Load sharing behaviour of bio-inspired root pile foundation in cohesionless soil under individual and combined loading conditions.

Abstract

A bio-inspired root pile foundation is evolved from systematic pile foundation technology. The current investigation focuses on root piles load bearing capacity and behaviour under various loading circumstances, including vertical, lateral, and combined loading. This research aims to investigate behaviour of model piles such as Conventional Pile, 30° Root Pile,45° Root Pile, 60° Root Pile and 90° Root Pile, (hereafter referred as CP, 30° RP, 45° RP, 60° RP and 90° RP) under different monotonic loading conditions with embedded depth (L/D) of 4. The research also examined, impact of loading conditions on response of different pile models by varying the load eccentricity, under lateral loading. Traditionally, root pile research is conducted over root projection in a horizontal orientation. In this study, roots are provided at four different orientations relative to pile shafts as 30°, 45°, 60° and 90°, and their performance is analyzed under various loading conditions, including individual and combined loading with constant magnitudes 20%, 40%, 60% and 80% of ultimate vertical load, combined with varying lateral loads. The research revealed that 90° RP outperforms in load carrying capacity compared to other pile models. Additionally, 60° RP exhibits an increase in load resistance under reduced deflection. Furthermore, 30° and 45° RP demonstrate improved load-bearing capacity (21 to 43%) compared to CP. Finally, this study contributes valuable insights into load bearing behaviour of different root pile models, particularly highlighting superior performance of 90° RP. The findings provide valuable insight for design and applications of root pile foundations in sandy soil conditions.