Time-dependent response of laterally loaded piles and pile groups embedded in transversely isotropic saturated viscoelastic soils

Abstract

This paper investigates the time-dependent response of laterally loaded single piles and pile groups embedded in transversely isotropic saturated viscoelastic soils. The solution for single piles subjected to lateral loads is solved by the coupling of the boundary element method and the Timoshenko beam theory. In the analysis of the pile group, the interaction between piles is taken into account and the generalized displacements caused by all piles are obtained by superimposing the influences of boundary forces on the soil-pile interfaces. The load distribution from the pile cap to pile tops is involved in the analysis. The presented method of laterally loaded piles and pile groups is verified through several examples, and the influences of some key parameters including transverse isotropy, the viscoelastic parameters, the flexibility coefficient, the slenderness ratio and the pile spacing are investigated by numerical examples.