Model Investigation on Load-Carrying Properties of Large-Scaled Pile Caps with Pile Groups

One of the basic requirements to pile caps design is that the behavior of them under stress shall be comprehended clearly.The aim of study is to make further studies on the failure mode and load-transferring mechanism of large-scaled pile caps with pile groups.Two 1∶10 scale sixteen-pile caps are casted and tested to failure.The experimental results show the real failure mode and load-transferring mechanism of thick pile caps with multi-lines and multi-rows of piles,and the internal flow of the forces in sixteen-pile caps can be approximated by strut-and-tie model.The longitudinal reinforcement should be concentrated over the piles,which is in favor of increasing the ultimate bearing capacity of pile caps.The result is identified as being useful in developing uniform design procedures for pile caps under complex loads.