NF P 94-262

Annex I
(informative)

Modeling of the transverse behavior of a deep foundation

from pressuremeter and penetrometer tests

I.1 Single pile

I.1.1 Application domain

(1) Annex I.1 defines, for an isolated deep foundation element (Notes 1 and 2), the construction of the soil-foundation element
interaction laws describing the transverse behavior, from the results of the pressuremeter tests Ménard. It addresses the case of pile
groups in appendix I.2. In appendix I.3 are presented the principles of determination of the soil-element interaction laws for seismic
stresses. Annex I.4 contains the principles for determining these soil-element interaction laws from penetrometric data.

NOTE 1 - Annexes I.1.3 to I.1.6 define the laws of probable characteristics, applicable in most cases. Annex I.1.7 defines laws of maximum
characteristics, more particularly adapted to the study of elements subjected to transverse thrusts of the ground. More elaborate models
representing real phenomena more correctly are also proposed, for cases where the complexity of the project justifies calling on such models.

NOTE 2 - Modifications to the isolated member behavior model may be required to deal with the case of deep foundations made up of several
members. Indications are given in this direction in paragraph I.2 below.

I.1.2 General principle

(1) It is assumed that the soil exerts in each section of the element a reaction perpendicular to its axis, which is a function of the
transverse relative displacement of the section considered, and that this reaction is composed:

• frontal pressures, which is modeled by a uniform pressure exerted on the greatest width of the element perpendicular to the
direction of displacement, noted B (Note 1);

• transverse friction forces exerted on the parts of the perimeter parallel to the direction of movement; however, a part of these
frictions being already integrated in the frontal pressures mentioned above, the value B is subtracted from each of these parts
for the evaluation of the friction (Note 2).

NOTE 1 - For example, in the case of a circular pile, this pressure is exerted uniformly over a width equal to the diameter of the pile.

NOTE 2 - Lateral frictions are forces which oppose the displacement of the element considered. In the case of rectangular sections tending to move
in the direction of their greatest dimension, these forces appear on the faces parallel to the direction of displacement. In the case of composite
sections, it is accepted to consider that they develop on the surfaces, parallel to the direction of displacement, of the smallest perimeter
circumscribed to the real section. The parts of this perimeter to be taken into account are shown schematically in Figure I.1.2.

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Legend: L s = L - B: computational length of lateral friction.

Figure I.1.2 - Calculation length of lateral friction

I.1.3 Laws of interaction with respect to stresses of short duration of application

(1) Except in special cases (Clause I.1.3 (3)), the law of mobilization of the frontal reaction r = pB as a function of the displacement δ of the
pile must be defined by:

• a line segment passing through the origin and slope K f;

• a bearing r 1. ( Figure I.1.3.1)

Legend: r 1: frontal reaction; δ: relative displacement of the foundation element.

Figure I.1.3.1 - Frontal reaction law - General case

(2) The evaluation of K f and r 1 from the results of Ménard pressuremeter tests must be carried out according to the following
indications:

• module K f is calculated from one of the following two formulas:

12 E M
K =f when B ≥ B0 (I.1.3.1)
4 B 0 • 2,
α
3 B • 65•B • α B 0•• +

12 E M
K f = 4 [2.65] α + α when B ≤ B0 (I.1.3.2)

K f is the linear modulus of mobilization of the frontal pressure for a deep foundation element (Note 1);

E M is the Ménard pressuremeter module;

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B is the width of the element perpendicular to the direction of movement;

B 0 is a reference width taken equal to 0.60 m;

α is a coefficient characterizing the ground in the pressuremeter method (Tables I.1.3.1 and I.1.3.2).

• the level r f is taken equal to:

*
r 1 = Bp f (I.1.3.3)

B is the width of the element perpendicular to the direction of movement;

p *f is the net creep pressure (Note 2)

NOTE 1 - K f is related to the surface modulus called the reaction coefficient k f by the expression K f = B k f

NOTE 2 - Calculation results should highlight the maximum calculated reaction value (generally in
head) and compare it to p f * in the case where the resultant of the transverse reactions of the soil on the deep foundation is considered null before
the application of the stresses. In the case where a geostatic stress state is considered
(resulting from lateral soil reactions not zero), the maximum calculated pressure value must be compared with p f .

(3) For some calculations, for example with regard to very brief accidental stresses (shocks) or, for cohesive soils, rare stresses of
short duration, it is accepted that the justifications are carried out from a diagram interaction such as that shown in Figure I.1.3.2.

