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1. Introduction
The primary function of pile caps is to transfer superstructure
forces to the infrastructure elements. In the last decades there
was a significant progress in the study of the structural behavior
of pile caps. With the introduction of computing systems and the
Finite Element Method (FEM) new refined techniques of analysis
were developed.
The current theory of pile caps is due to the original work devel-
oped by Blévot & Frémy [3], whose authors published a study
which came to be a reference for all posterior works and served as
the framework for the formulation of most of the national codes in
this field up to date.
Based on experimental results, Blévot & Frémy [3] formulated a
theory on struts and ties to explain the structural behavior of pile
caps. The authors observed that the collapse of the majority of
pile caps specimens have occurred by concrete splitting (open-
ing cracks parallel to principal compressive stresses as a result of
253
IBRACON Structures and Materials Journal • 2012 • vol. 5 • nº 2
T.E.T. BUTTIGNOL |
L.C ALMEIDA
Table 1 – Numerical models analyzed
Model 1
Pile cap with total
vertical
displacement
restraint at the piles
bottom surface
Model 2
Pile cap with 50%
of vertical
displacement
restraint at the piles
bottom surface
Model 3
Pile cap with 25%
of vertical
displacement
restraint at the piles
bottom surface
Model 4
Pile cap with
splitting
reinforcement bars
Model 5
Pile cap with piles
cross-section area
reduction