Piles & Forepoles Overview

Piles & Forepoles in RS3 are three-dimension support elements that can be used to model support types such as piles, forepoles or similar support elements. In RS3, a pile is simulated as a beam. Therefore, beam properties are used when defining pile properties, such as Young's Modulus, Poisson's ratio, and the pile dimensions. Material Properties distinct for a pile, such as the soil-pile interaction, are found in the Pile Properties dialog when defining piles & forepoles.

Defining Piles & Forepoles

Piles and forepoles are based on beam elements with additional properties to account for the interface strength and stiffness. To define the beam properties use the Define Beam Properties option.

To define the pile properties (strength and stiffness of pile/soil interface) use the Define Pile Properties option.

Adding Piles or Forepoles

Piles are added to the model as single piles or pile patterns applied to boundaries or surfaces with the Add Piles option.

Editing Piles or Forepoles

Piles can edited or deleted at any time using the Properties Pane and Visibility Pane.

Pile Theory

For information about the numerical implementation of pile support in RS3 see the Piles and Forepoles document in the RS3 Theory section.