(4) The value of the step r 2 is defined by the following relation:

r 2= Bp * l
(I.1.3.4)

B is the width of the element perpendicular to the direction of movement; p l * is the net

pressuremeter limit pressure.

Figure I.1.3.2 - Frontal reaction law - Special case

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Table I.1.3.1 - Rheological coefficients α - Pressuremeter method

Ground at Peat Clay Silt Sand Serious

α EM/ pl α EM/ pl α EM/ pl α EM/ pl α

I - > 16 1 > 14 2/3 > 12 1/2 > 10 1/3

II 1 9 - 16 2/3 8 - 14 1/2 7 - 12 1/3 6 - 10 1/4

III - 7-9 1/2 5-8 1/2 5-7 1/3 - -

a I: overconsolidated or very tight ground,

II: normally consolidated or normally tight ground, III: sub-overconsolidated

ground altered and reworked or loose.

Table I.1.3.2 - Coefficients α for rocky terrain - Pressuremeter method

Rock α

Very little fractured 2/3

Normal 1/2

Very fractured 1/3

Very altered 2/3

(5) The law of mobilization of the tangential reaction, that is to say the friction developed on the lateral surfaces of elongated
foundation elements such as bars, must be defined by:

• a line segment passing through the origin and slope K s = K f;

• a bearing r s ( Figure I.1.3.3).

NOTE 1 - It is possible to use other relations to estimate K s in particular by considering the relations likely to exist between the reaction coefficients
k f and k s.

Legend: r: tangential reaction; δ: displacement of the foundation element.

Figure I.1.3.3 - Tangential reaction law - General case

(6) The evaluation of r s from the results of Ménard pressuremeter tests must be carried out using the following relation:

rs=2 Lsqs (I.1.3.5)

L s is the length over which the lateral friction is calculated (I.1.2 and Figure I.1.2);

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q s is the limiting friction q s the value of which is taken equal to that of the axial friction.

(7) The law of mobilization of the global reaction to be considered is the sum of the frontal reaction and the tangential reaction
defined above in clauses I.1.3 (1) to I.1.3 (5). It follows that, in the current cases, the global interaction law is presented in the form
illustrated by figure I.1.3.4.

Legend: r: resulting reaction; δ: displacement of the foundation element.

Figure I.1.3.4 - Global reaction law - General case

I.1.4 Laws of interaction with regard to stresses of long application duration

(1) In the usual cases (Notes 1 and 2), the interaction law to be taken into account with regard to stresses of long application
duration is defined as follows:

• the frontal reaction is in all cases limited by the value r 1;

• the stage of the tangential reaction r s is equal to the value defined above in clause I.1.3 (6) for stresses of short duration of
application;

• the values of the moduli describing the mobilization of the resistant forces as a function of the relative displacement are taken
equal to half of those defined above in article I.1.3 for the stresses of short duration of application (Figure I.1.4.1 ).

NOTE 1 - When a "range" verification is considered, a specific analysis of the laws of interaction to be adopted is necessary. In particular, account
will be taken of the fact that, for granular soils, the interaction laws may be substantially identical with respect to loads of short and long duration of
application.

NOTE 2 - Calculation results should highlight the maximum calculated reaction value (usually leading) and compare it to p *
f.

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Legend: r: resulting reaction; δ: horizontal displacement of the foundation element.

Figure I.1.4.1 - Interaction law vis-à-vis the stresses of long application duration - Case
usual

I.1.5 Case of an element located at the head of the slope

(1) In the case of foundations located at the crest of a slope, the frontal reaction and any lateral friction of the soil must only be fully
taken into account from a dimension such as the horizontal thickness of the soil likely to be brought into abutment is at least equal to
5.B.

NOTE 1 - This provision covers the most frequent situations where the horizontal force applied to the foundation is exerted in the direction of the
slope, either permanently or in alternations. In the rare cases where the force is exerted exclusively in the direction opposite to that of the slope, it is
not necessary to apply the abatements prescribed below.

(2) The frontal reaction and any lateral friction of the soil above the level defined in I.1.5 (1) must be determined according to the
following provisions:

• the slopes of the elementary laws of mobilization of the frontal pressure and of the possible lateral friction are preserved;

• the value of the plastic bearing of these laws is made to vary linearly between the fictitious point of intersection of the slope with
the axis of the element cited above and the level defined in I.1.5 (1), by assigning a zero value at the point of intersection of the
pile axis and the slope plane (Figure I.1.5.1).

Legend: r: frontal or tangential reaction; δ: horizontal displacement of the foundation element.

