Abstract: Compaction effect usually occurs in the construction of precast piles. This effect may have a negative impact on the environment. A pile-soil model is simulated based on a numerical method using the finite element software Abaqus. A specially-defined contact element of pile-soil interface is used with a thickness of 0.08 m to simulate the mechanical features of the interface between the pile and soil. The mechanical parameters of the elements are set between those of the pile and soil, and the elements close to the soil are coupled with the element nodes in the soil. The Mohr-Coulomb’s law is applied to reflect the constitutive law of the elements close to the pile. Based on the numerical simulation, the effective distance and depth resulting from pile driving
are analyzed. The characteristic change of the compressive pile is explored. The relationship between the load and the penetration depth together with the side resistance distribution of the pile are then obtained. The results of simulation and cavity expansion theory are compared. It shows that the effective horizontal and vertical distances are about 5 and 2 times the diameter of the pile, respectively. The described method may provide references to the construction and design in the pile engineering.

Key words: thin-layered element, compaction effect, numerical simulation, pile foundation