For my PhD research on pile group foundations, I am using the advanced nonlinear Hardening Soil model in PLAXIS 3D Foundation. Although the HS model captures the nonlinear (more realistic) behaviour of soil, the more basic soil models idealising the soil as a linear elastic medium are most often used in industry.
Idealising the soil as a linear elasic medium has the effect of over-predicting pile/soil settlement thus leading to an increased factor of safety in the design. Is this extra (and often unnecessary) factor of safety necessary when the engineering profession is constantly striving for more efficient structures particularly in the current economic climate?
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2 comments:
Until nonlinear soil models become more reliable for accurately predicting field data as opposed to back-calculating parameters from load test, I think design professionals will continue to tend towards the more conservative soil models such as a LE or the MC soil models. I myself use the MC soil model and find it adequate for most applictions
Although I agree that LE and MC soil models are adequate for predicting small strain response, pile interaction, for example, is significantly over-predicted by LE soil models. I think nonlinear soil models will soon replace linear elastic soil models in design and an appropriate FOS can then be applied.
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