Development ofp-yCurves of Laterally Loaded Piles in Cohesionless Soil

Abstract

The research on damages of structures that are supported by deep foundations has been quite intensive in the past decade. Kinematic interaction in soil-pile interaction is evaluated based on thep-ycurve approach. Existingp-ycurves have considered the effects of relative density on soil-pile interaction in sandy soil. The roughness influence of the surface wall pile onp-ycurves has not been emphasized sufficiently. The presented study was performed to develop a series ofp-ycurves for single piles through comprehensive experimental investigations. Modification factors were studied, namely, the effects of relative density and roughness of the wall surface of pile. The model tests were subjected to lateral load in Johor Bahru sand. The newp-ycurves were evaluated based on the experimental data and were compared to the existingp-ycurves. The soil-pile reaction for various relative density (from 30% to 75%) was increased in the range of 40–95% for a smooth pile at a small displacement and 90% at a large displacement. For rough pile, the ratio of dense to loose relative density soil-pile reaction was from 2.0 to 3.0 at a small to large displacement. Direct comparison of the developedp-ycurve shows significant differences in the magnitude and shapes with the existing load-transfer curves. Good comparison with the experimental and design studies demonstrates the multidisciplinary applications of the present method.