Mechanical behaviour of a small-scale energy pile in saturated clay

The mechanical behaviour of an energy pile in saturated clay under thermo-mechanical loading was studied using a model pile. Axial load was first applied to the pile head in steps to determine the resistance of the pile under mechanical load. Afterwards, thermo-mechanical tests were performed by applying a heating/cooling cycle to the pile under constant axial load. The results show pile head heave during heating and settlement during cooling. Irreversible settlement was observed after the thermal cycles. Tests performed with various axial loads show that the thermal irreversible settlement is greater under a higher axial load.