Practical method for settlement analysis of pile groups

This paper presents a practical method that can be used to evaluate the set tlement of pile groups. This method is developed based on variational solut ions for pile groups embedded in soil modeled using a load-transfer curve m odel and elastic half-space model. Using this practical method, the settlem ent of pile groups can be estimated quickly without recourse to complex com puter programs based on numerical models, resulting in savings in time and cost. The solutions obtained using this approach are in good agreement with rigorous variational solutions and are also in reasonable agreement with f ield measurements.