Numerical Modeling of Piles Subjected to An Underground Lateral Load

摘要

Piles are constructed to support vertical and lateral loads. In most of the occasions, loads are applied at or above the heads of piles. However, sometimes piles are subjected to lateral force at some distance below ground surface, called underground lateral load in this paper. An example of this underground force is the pressure induced by pressure grouting to the adjacent piles. The effect of the lateral force on pile deflection becomes a concern since the pile deflection would directly influence the superstructures and the adjacent structures. Due to unavailability of analytical methods, a three-dimensional numerical modeling was adopted to evaluate the influence of the underground lateral force on the pile deflection. In the numerical simulation, the soil was modeled as a linearly elastic perfectly plastic material. The pile was modeled as a linearly elastic material. A lateral force at a certain distance below the ground surface was applied. A curve of the pile deflection against the applied underground force was developed. The parameters were varied to examine the influence of different parameters on the pile deflection. The investigated parameters included modulus and friction angle of soil, lateral force location and magnitude, pile length, and vertical load magnitude and fixity of the pile head. Based on the pile deflection curves, the significance of the influence on pile deflection was assessed.