Finding the criteria for thickness of pile cap for it to behave as a rigid member for the following assumption

is valid : force in pile = P/A (+/-) /!

" have made a #$AA% model of pile cap (& m'&m) with five no piles( (#ee the #$AA% model) " am stud)ing the effect of variation of pile cap thickness on the pile reaction( *or the stud) " have considered central pile + and plotted the graph of variation of pile recation wrt to thickness( Pile selected = ,-- dia + .- $ capacit) + / =0, m (see e'el file) from this pile stiffness 1 is calculated which is applied is support at pile locations( *ollowing observation from anal)sis : As the thickness is increasing + the load on the central pile decreases and gets distributed to peripheral piles 2 which is an e'pected behaviour since the pile cap becomes rigid+ it distributes the load to a wider area( #ee the graph + as the thk increases + the central pile recation becomes less and less and becomes parallel to ' a'is i(e thickness( "deall) + there is one thickness + which will make reactions in al the pile same i(e P/3 ((in this case + difference in pile reactions is ver) less " have tried to increase the thk to &- m " think for practical purpose + thickness of 0(& to 0(, wheregraph become ass)mptotic is fairl) o(k(

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