Axial Pile Analysis: Episode 4 - Geotechnical–Structural Cycle

In most real-world projects, we don’t just design piles in isolation. We move back and forth across disciplines — and if the geotechnical–structural interaction loop isn’t clear, things fall through the cracks.

The slide below maps out the 7-step cycle between geotechnical engineers and structural engineers when designing deep foundations. It answers questions like:

 🔸 Do we need structural input to determine axial resistance?
🔸 What kind of loads are we getting — ULS or SLS?
🔸 How are piles actually simulated in the structural model?

 A few takeaways:

• You don’t need structural loads to estimate axial resistance — but you do need them to size the pile.

• You should be receiving both ULS and SLS loads, so you can handle capacity and settlement properly.

• Piles in structural models are usually represented as springs — so you’ll need to provide spring stiffness (especially for lateral and axial analysis).

 I cover this topic in depth in my new Module,
“Module (3a) Deep Foundations – Axial Pile Analysis with RS Pile”