Capacity of Short Piles and Caissons in Soft Clay from Geotechnical Centrifuge Tests

Geotechnical centrifuge tests were conducted to examine the behavior of low-aspect-ratio piles and caissons in clayey soils subject to high moment loading. Model piles with an aspect ratio of two were tested in the 150g-t centrifuge at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Results include moment-inclination and force-displacement response for different loading conditions. Numerical studies were also performed consisting of three-dimensional finite-element simulations in order to predict capacities. The comparisons are performed in terms of the total resistance exerted by the soil on the caisson. This paper focuses on presenting the ultimate bearing capacity factors, including both experimental and numerical results. In addition, results are compared to a series of studies available in the literature, which include upper-bound solutions and experimental results.