An integrated displacement-based design approach for network of vertical rigid inclusions

The proposed integrated design approach combines the general principles involved in the calculation of soil and beam displacements with some specifically extended forms of the semi-empirical laws derived by Combarieu to describe negative friction against piles and the side friction transfer laws proposed by Frank and Zhao. Compatibility of the displacements required to develop friction between the inclusion and the soil is taken into account. By this new approach the concept of critical depth can be precised and load transfer at top of the inclusion network can receive a better attention. Results by,the proposed method are compared to those obtained by FEM calculation and some observations got from a full scale load test.