Reliability Analysis Of Rigid Pile Caps Using An Iterative Strut-And-Tie Model

The aim of this work is to present a new strut-and-tie model for design of rigid pile caps based on the concept of magnified area under the column. In this magnified area, compressive stresses have been reduced enough not to cause crushing of the struts. An iterative algorithm is used to determine the required depth of the magnified area. The model considers both failure by crushing of the compressed struts and by yielding of the tie reinforcement. A large number of experimental results available in the literature is used to test the model. The partial safety factors method is employed for pile caps design and structural safety is evaluated by means of the reliability index. The small failure probability, estimated through the reliability index, demonstrates the safety of the proposed method. A numerical example of practical use of the model is also presented.