SIMPLIFIED APPROXIMATE APPROACH TO GROUP EFFECT IN PILE DYNAMICS

One of the main objectives of the machine foundation design is to limit the amplitude of excitations to an acceptable tolerance set by the manufacture. In order to achieve this, a detailed dynamic analysis is required. Calculating stiffness and damping constants for pile groups is one of the most challenging steps in this dynamic analysis. Calculating these constants using the available tools requires a sophisticated procedures and calculations. This gives rise to the importance of developing a simple and easy method of analysis that can simplify the calculations, at least for the preliminary stage of the design, without compromising the accuracy of the results. In this paper, a simplified approximate approach that can assist in calculating the stiffness and damping constants for pile groups in the vertical and horizontal directions was presented and verified against the exact solution.