Fayed Sabry, Badawi Moataz, Basha Ali, Ghalla Mohamed, Iskander Yahia, Yehia Saad A
Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt.
Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering and Architecture, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jun 20;15(1):20154. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-05303-7.
Despite extensive research on reinforced concrete (RC) pile caps, the influence of column and pile configuration and dimensions on their shear performance remains unexplored. This study investigates the structural behavior of RC pile caps through experimental and numerical analyses, focusing on how variations in column and pile geometry affect shear capacity. Two pile cap specimens (700 mm long × 300 mm wide) with heights of 250 mm (SB1) and 350 mm (SB2) were tested under shear-dominated conditions. Both were supported by two square piles (200 × 200 mm) and loaded centrally via a square column (200 × 200 mm). The study reports crack patterns, ultimate shear load, load-displacement behavior, elastic stiffness, and energy absorption capacity. A validated 3D finite element model was developed to parametrically analyze rectangular/circular columns and piles with dimensions ranging from 0.2d to d (where d = pile cap width). The findings indicate that failure modes were consistently shear-dominated and remained unaffected by variations in column or pile configuration and size. Increasing the rectangular column length from 0.2d to d enhanced the ultimate load capacity by 108% and energy absorption by 100%. Similarly, increasing the circular column diameter from 0.2d to d improved these metrics by 348% and 373%, respectively. Widening the rectangular pile from 0.2d to d resulted in a 34% increase in ultimate load capacity. Overall, the study demonstrates that larger column and pile dimensions significantly enhance shear performance, with circular configurations yielding superior improvements. These insights offer practical guidance for optimizing pile cap design.
尽管对钢筋混凝土（RC）桩帽进行了广泛研究，但柱和桩的配置及尺寸对其抗剪性能的影响仍未得到探索。本研究通过试验和数值分析来研究RC桩帽的结构性能，重点关注柱和桩几何形状的变化如何影响抗剪承载力。在以剪切为主的条件下，对两个桩帽试件（长700mm×宽300mm）进行了测试，其高度分别为250mm（SB1）和350mm（SB2）。两者均由两根方桩（200×200mm）支撑，并通过方形柱（200×200mm）进行中心加载。该研究报告了裂缝模式、极限抗剪荷载、荷载-位移行为、弹性刚度和能量吸收能力。开发了一个经过验证的三维有限元模型，以对尺寸范围从0.2d到d（其中d =桩帽宽度）的矩形/圆形柱和桩进行参数分析。研究结果表明，破坏模式始终以剪切为主，不受柱或桩的配置及尺寸变化的影响。将矩形柱长度从0.2d增加到d，极限荷载能力提高了108%，能量吸收提高了100%。同样，将圆形柱直径从0.2d增加到d，这些指标分别提高了348%和373%。将矩形桩宽度从0.2d增加到d，极限荷载能力提高了34%。总体而言，该研究表明，更大的柱和桩尺寸显著提高了抗剪性能，圆形配置带来的改善更为显著。这些见解为优化桩帽设计提供了实际指导。
