Agata Iwan Candra, As`ad Munawir, Yulvi Zaika, Eko Andi Suryo
This study investigates the application of caudal foundations inspired by snake locomotion to improve lateral stress distribution and enhance soil-structure interaction in pile foundations. This study presents a bioinspired snakeskin-inspired caudal pile geometry that contextually modifies the lateral earth pressure coefficient (K) and skin resistance (Qs) terms within the classical Meyerhof pile bearing capacity framework. Laboratory tests were conducted on four steel pile models with a diameter of 10mm: one smooth pile (plain model) and three caudal designs with varying L/H ratios of 20, 26.67, and 33.33. A small-scale automated loading press, equipped with a stepper motor and a continuous stress-strain recording system, ensured precise real-time data acquisition during the tests. Results indicated that the caudal foundation with an L/H ratio of 20 achieved the highest improvement in skin resistance (Qs = 0.0280kN) and lateral earth pressure coefficient (K = 3.94) compared to the smooth pile. These findings confirm a direct correlation between L/H ratio and lateral stress distribution, offering theoretical insights into bioinspired foundation designs and practical recommendations for optimizing foundation performance under diverse geotechnical conditions. Future research is suggested to examine the role of pile diameter and other geometric parameters in validating these trends. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Brawijaya University, Malang, 65145, Indonesia
