Application of stress smoothing techniques to a finite element pile driving analysis

This paper describes a comparative study of the most important local stress smoothing techniques available in the literature. Based on a numerical model, results are obtained for several methods to select the most suitable technique for the problem. Using the nodal stresses obtained from this technique, the pattern of stress waves propagating around the toe of a thin-walled open-ended pile is identified. In addition, the build-up of residual stresses around fully-plugged, partially-plugged and unplugged piles is studied using a Eulerian-type finite element approach, which takes into account the large accumulated displacements for piles subjected to multiple hammer blows.