Towards a design approach of bearing capacity of thermo-active piles

Abstract

Thermo-active piles are subjected to thermomechanical loads that differ from conventional loads. This paper proposes a modelling method to design the thermo-active piles based on a conventional approach for the calculation of deep foundations. Numerical modelling of a single thermo-active pile is conducted to analyse its behaviour under combined mechanical load and additional thermal contraction or dilatation. The results are presented in terms of displacement of the pile head, normal forces in the pile sections and variations of shaft friction. The analysis of the numerical results obtained permits to outline some design rules for the thermo-active foundations that could be included in the design standards.