Analysis on the Rigid Connections between the Large Diameter Drilled Shaft and the Pile Cap for the Sea-Crossing Bridges with Multiple Pile Foundations

다주식 기초 해상교량에서 대구경 현장타설말뚝과 파일캡의 강결합에 대한 분석

Piles of a bridge pier are connected with a column through a pile cap(footing). Behavior of the pile foundation can be different according to the connection method between piles and the pile cap. This difference causes a change of the design method. Connection methods between pile heads and the pile cap are divided into two groups ; rigid connections and hinge connections. KHBDC(Korea Highway Bridge Design Code) has specified to use rigid connection method for the highway bridge. In the rigid connection method, maximum bending moment of a pile occurs at the pile head and this helps the pile to prevent the excessive displacement. Rigid methods are also good to improve the seismic performance. However some specifications prescribe that conservative results through investigations for both the fixed-head condition and the free-head condition should be reflected in the design. This statement may induce an over-estimated design for the bridge which have very good quality structures with casing covered drilled shafts and the PC-house contained pile cap. Because the assumption of free-head conditions (hinge connections) are unreal for the elevated pile cap system with multiple piles of the long span sea-crossing bridges. On the other hand, elastic displacement method to evaluate the pile reactions under the pile cap is not suitable for this type of bridges due to impractical assumptions. So, full modeling techniques which analyze the superstructure and the substructure simultaneously should be performed. Loads and stress state of the very large diameter drilled shaft and the pile cap for Incheon Bridge which will the longest bridge in Korea were investigated through the full modeling for rigid connection conditions.