Experimental Study of Pile Resting on Sloping Ground Subjected to Cyclic Lateral Loading

Abstract

Pile foundation has to resist lateral loads coming from moving trains, winds, etc. Due to presence of sloping ground, there is reduction in lateral capacity of pile because of reduction in passive resistance offered by soil. The nature of forces is dynamic, and a very limited study has been done to determine the effect of dynamic lateral loading on piles resting on sloping ground. In present study, small-scale physical model tests were performed on sand to determine the reduction in lateral capacity of pile when subjected to 50 numbers of cycles. The relative density (30% and 60%) and ground slope (0° and 20°) were the variables. Initially, the static lateral capacity was determined for both the horizontal and sloping grounds. The load corresponding to 5 mm lateral displacement is the lateral capacity of pile. In second phase, cyclic loading was given to the pile and after that its capacity was determined same as in static case, and the results were compared. In static case due to presence of slope, only the reduction in lateral capacity is 20%–30% depending on the relative density. Due to application of cyclic loading, the reduction in lateral capacity was greater than 50%. This study shows that pile resting on sloping ground and subjected to cyclic lateral loading becomes critical case and needs to be considered while designing pile foundation.