Experimental study of interaction and coupling effects in pile groups subjected to torsion

Abstract

Piles in a pile group subjected to torsion simultaneously mobilize lateral and torsional resistances. Hence, complicated pile–soil–pile interaction effects and load deformation coupling effects occur in the pile group. In this study, a series of centrifuge model tests were carried out to investigate these effects in three-diameter spaced 1 × 2, 2 × 2, and 3 × 3 pile groups subjected to torsion in both loose and dense sands. The test results showed that the effect of horizontal movement of a pile on lateral behaviors of its adjacent piles is significant in 3 × 3 pile groups and such effect varies with group configuration and pile position. The p-multiplier concept can be used to quantify the effect and values for the p-multiplier are suggested. The effect of lateral movement of a pile on the torsional resistances of its adjacent piles and the effect of torsional movement of a pile on the lateral resistances of its adjacent piles were found to be minor in these tests. For an individual pile in a pile group subjected to torsion, the mobilized lateral resistance was found to substantially increase the torsional resistance of the pile. Such a coupling effect is quantified by a coupling coefficient, β, which describes the contribution of subgrade reaction to the increase of torsional shear resistance.