Strength predictions of pile caps by a strut-and-tie model approach

Abstract

In this paper, a strut-and-tie model approach is presented for calculating the strength of reinforced concrete pile caps. The proposed method employs constitutive laws for cracked reinforced concrete and considers strain compatibility. This method is used to calculate the load-carrying capacity of 116 pile caps that have been tested to failure in structural research laboratories. This method is illustrated to provide more accurate estimates of behavior and capacity than the special provisions for slabs and footings of the 1999 American Concrete Institute (ACI) code, the pile cap provisions in the 2002 CRSI design handbook, and the strut-and-tie model provisions in either the 2005 ACI code or the 2004 Canadian Standards Association (CSA) A23.3 standard. The comparison shows that the proposed method consistently well predicts the strengths of pile caps with shear span-to-depth ratios ranging from 0.49 to 1.8 and concrete strengths less than 41 MPa. The proposed approach provides valuable insight into the design and behavior of pile caps.