Field Tests of the Response of Single Pile Subjected to Lateral Load in Gravel Soil Sloping Ground

Abstract

The behavior for a laterally loaded pile is sophisticated when it is located in the sloping ground. The gravel soil is a typical strata of western Sichuan province of China, but the response of piles in the gravel soil ground has been very little studied. The field tests in this study were conducted to investigate the single pile response for varying gradients of gravel soil slope. Slopes with gradient 15°, 30°, 45° were chosen, and the pile deflection, bending moment, earth pressure and lateral bearing capacity were recorded and analyzed. The results demonstrated that when the slope gradient increases, the displacement of pile top, bending moment of pile shaft and earth pressure increase, but the lateral bearing capacity of pile decreases. It is also found that the depth at which these maximum values occur moves downward as the ground gradient increases. Comparing test results with calculated results of lateral bearing capacity provides a modification for the existing formulas proposed in design procedures. The modified formulas can be applied to the design of single pile imbedded in gravel soil sloping ground.