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A tapered pile (TP) is a new type of pile with a good bearing capacity, and scholars have conducted in-depth research on its static bearing characteristics. However, there is relatively little research on its dynamic bearing characteristics. In this paper, the horizontal vibration behavior of a tapered pile in arbitrarily layered soil is studied. Utilizing the Winkler foundation model and Timoshenko beam model to simulate pile-surrounding soil (PSS) and a tapered pile, respectively, the horizontal vibration model of a tapered pile embedded in layered soil was built. The analytical solutions for the horizontal displacement (HD), bending moment (BM), and shear force (SF) of a tapered pile were derived, and then the solutions for the horizontal dynamic impedance (HDI), rocking dynamic impedance (RDI), and horizontal-rocking coupling dynamic impedance (HRDI) of pile head were obtained. Using the present solutions, the effects of soil and pile properties on the horizontal vibration characteristics of a tapered pile were systemically studied. The ability of a tapered pile–soil system to resist horizontal vibration can be improved by strengthening the upper soil, but this ability cannot be further improved by increasing the thickness of the strengthened upper soil if its thickness is greater than the critical influence thickness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vertical vibration of a viscoelastic pile immersed in arbitrarily layered soil is investigated by taking the interaction among pile, pile surrounding soil (PSS) and pile end soil (PES) into account. Firstly, considering both the stratification and stress wave effect of soil, a mathematical model of the pile–soil system is established based on the fictitious soil pile (FSP) model. Then, utilizing the impedance function transfer method and Laplace transform technique, the analytical solutions of the vertical dynamic impedance of pile are derived in the frequency domain. The analytical solutions are validated by comparing them with other existing solutions. Finally, a parametric study is put forward to investigate the properties of PES on the vertical dynamic impedance of pile. The results reveal that the properties of PES have a significant effect on the vertical dynamic impedance of pile, but there is a critical influence thickness for this effect. For the cases of the PES thickness exceeding the critical influence thickness, further increase of PES thickness will not affect the dynamic behavior of the pile–soil system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The apparent phase velocity of open-ended pipe piles after installation is difficult to predict owing to the soil-plug effect. This paper derives an analytical solution to calculate the apparent phase velocity of a pipe pile segment with soil-plug filling inside (APVPSP) based on the additional mass model. The rationality and accuracy of the developed solution are confirmed through comparison with the solution derived using the soil-plug Winkler model and experimental results. A parameter combination of the additional mass model that can be applied to concrete pipe piles used most commonly is recommended. The attenuation mechanism of the soil plug on the APVPSP is clarified. The findings from this study demonstrate that the APVPSP decreases with the mass per unit length of the pile, but has nothing to do with the material longitudinal wave velocity of the pipe pile. The APVPSP decreases significantly as the impulse width increases; however, for pipe piles without soil-plug filling inside, the impulse width has negligible influence on the apparent phase velocity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A 3D dynamic torsional impedance solution is derived for offshore large-diameter pipe piles. • The impedances across the pile cross-section vary with the pile dimension and soil plug strength. • One-dimensional rod theory overestimates the overall impedance of the cross-section. • For common-size pipe piles, the impedance decreases from the pile outer radius to the inner radius. • For large-diameter pipe piles, the soil plug could play a dominant role in resisting torsional vibrations. Wind-induced or current-induced torsional vibration is a long-neglected issue for offshore engineering (e.g., offshore wind turbines, offshore oil platforms, etc.). As the dimension of the pipe pile implemented offshore increases dramatically, the one-dimensional rod theory can no longer precisely compute the dynamic torsional impedance. This paper proposes a novel 3D torsional soil-pile interaction model and derives the corresponding analytical solution for the 3D dynamic torsional impedance at the pile cross-section with the adoption of the Laplace transform, variable separation, and impedance transfer method. The solution is then validated by comparisons against some widely-accepted existing solutions. The main conclusions of this study can be drawn as follows: (1). Classic one-dimensional theory overestimates the impedance of the pipe pile, which could result in severe disasters if the dynamic design is radical; (2). Even for small diameter pipe piles, the impedance would vary in the radial direction at the pile cross-section. Usually, the impedance at the outer radius would be slightly larger than that at the inner radius; (3). For large-diameter pipe piles or pipe piles with high-strength soil plugs, the most significant impedance could appear at the inner radius, indicating the resistance provided by the soil plugs can not be overlooked for large-diameter pipe piles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new soil-pile interaction model, called 'additional soil model', is developed to investigate the influence of soil mass on the dynamic characteristics of pipe piles. The soil is divided into an inner region in the immediate vicinity of the pile and an outer region at greater distance. The soil in the inner region is assumed to be an additional mass to participate with the vibration of the pile. The viscous damping at the soil-pile interface and the radiation damping in the soil are calculated separately. An analytical solution for the vertical dynamic characteristics of pipe piles is derived based on the developed soil model. The rationality and accuracy of the additional soil model have been validated through comparison of theoretical predictions and measured driving stress waves of two full-scale steel pipe piles. The approach makes a useful improvement of soil-pile interaction modeling for dynamic applications. The main conclusions of this study include: 1) both the soil plug and the pile surrounding soil can lead to a decrease of apparent wave velocity of pipe piles; 2) the pile impedance will be underestimated if calculated without the consideration of soil mass; 3) the resonant amplitude and natural frequency of piles will be significantly overestimated if the soil mass is ignored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]