The Effects of Pile Installation on Vertical and Lateral Response

Abstract

Pile installation affects the soil-pile interaction and influences the pile behaviors under different loading conditions. Most studies in the literature focus on analytical methods to evaluate the effects of pile installation. Few researches have used experimental approaches to investigate the pile installation effects, especially for piles under lateral load. This research focuses on experimentally investigating the effects of pile installation on the response of pile under vertical and lateral loads. Using the Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI) facility, four laboratory-scale tests have been performed (two vertical load tests and two lateral load tests). The piles were made of pervious concrete with a diameter of 102 mm (4 in). The two piles in vertical load tests have same embedded length of 1,219 mm (48 in) and piles for lateral load test have embedded length of 1,321 mm (52 in). Two installation methods (referred to as precast and installed) were used as part of the experimental program. Precast piles were prefabricated and the soil was placed around them. Installed piles were constructed using a specially designed mandrel system. The load and displacement were measured during the tests. The load-displacement relationships of pervious concrete pile are compared and the effects of the installation method on pile behavior are discussed in this paper.