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Soil Spring Stiffness - 1.0

This document outlines the 4 steps to calculate soil spring stiffness for pile foundations: 1) Determine the soil's stress-strain modulus (Es) and Poisson's ratio (μ) based on soil type. 2) Calculate the modulus of subgrade reaction (ks) using empirical relationships or allowable bearing pressure. 3) Use ks values to calculate the soil spring stiffness (Ki) at each node along the pile using provided formulas. 4) Provide an example calculation for a sand soil, determining Es, ks, and spring stiffness (Ki) at 10 nodes along the pile.

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281 views

Soil Spring Stiffness - 1.0

This document outlines the 4 steps to calculate soil spring stiffness for pile foundations: 1) Determine the soil's stress-strain modulus (Es) and Poisson's ratio (μ) based on soil type. 2) Calculate the modulus of subgrade reaction (ks) using empirical relationships or allowable bearing pressure. 3) Use ks values to calculate the soil spring stiffness (Ki) at each node along the pile using provided formulas. 4) Provide an example calculation for a sand soil, determining Es, ks, and spring stiffness (Ki) at 10 nodes along the pile.

Uploaded by

sanil
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Steps involved in calculation of soil spring stiffness for pile foundations

Step 1: Calculate stress-strain modulus Es and poisson's ratio µ

Poisson's ratio, (page no 123, J E Bowles, Edition 5,1996)

Soil Type µ
Most Clay Soils 0.4-0.5
Saturated Clay Soils 0.45 to 0.5
Cohesionless-medium and desnse 0.3-0.4
Cohesionless-loose to medium 0.2-0.35

Following table provides the empirical relationship to be used depending on the soil type consideration
(Table No. 5.6, J E Bowles, Edition 5,1996)
Soil Type Es (kPa)
Sand (normally consolidated) 500(N+15)
Sand (Saturated) 250(N+15
Gravelly Sand 1200(N+6)
Clayey sand 320(N+15)
Silts,sandy silt,clayey silt 300(N+6)

Step 2: Calculate Modulus of subgrade Reaction ks


(Page No 502, J E Bowles, Edition 5,1996)

Typical range of ks for various type of soils : Calculated values should be compared with below (from Ta
Soil type ks (MN/m3)

Dense Sandy gravel 220-440


Medium dense coarse sand 157-300
Medium Sand 110-280
Fine or silty, fine sand 80-200
Stiff Clay(wet) 60-220
Stiff clay(saturated) 30-110
Medium Clay(wet) 39-140
Medium Clay(saturated) 10-80
Soft Clay 2-40
Step 3: Calculate soil spring stiffness
(Example 16.9 page 933 of Bowles's book- this example is used by LUCAS in their technical manual for ill
The spring stiffness Ki is given by the formula
Ki,1 = (BL/6) * ( 2ks,i + ks,i-1) is contribution of node i and node i-1
Ki,2 = (BL/6) * ( 2ks,i + ks,i-1) is contribution of node i and node i+1

Resultanat spring stiffness at node i


Ki = Ki,1 +Ki,2
ks,i is modulus of subgrade reaction at node i
ks,i-1 is modulus of subgrade reaction at node (i-1)
ks,i+1 is modulus of subgrade reaction at node (i+1)
B = projected width of pile or pile cap ( D for circular pile)
L = contributing length of pile for the node i ( inter nodal distnace for equally spaced nodes)

Step 4: Calculations
Type of soil = sand(normally consolidated)
Formula for calculation of Es = 500(N+15)
SPT Value N = 50
Stress-strain modulus Es = 32500 kN/m2
Poisson's ratio µ = 0.4
Projected width of structure B = 1.5 m
( dia for circular pile)
Variation of ks with depth z ks,z = ks+50z^0.5
where, ks is modulus of subgrade reaction for top node
= 25794
Soil Layer No Node No L z B ks,z (kN/m3) Spring Stiffness (kN/m)

1 3 1 1.5 25794 58111


2 3 4 1.5 25894 116471
3 3 7 1.5 25926 116662
4 3 10 1.5 25952 116780
5 3 13 1.5 25974 116881
1
6 3 16 1.5 25994 116970
7 3 19 1.5 26012 117051
8 3 22 1.5 26028 117126
9 3 25 1.5 26044 117196
10 3 28 1.5 26058 97707

Bowles has suggested following formula for ks if allowable beairng pressure is known
the soil type consideration

pared with below (from Table 16.4 of Bowles's book)


heir technical manual for illustration)

spaced nodes)

y consolidated)
Page No 502 of Bowles's Book, Edition 5

If safe allowable bearing pressure (qa) is known, Bowles has recommednded following equation for k s

Es for soils is 1/10 to 1/100 that of steel and concrete

Poisson's Ratio For Soils (Bowles' Book Page no. 123)


Above Table is prepared on the basis of Table 5.6 of Bowles' book

Genral range for Ks


g equation for k s

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