Experimental Study of Lateral Load Displacement Behavior of Piles in Sand

Pile foundations are often subjected to lateral forces in addition to vertical loads. The lateral forces acting on piles may arise due to wind pressure, seismic waves, wave action in offshore structures, and lateral earth pressure in earth retaining structures. Lateral displacement at the pile head is an important criterion for a successful design of pile that supports lateral load. In this paper, results observed from model tests conducted on laterally loaded piles embedded in medium dense sand are presented. The effect of variation in pile embedment length to diameter (L/D) ratio and flexural stiffness on lateral load carrying capacity of single pile was studied by varying pile embedment length and pile diameter. Stainless steel pipes have been used as model piles. The piles were kept free headed with floating tips. Various value of pile length to diameter ratio (L/D = 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35) were employed in the model testing. Pile group tests were also performed for comparison with single pile. The observed results are presented in the form of lateral load displacement curves and design charts are prepared for lateral load displacement response of piles in cohesionless soils.