VERTICAL VIBRATION OF NONUNIFORM PILES

A mathematical model and a numerical procedure are presented for analyzing the response of nonuniform piles to vertical vibrations. The methodology presented involves numerical integration of the governing differential equation using a two-step iteration scheme. The developed model is verified for the case of uniform piles and applied to study the response of tapered piles and two-component piles. The analyses presented provide some insight into the influence of nonuniform pile geometry on the resonant frequency and amplitude, factors that play a key role in the design of piles subject to vertical vibrations. Owing to its ease of implementation and execution as a computer model, the proposed technique is considered to provide a viable tool for studying the behavior of nonuniform piles for practical applications.