Dynamic FE-based approach to determine the axial bearing capacity of piles

Piles are commonly used foundation structures. The installation process of piles is governed by dynamic processes
which induce stress waves into the pile and the surrounding soil. Hence, the bearing capacity of the installed piles is
influenced by the dynamic behavior and the resulting pile-soil interaction. To predict realistic bearing capacities, it is
important to establish a thorough understanding of the underlying processes. Based on an understanding of both pile
design and installation of offshore piles it is possible to identify the main influencing factors of dynamic load tests
and to derive as well as to validate a new evaluation method for dynamic load tests. Another application that focuses
on the dynamic pile behavior is the pile driving analysis. The impact of (unexpected) obstacles such as boulders in
the ground represents a critical design consideration for pile driving. An approach to evaluate the pile behavior when
impacting boulders during driving by applying one-dimensional wave theory is described. The example also emphasizes
the limitations of using one-dimensional wave theory to evaluate the pile-soil interaction and provides an alternative
outlook based on the proposed evaluation method for dynamic load tests.