Experimental and Numerical Simulation Study of Water Infiltration Impact on Soil-Pile Interaction in Expansive Soil

Abstract

A laboratory model of a single pile embedded in Nanyang expansive soil and subjected to water infiltration is applied in this study to examine the interaction between the expansive soil and pile foundation upon water infiltration. The soil matric suction decreases as a result of the rising soil-water content. The amount of soil ground heave reaches its peak of 10.7 mm after 200 hours of water infiltration. As matric suction decreases, pile shaft friction also declines, which causes more of the load at the pile head to be carried by the pile base resulting in more pile settlements. A new numerical simulation method is provided to simulate this issue by coupling the subsurface flow, soil deformation, and hygroscopic swelling to investigate the expansive soil-pile response upon water infiltration. From the numerical simulation model, hygroscopic strain arises as a result of elevated moisture levels resulting from the entry of water, and due to ground heave and the mobilization of lateral soil swelling, the shear stress at the interface between the soil and the pile gradually increases over time. It reaches its maximum value of 4420 Pa at upper depths around 200 hours after the infiltration. The comparison between the lab model testing data and the numerical model results demonstrates a good level of concurrence.