Bearing capacity of piles with negative skin friction based on field tests
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The coastal regions of China possess extensive deep layers of soft soil. Consequently, post-construction settlement inevitably produces negative skin friction on pile foundations. The dragload generated in an area that is affected by negative skin friction above the neutral point can significantly reduce the bearing capacity of the pile foundation. At present, accurate analytical methods for assessing the bearing capacities of pile foundations subjected to negative skin friction are lacking. In this study, two prestressed high-strength concrete pipe piles with different pile-end bearing layers were tested. Two working conditions (i.e., no load applied to the pile top and a working load applied to the pile top) were simulated to study the variation in the negative skin friction of the pile foundations. When no load was applied to the pile top, the axial force at the neutral point was the maximum dragload on the pile body. When a working load was applied to the pile top, the neutral point shifted upward. Hence, constructing a pile foundation after foundation treatment effectively reduced the dragload. These results provide a basis for calculating and designing the negative skin friction and load-bearing capacities of pile foundations in coastal regions with deep soft soils.
Source: Results in Engineering
Authors: Bo Li, Jian-fei Yu
Institution: Changjiang River Scientific Research Institute
Language: English
Subfield: Civil and Structural Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,940
Award: G7628769747
OpenAlex ID: W4416443834