Load transfer from an axially loaded pile to multilayered saturated media

• The pile is modeled as a one-dimensional bar using the finite element method.
• The layered poroelastic soil is solved by the analytical layer-element method.
• The solution for the interaction problem is derived in the Laplace transform domain.
• The influence of the time factor on the interaction problem is analyzed.

This paper mainly examines the time-dependent response of a single pile embedded in an isotropic multilayered poroelastic soil under an axial loading. The pile is modeled as a one-dimensional bar and discretized using the finite element method. According to the analytical layer-element method, the fundamental solution for the soil subjected to a unit load can be obtained. By virtue of the compatibility condition between the pile and soil, the solution for the interaction problem are derived in the Laplace transform domain, and the actual solution can be further carried out by taking the inversion of Laplace transform. The resulting numerical solutions show fine consistency with the existing ones, which confirms the feasibility and accuracy of the theory proposed in this paper. Selected examples are provided to demonstrate the influences of the stiffness ratio, length–radius ratio, the stratified character of the medium as well as the time factor on the interaction problem.