TAMWAVE 5: Wave Equation Analysis, Overview and Initial Entry

With the static analysis complete, we turn to the wave equation analysis.  TAMWAVE (as with the previous version) was based indirectly on the TTI wave equation program.  Although the numerical method was not changed, many other aspects of the program were, and so we need to consider these.

Shaft and Toe Resistance

Most wave equation programs in commercial use still use the Smith model for shaft and toe resistance during impact.  Referencing specifically their use in inverse methods, Randolph (2003) makes the following comment:

Dynamic pile tests are arguably the most cost-effective of all pile-testing methods, although they rely on relatively sophisticated numerical modelling for back-analysis. Theoretical advances in modelling the dynamic pile-soil interaction have been available since the mid-1980s, but have been slow to be implemented by commercial codes, most of which still use the empirical parameters of the Smith (1960) model. In order to allow an appropriate…