet piles are resistant to chlorides and have higher corrosion resistance, but their mechanical properties vary in length and width. Stress risers at corrugation corners make soil-structure interaction a challenging design issue. This research aims to develop a standardized test procedure to determine the resisting moment capacity of FRP composite sheet piles. Cantilevered FRP sheet piles fixed with a sand-concrete mixture of ~70 psi (0.48 MPa) compressive strength were tested under static loads. Strain gages and LVDTs were used to collect data on deformation response up to and beyond peak induced stress. Results suggest that the refined test procedure can assist engineers in designing efficient sheet pile structures and become a basis to develop ASTM standard. 
    more » « less
  3. Embedded sensors within infrastructure elements are powerful catalysts for new designs and construction methods, enabling advanced data collection and informed decision making. This paper presents the development, validation, and implementation of a prototype instrumentation tool utilized in large-scale lateral load tests of rock-socketed pile foundations, with the objective to measure shear stresses near the rock-soil boundary. The proposed instrumentation is novel in that it will be the first attempt to determine experimentally the 3D strain field through embedded sensors with immediate application to a broad array of pile foundation engineering problems. Data obtained from the prototype instrumentation is used to clarify whether shear force amplifications in piles crossing soils with strong stiffness contrasts are real, or an artifact of analytical, Winkler-based design methodologies. Three reinforced concrete pile specimens with a diameter of 0.46 m and a length of 4.9 m were subjected to reverse cyclic lateral loading up to complete structural failure. The sensors’ development, design, and construction, as well as their performance in measuring shear stresses will be discussed by comparing experimental data with predictions from conventional software tools. Ultimately, this study aims to improve the design and construction of more practical, resilient, and economical infrastructure. 
    more » « less
  4. The results of five centrifuge models were used to evaluate the response of pile-supported wharves subjected to inertial and liquefaction-induced lateral spreading loads. The centrifuge models contained pile groups that were embedded in rockfill dikes over layers of loose to dense sand and were shaken by a series of ground motions. The p-y curves were back-calculated for both dynamic and static loading from centrifuge data and were compared against commonly used American Petroleum Institute p-y relationships. It was found that liquefaction in loose sand resulted in a significant reduction in ultimate soil resistance. It was also found that incorporating p-multipliers that are proportional to the pore water pressure ratio in granular materials is adequate for estimating pile demands in pseudo-static analysis. The unique contribution of this study is that the piles in these tests were subjected to combined effects of inertial loads from the superstructure and kinematic loads from liquefaction-induced lateral spreading. 
    more » « less
  5. The development of offshore wind technology has become a feasible solution to meet the increasing demands for clean and renewable energy. The United States has a total of 4250GW offshore wind energy potential; however, 65% of it is in deep water zones (Lopez et al., 2022) where wind turbines with fixed foundations typically are economically and technically unfeasible. In those situations, floating turbines supported by subsea anchors are a more competitive solution. Based on previous studies, ring anchors can be more material-efficient than piles and caissons because they require less material. Ring anchors also perform better than drag anchors due to their greater embedment depth. To further understand the behavior of ring anchors in saturated sand, a series of centrifuge load tests were performed at the University of California Davis Center for Geotechnical Modeling (CGM) at an acceleration of 70g. This test series investigated the effect of the anchor embedment depth and loading angle on the monotonic loading behavior. The ring anchor models were embedded in dense saturated sand, and then connected to an actuator using taut steel wire ropes. Sensors were used to measure the line tension, displacement, and inclination. The results indicate that the ring anchors mobilize greater capacities as their embedment depth is increased and when they are loaded at angles close to the horizontal direction, while vertical loading leads to the smallest capacity. The anchor displacement during the tests deviated slightly from the loading direction, showing a horizontal deviation at the earlier stages of the tests and a vertical one after the peak load. Furthermore, soil disturbance induced by the anchor installation was found to have a strong effect on the vertical capacity of the ring anchors. Overall, this study provides valuable information regarding the monotonic loading behavior of ring anchors which can aid in their future field deployment. 
    more » « less