Adequacy of batter piles under seismic conditions: A review of past performances and investigations

Abstract

Foundations are subjected to large lateral loads during earthquakes. Further, liquefaction and subsequent lateral spreading, observed in almost all major earthquakes, have aggravated the lateral load demand on the foundation systems. To accommodate such large lateral loads, batter piles have been used in practice, especially for supporting onshore structures. However, the applicability of batter piles in seismically active regions is still questionable due to the inconsistent performance of batter piles during past earthquakes. This led to several active studies on the seismic performance of batter piles in the past decade. The present article reviews the investigations conducted on the seismic behavior of batter pile foundations and attempts to understand and summarize different considerations on the adequacy of batter piles under seismic loading, considering liquefying ground conditions. Further, a simplified methodology is presented for assessing the adequacy of batter piles under seismic loading conditions.