Two Deep Foundations Programs–BENT1 and PX4C3–Now Available

This week we feature two programs for the analysis of deep foundations: BENT1 and PX4C3. Although these names may not be familiar, if you’re in the deep foundation engineering field you’ll probably recognise some of their successors.

Let’s start with BENT1, the program description is as follows:

BENT1 is a program designed to analyse two dimensional problems involving pile supported foundations subjected to inclined & eccentric loadings. It consists of an interactive solution for the three equilibrium equations. The purpose of the iterative procedure is to find deflected position of the structure so that equilibrium and compatibility are satisfied. The pile cap is assumed to be rigid in the analysis. Subroutines MAKE and COM62 are used in this program. A complete description of the program can be found in the document “Background Theory and Documentation of Five University of Texas Soil-Structure Interaction Computer Programs,” Miscellaneous Paper K-75-2, by N. Radhakrishnan and F. Parker.

COM62 is the ancestor of all of the programs with that in the name, and ultimately programs such as LPILE.

Then we consider PX4C3:

PX4C3 is a finite difference program used to compute load settlement characteristics on an axially loaded pile of constant outside diameter. A set of load transfer curves along the pile (i.e., skin friction developed on the side of the pile relative to the absolute axial displacement of the pile section) & four point resistance curve at the pile tip (i.e., relationship between the total axial soil resistance on the base of the pile tip & the pile tip movement) are used in program to obtain non-linear soil-pile relationships. Finite difference equations are used to achieve compatibility between pile displacement & load transfer along the pile & between soil resistance & load transfer along the tip of the pile. A complete description of the program can be found in the document “Background Theory and Documentation of Five University of Texas Soil-Structure Interaction Computer Programs,” Miscellaneous Paper K-75-2, by N. Radhakrishnan and F. Parker.

This is the ancestor of programs such as APILE.

Complete documentation for both programs is included, and can also be found here.