Analytical model for lateral response of piles considering inhomogeneous disturbance characteristics of homogeneous sand

Abstract

This paper proposes an analytical model for calculating the lateral response of piles in homogeneous sand by considering inhomogeneous disturbance characteristics distribution. The disturbed soil in front of the pile is separated into strain wedge (SW) model elements, with the characteristics of each element calculated through coordinated pile-soil deformation. The limit of the stress level of the SW model element is also considered, and two geometric characteristic distributions are provided. A hyperbolic model is used to calculate the shear stress on the pile side. The proposed model is verified through four pile tests, and the accuracy of the new model is demonstrated by comparison. Additionally, the distributions of soil strain, stress level, fan angle and three critical depths are discussed. The results demonstrate that the model can realistically reveal the inhomogeneous stress–strain status distribution and geometric characteristics of the disturbed soil.