A three-dimensional investigation on performance of batter pile groups in laterally spreading ground

Abstract

The performance of batter pile groups in laterally spreading ground has rarely been investigated. The present study evaluates the performance of 2 × 1 batter pile groups with four different configurations subjected to lateral spreading displacement through three-dimensional, fully coupled numerical investigations. Pressure dependent multi-yield model for the soil medium complemented with variation in permeability of liquefiable soil for excess pore pressure generation is considered. The nonlinear behaviour of the reinforced concrete pile is also incorporated. The behaviour of batter pile groups is evaluated for various earthquake time histories. The study indicates that the bending moment developed in the pile sections of both upstream and downstream sides of the ground displacement is observed to reduce under combined (kinematic + inertial) loading conditions for batter pile group configurations considered. However, shear and axial forces show increasing trends for batter pile groups, especially with higher batter angles for both kinematic and combined loading conditions. It is also observed that the presence of batter piles reduces both pile cap and superstructure displacements. However, significant pile cap rotations are recorded for pile groups with higher batter angles. The performances of the pile groups are confirmed for earthquake motions with a wide range of peak ground accelerations.