THE STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE OF VARIABILITY ON STRENGTH PARAMETERS FOR CONTIGUOUS PILE WALL USING RANDOM FIELD THEORY

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Published: Jun 29, 2025
Keywords:
Undrained shear strength in clay Random field Spatial variability coefficient Finite element method

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Sittha Kaorapapong
Graduate Student, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Thammasat University
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Warit Wipulanusat
Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Thammasat University
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suraparb Keawsawasvong
Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Thammasat University

Abstract

This study investigates the stability of contiguous pile walls under undrained conditions by incorporating spatial variability in soil properties through Random Field Theory. The Random Adaptive Finite Element Limit Analysis (RAFELA) technique, implemented in the OPTUM G2 software, was employed using lower bound limit analysis to examine the effects of spatial randomness in undrained shear strength of clay. The analysis focuses on key factors affecting the stability number, probability of failure (Pf), factor of safety (FOS), and failure mechanisms. The results indicate that the stability numbers obtained from stochastic analysis are consistently lower than those from deterministic analysis, resulting in a higher probability of failure. It was also found that in order to maintain Pf below 0.001, the required FOS values vary depending on the pile spacing-to-diameter ratio (S/D), dimensionless spatial correlation length (CLsuc), coefficient of variation (COVsuc), and the soil–pile adhesion factor (α). The appropriate FOS values were found to range from 1.2 to 2.0, depending on the combinations of these parameters.

Article Details

Issue
Vol. 36 No. 2 (2025): April-June
Section
Research Articles
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The published articles are copyright of the Engineering Journal of Research and Development, The Engineering Institute of Thailand Under H.M. The King's Patronage (EIT).

Author Biographies

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Warit Wipulanusat, Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Thammasat University

Education
- 2019 PhD (Construction Management), Griffith University, Australia
- 2023 MS (Project and Contract Management), Politecnico di Milano, Italy
- 2002 M.Eng. (Infrastructure Engineering), Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand
- 2000 B.Eng. (Civil Engineering), Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
- Visiting Scholar, Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Fields of specialization
- Construction Management
- Infrastructure Management
- Innovation Management

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suraparb Keawsawasvong, Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Thammasat University

Education
- 2019 Ph.D. (Civil Engineering), Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.
- 2015 M.Eng. (Civil Engineering), Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.
- 2013 B.Eng. (Honors with highest GPA) (Civil Engineering), Thammasat University, Thailand.
- Visiting Research Student, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada

Fields of specialization
- Geotechnical Stability Analysis
- Limit Analysis
- Finite Element Analysis
- Machine Intelligence in Civil Engineering
- Optimization in Civil Engineering
- Solid Mechanics (Poroelastic Materials and Nanomaterials)

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