Performance of piles with different batter angles in laterally spreading soil: a probabilistic investigation

Abstract

Load imposed by laterally spreading soil increases the vulnerability of pile foundations to seismic damage. A probabilistic investigation has been carried out for evaluation of behavior of single piles, with different batter angles (0°, ± 10°, ± 20°) and slenderness ratios (15, 20, 25), subjected to laterally spreading ground displacements through Beam on Nonlinear Winkler Foundation approach. Effect of shapes of p–y curves of liquefiable soil layer on the response of piles has been evaluated. It is inferred that the conventional concave p–y curves underestimate the pile response compared to the convex p–y curves. Prediction models for maximum bending moment and pile head displacement are proposed for piles with different batter angles. Probability of failure of piles under different performance criteria are then evaluated using Monte–Carlo simulation technique. Finally, probabilistic risk factors are evaluated to assess the risk imposed by various random parameters on the overall response of piles.