Assessing physical mechanisms related to kinematic soil-pile interaction

The kinematic soil-pile interaction is a cornerstone in developing seismic design procedure for piles. How to mathematically quantify this interaction has received intensive research efforts. However, to date, there is no consensus among researchers on the optimal mathematical model with sufficient accuracy and mathematical simplicity. Specifically, existing idealized models are frequently criticized as missing some important physical mechanisms, e.g., shear stresses in soil or continuity. It remains elusive to what extent these physical mechanisms contribute to the overall kinematic response. Herein, the contribution of each physical mechanism is singled out of the overall kinematic response of end-bearing piles with the aid of a continuum solution. Then, a series of parametric study shows that the contribution of each physical mechanism highly depends on the frequency, and the shear stresses in soil may contribute appreciably to the overall kinematic response.