Evaluation of triangular pile arrangement through a numerical study of the light embankment piling method

Embankment piling is a widely used foundation method in geotechnical engineering and the design is mostly based on empirical studies found on experimental or field evidents. Several studies have been conducted to capture the behaviour of embankment piles by means of numerical models. One of the issues is to simulate the arching effect between the piles. This has raised the question of the optimum pile arrangement. Along the northern coast of Sweden, where soft soil types and dense woodlands are common, timber piles have often been used in piled road and railway embankments. The pile group is designed as a semi-floating deep foundation in soft soil, where the piles are resting on top of the locally common firm glacial till bottom layer, naming the method light embankment piling. The Swedish design guidelines recently changed from a square to a triangular pile arrangement. However, the motivation of the changed lacked research which raised the question of optimal pile arrangement and centre-to-centre pile distance. This project aims to optimise the light embankment piling method through numerical analysis, verified by field and laboratory experiments. The optimisation will mainly focus on pile arrangement and centre-to-centre pile distance. Optimal träpålning