Figure I.1.5.1 - Interaction law in the case of a foundation element located at the head of a slope

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I.1.6 Changes near the ground surface

(1) For areas close to the surface, the linear modulus of the soil and the step value must be reduced according to the following
provisions:

• depth z vs to which this reduction is applied, counted from the surface of the ground after works, is taken equal to 2.B for
cohesive soils and to 4.B for rubbing soils;

• for z <z vs, the force-displacement laws defined above in I.1.3, I.1.4 and I.1.5 must be modified by an affinity (Figure I.1.6.1):

• axis δ;

• direction r;

• z•
• report: 0.5 • 1+
• z vs• •

Legend: r: frontal or tangential reaction; δ: displacement of the foundation element.

Figure I.1.6.1 - Interaction law to be taken into account near the ground surface

(2) To simplify the calculations, depending on the type of soil, it is accepted to consider a uniform profile over the height of 2B or 4B with the
applicable law at the head and a level limited to 0.7r 1.

I.1.7 Case of an element subjected to transverse thrusts

(1) When a foundation element is subjected to transverse thrusts (horizontal displacement) of the ground, the soil-element interaction
laws of long duration must be defined from the provisions
of articles I.1.3 and I.1.4 by replacing the value of the step r 1 by the value r 2.

NOTE 1 - In the case of a deep foundation located at the head of a slope, the transverse thrusts are generally linked to the presence of the slope
and they are exerted towards the outside of the latter.

(2) These provisions aim to take into account the fact that the transverse thrusts of the ground are liable to generate stresses in the
deep foundation element that are more unfavorable than those to which the reaction laws defined in I.1.3 and I lead. .1.4.

(3) If only these transverse thrusts are applied, the reductions defined in I.1.6 and I.1.7 to take account respectively of the presence
of an embankment and the proximity to the surface of the land must not be taken. in consideration.

(4) When transverse thrusts and horizontal forces at the head coexist, one can do the calculation by combining the two actions, and
by successively considering the profile of the reaction laws

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incorporating all reductions (reaction laws limited to p f * and / or taking into account of surface effects), then the profile of the laws of
reaction up to p l * without the surface effects.

I.1.8 Accumulation of long and short duration loads

(1) When the consequences of hysteresis phenomena can be considered negligible, to calculate the stresses and displacements in
the structure under a given combination of actions, the following provisions apply:

• we start by studying the equilibrium state of the structure under the effect of actions (Note 1) of long
duration of application alone either:

r v 0 = Φ v ( δ v 0) (I.1.8.1)

r v = Φ v ( δ v) is the effort-displacement law with respect to long-term actions;

• we then study the incremental displacement δ i = δ - δ v 0 and the incremental forces r i = r - r v 0 at

the help of the law (Notes 2 and 3):

ri = Φ ••i δ +i Φ - 1 i ( r v 0) •• - r v 0 (I.1.8.2)

r i = Φ i ( δ i) is the effort-displacement law with respect to actions of short duration;

by choosing, when Φ i ( δ v 0) is on the plastic bearing of the law Φ i, for the value of Φ - 1 i( r v 0)
the smallest displacement δ such as Φ i ( δ) = r v 0.

r v = φ v. ( δ v)

r i = φ i. ( δ i)

NOTE 1 - Actions are entered with their "design values" according to the provisions of section 7.3

NOTE 2 - This procedure amounts to performing a translation, parallel to the axis of the δ, on the law

r i = Φ i ( δ i), the amplitude of this translation being such that the new law passes through the point of coordinates ( δ v 0, r v 0). These arrangements are

illustrated in Figure I.1.8.1.

NOTE 3 - When Φ v and Φ i are linear laws, it is equivalent to study independently the effects of actions of long and short duration of application and

then to sum them.

Legend: r: frontal or tangential reaction; δ: displacement of the foundation element.

Figure I.1.8.1 - Principle of cumulative loads of long and short duration of application

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I.2 Deep foundation groups

I.2.1 General

(1) The provisions of appendix I.2 apply to define the transverse constitutive laws of several deep foundation elements when the
minimum spacing rules defined in section 8.7.3 (Figures I.2.2.1 and I.2.3.1) are verified and that there is therefore no interaction
between the behaviors of the various elements.

I.2.2 Elements placed in the direction of travel

(1) When there is a possible interaction between the behaviors of various deep foundation elements placed in the direction of
displacement (Figure I.2.2.1), the force-displacement laws defined in section I.1 must be modified by the following way:

• the slope K f frontal pressure mobilization remains unchanged;

• for all the elements located behind in relation to the direction of movement, the value of the bearing
plastic r f is reduced in the report:

at
(I.2.2.1)
2max B,( L )

B is the width of the element perpendicular to the direction of movement; L is the length of the

element parallel to the direction of displacement;

a is the distance between two elements in the direction of displacement (Figure I.2.2.1);

• the modeling laws of possible lateral friction are not modified.

