Numerical study on lateral response of piles in sandy slopes employing a hardening soil model

Abstract

The present study investigates the lateral response of piles on sandy slopes. PLAXIS 3D has been employed to perform three-dimensional finite element analysis. A number of numerical assessments have been conducted on the pile with a constant slope height, having different ground slope inclinations from 10° to 30° in sandy soil with different relative densities from 30% to 70%. The embedment length-to-diameter ratio is 30. Responses are compared with the results of horizontal ground conditions. The impact of pile position on the sloping ground has also been investigated by placing the pile at various positions from crest to toe of the sloping ground. The analysis has been done by providing the pile with lateral displacement in one case and a lateral load in the other. The current investigation will examine slope stability with and without pile reinforcement. Lateral pile capacity increases as relative density increases and it decreases as the slope of the ground increases. Maximum lateral displacement and maximum bending moment decrease as relative density increases and increase when the level ground is changed to sloping ground. The depth of the maximum bending moment is also reported.