Behaviour of piled bridge abutments on soft ground: A design method proposal based on 2D elasto-plastic-consolidation coupled FEM
Considerable research works have been carried out in recent years to predict the behaviour of piled bridge abutments on soft ground. However, most of the studies are analyses based on model tests and design method proposals based on the tests in real scale are seldom performed. In this study, the results of two in situ prototype tests, where the real piled bridge abutments were constructed on soft ground and the behaviours of piles, the abutments and the ground were carefully monitored, were simulated by use of a self-coded two-dimensional FEM program incorporating the Cam-clay model and Biot's theory to take into account the coupling of elasto-plastic deformation and consolidation of the soft ground. On the basis of the results of back analyses, a simple 2D FEM-based design method for the piled bridge abutment on soft ground was proposed.
piled bridge abutment soft ground design method lateral flow test construction finite element analysis