Figure I.2.2.1 - Conditions of non-interaction between two placed deep foundation elements
in the direction of travel

I.2.3 Elements placed perpendicular to the direction of movement

(1) When there is a possible interaction between the behaviors of various deep foundation elements placed perpendicular to the
direction of displacement (Figure I.2.3.1), the force-displacement laws of the frontal reaction defined in section I.1 should be changed
as follows:

• the plastic bearing r 1 remains unchanged ;

• the value of the modulus K f relative to each foundation element is reduced, when b is less than 2B,
by applying the following reducing coefficient:

b b•
ρ= + ρ •0 1• - (I.2.3.1)
2B • 2 B ••

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b is the distance between two elements perpendicular to the direction of displacement B is the width of the

element perpendicular to the direction of displacement;

ρ 0 is the ratio between the modulus K f specific to a group of n elements and n times that specific to an isolated element determined from the
following expression:

4 (2.65) α
K f nB()
α+
3
ρ 0= ≈ (I.2.3.2)
nK f B () ( not α) 4 + ( 2.65 not) α
3

n is the number of foundation elements involved;

α is a coefficient characterizing the ground in the pressuremeter method (Tables I.1.3.1 and I.1.3.2)

Figure I.2.3.1 - Conditions of non-interaction between placed deep foundation elements

perpendicular to the direction of travel

NOTE 1 - Note that this formula can only be applied to a small number of elements; beyond that, the behavior of the group approaches that of a
continuous curtain. The plastic bearing r 1 remains unchanged.

(2) When there is a possible interaction between the behaviors of various deep foundation elements placed perpendicular to the
direction of displacement (Figure I.2.3.1), the force-displacement laws of the tangential reaction defined in section I.1 should be
changed as follows:

• when b <2.B, no tangential reaction must be taken into account; when b> 2.B:

• module K s remains unchanged ;

• the value of the plastic bearing r s relative to each foundation element is reduced, when b is
less than 2L, in the report:

b-2B
(I.2.3.3)
2 L( - B )

b is the distance between two elements perpendicular to the direction of displacement; B is the width of the

element perpendicular to the direction of movement; L is the length of the element parallel to the direction

of displacement;

• Finally, for each element, we retain the most unfavorable law with respect to the desired effect between the
law defined above and the law of the isolated element.

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I.3 Interaction laws with regard to seismic stresses

(1) In the usual cases (Note 1), the interaction law to be taken into account with regard to seismic stresses is defined as follows:

• the frontal reaction is limited by the value r 2 possibly taking into account the reduction in the mechanical characteristics of the
soil under the effect of the cyclical stresses of the earthquake;

• the stage of the tangential reaction r s is equal to the value defined above in clause I.1.3 (5) for stresses of short duration of
application;

• the values of the moduli describing the mobilization of the resistant forces as a function of the displacement can be notably
higher (Note 2) than those defined for the stresses of short application duration (Figure I.1.4.1).

NOTE 1 - This clause does not apply to the case of liquefiable soils.

NOTE 2 - The increase factor can commonly reach a value equal to 3. This increase is related to the variation of the shear modulus of the soil as a
function of the distortion. More precise information is available in professional recommendations.

I.4 Other calculation model

(1) The correlations between the resistance to penetration and the limiting pressure make it possible to estimate the
reaction modulus K f as well as the bearings r 1 and r 2 from penetrometer data. In this case, the relationships to use are as follows:

K f = β q vs (I.4.1)

q vs
r1=B (I.4.2)
β1

q vs
r2=B (I.4.3)
β2

q vs is the resistance to penetration measured with a static electric tip penetrometer;

β 1 and β 2 are parameters depending on the type of soil in the penetrometric method (Annex G) and defined in Tables I.4.1 and I.4.2.

Table I.4.1 - Coefficients β for the calculation of K f from q vs

Soils
Sandy soils Clay soils Chalk
Type intermediaries
and
of ground
I R < 2.05 I R> 2.6 Marls
2.05 ≤ I R ≤ 2.6

β 4.5 7.5 12 4.5

Table I.4.2 - Coefficients β 1 and β 2 for the calculation of r 1 and r 2 from q vs

Sandy soils Clay soils Chalk

Type Soils
and

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of ground I R < 2.05 intermediaries I R> 2.6 Marls

2.05 ≤ I R ≤ 2.6

β1 13 10 5 13

β2 8 6 3.5 8

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