Dynamic responses of an end-bearing pile subjected to horizontal earthquakes considering water-pile-soil interactions

Abstract An analytical solution is developed to investigate the seismic responses of end-bearing piles considering water-pile-soil interactions. The pile is assumed to have a linear viscoelastic and circular cross-section. The soil and water are modelled as linear viscoelastic media and linear acoustic media, respectively. The seismic responses of the free-field soil displacement under horizontal earthquakes are first given. Neglecting water-soil interactions, analytical expressions for the impedance of the soil and water media are further derived. The pile displacements induced by horizontal earthquakes are then obtained based on the continuity conditions of the pile with soil and water. The present solution is compared with the substructure method to verify the rationality of the present analytical solution. Parametric analyses are finally conducted to investigate the effects of the water, soil, and pile parameters on the seismic responses of the pile. The results indicate that it is necessary to consider the water-pile-soil interaction in the design of piles installed in offshore areas.