Centrifuge Testing of Plumb and Battered Pile Groups in Sand

Abstract

Pile groups are generally used under structures subject to heavy axial loads or large lateral forces with or without scour. The focus in this paper is only on pile groups subject to large lateral forces. Currently, little, if any, full-scale lateral load data exist on pile groups that vary pile head fixity or batter. Reported here is the summary of a series of centrifuge tests on free- and fixed-head plumb and battered pile groups. Influence of pile head constraint, pile spacing, soil density, and vertical dead load is reported for groups ranging from 3 × 3 to 3 × 7 in size. Results reveal a significant lateral resistance of fixed- over free-head pile groups; fixed-head piles develop significant axial forces; battered piles without vertical dead loads are generally no better than plumb piles; and in the case of plumb piles, the use of multipliers to represent group interaction is valid.