Why might pile-group settlement efficiency lag the sum of single-pile capacities?
Choices
- (A) Overlapping stress bulbs densify pore pressures raising interactive settlement
- (B) Piles in groups never shear the same plug of soil concurrently
- (C) Group effects vanish whenever caps are rigid
- (D) Center piles always settle identically to edge piles arbitrarily
Correct answer: (A)
Overlapping stress bulbs densify pore pressures raising interactive settlement
Explanation
Overlapping shafts mobilise softened zones reducing per-pile efficiency.