Analytical modeling and damage assessment of shallow embedment pile-deck connections

This paper presents a simple, yet accurate, approach for analytically describing the nonlinear behavior of shallow embedment pile-deck connections under cyclic loading. The approach is based on incorporating at the pile-deck interface a rotational spring fiber-based element connecting to frame elements where the nonlinearity is distributed along the pile length. This additional element directly takes into account the impacts of the pile's rigid body motion, as well as the interaction between the softening of concrete and slipping of the reinforcement at the end of the pile. Experimental results of four test specimens from the literature are used to calibrate and validate this analytical modeling approach. Comparison between analytical and experimental results shows that the proposed modeling technique is capable of accurately describing the cyclic behavior and damage progression in pile-deck connections.