BEHAVIOR OF LATERALLY LOADED B O R E D P I L E S

IN CEMENTED SANDS
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By Nabil F. Ismael,1 Member, ASCE

ABSTRACT: The lateral load-deflection response of bored piles in cemented sands

was examined by field tests on single piles, and on small groups consisting of two
piles. All 12 piles were 0.3 m in diameter and had a length of 3 m or 5 m. Two
piles were instrumented with electrical resistance strain gages. The surface soils
to a depth of 3.5 m were characterized as having both components of shear strength,
c and <(>. The measured lateral load deflection behavior was nonlinear, with a stiffer
response for the restrained piles in the pile groups. Theoretical parabolic p-y curves
were employed in the cemented sand with conventional lateral earth pressure the-
ories. These theoretical curves were in agreement with the p-y curves determined
from the strain gage measurements. Ignoring the cohesion intercept of cemented
sand resulted in an incorrect and too flexible response compared with the measured
behavior. Retesting the piles under lateral loads in a perpendicular direction in-
dicated little difference in the lateral capacity and deflection.

INTRODUCTION
Competent land deposits of cemented sands exist extensively in arid and
semiarid areas. In Kuwait cemented sands are located at ground level or
below a layer of windblown fine sand. The behavior of these deposits under
axial and lateral foundation loads has not been investigated by field loading
tests nor by analytical models. Recent work has dealt only with the strength
and consolidation characteristics of undisturbed soil samples in the labora-
tory, and indicates that cementation leads to the presence of a cohesion in-
tercept c and a slight increase in the angle of Shearing resistance <> | (Clough
et al. 1981; Ismael et al. 1986). The effect of artificial cementation on the
cone penetration resistance of sand was determined recently by laboratory
model tests (Rad and Tumay 1986).
In the absence of adequate information and reliable field test results on
cemented sands, the current local foundation design practice is based on
penetration tests, and the theories and empirical correlations developed for
noncemented cohesionless sands. This practice leads to uncertainties, and to
improper, generally conservative design with respect to both shallow and
deep foundations.
To examine the bearing capacity of shallow footings and the lateral ca-
pacity of bored piles in cemented sand, an extensive field testing program
was carried out recently in Kuwait. The program consisted of lateral load
tests on both short and relatively long bored piles. Two piles were instru-
mented with strain gages to measure bending strains during the tests. Sub-
sequently, plate loading tests were conducted on the ground surface using
the piles to provide reaction (Ismael 1989b).
Bored piles are commonly used in cemented sands due to several factors.
First, pile driving destroys cementation bonds and reduces skin friction along
the pile shaft (McClelland 1974; Murff 1987; Ismael 1989a). Second, in
'Assoc. Prof., Dept. of Civ. Engrg., Kuwait Univ., P.O. Box 5969, 13060 Safat,
Kuwait.
Note. Discussion open until April 1, 1991. To extend the closing date one month,
a written request must be filed with the ASCE Manager of Journals. The manuscript
for this paper was submitted for review and possible publication on October 31,
1989. This paper is part of the Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, Vol. 116,
No. 11, November, 1990. ©ASCE, ISSN 0733-9410/90/0011-1678/$!.00 + $.15
per page. Paper No. 25206.

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 dense deposits of cemented sands driven piles may encounter refusal before
reaching the required depth of penetration, whereas bored piles can be ad-
vanced to practically any depth by augering. Third, under favorable con-
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ditions bored piles can be installed economically in cemented sand with no

caving and no casing required above the ground-water level. For these rea-
sons, and in connection with the construction of several transmission lines
in Kuwait, bored piles were preferred by the Ministry of Electricity and
Water as tower foundations.
This paper presents and analyzes the results of lateral load tests conducted
on single piles and on groups of two piles in medium dense cemented sand.
Back-analyses of the piles' response including deflections, moments, and
shears are made using nonlinear analysis and suitable p-y curves along the
pile shaft. These curves were based on the strength characteristics, c and 4>,
of the cemented sand and on the strain measurements obtained along the pile
shafts.
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
A site was selected in South Surra, Kuwait (Fig. 1), where the ground is
flat and cemented sands exist from the ground surface down. These ce-
mented sands are coastal plain deposits (Khalaf et al. 1984), which are a
heterogeneous mixture of gravel, sand, silt, clay, and authigenic minerals
(carbonates and sulphates). Greater Kuwait City is located on these deposits,
locally known as gatch. The mean annual rainfall of about 100 mm occurs

45" 50
FIG. 1. Location of Test Site

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DEPTH SOIL DESCRIPTION SPT W XB L.L Rl S.L SOIL COMPOSITION

(m) N(Blows/03m) % Mg/rr? "A, of TOTAL
J/JX*. m /5Wk / x x ^ . ^ /wr 13 1.4 1.81 30.5 7.0 22.5 m /M. m-
' 1
MEOIUM DENSE 24 2.7 1.83 25.2 4-0 17.7 SILT

CEMENTED SILTY
X _0.3mx3m
SAND ( SM ) 26 3.8 1.87 26.0 •4.5 18 ~ Long Pile

21 3-9 1.80 None N.P —

SAND

,0.3m x5m
Long Pile
MEDIUM DENSE TO 60 3.1 1.90 None N.P

VERY DENSE SILTY

J. Geotech. Engrg., 1990, 116(11): 1678-1699

SAND WITH CEMENTED 90 L..L, 1.99 None N.P L
LUMPS (SM ) j
END OF HOLE

FiG. 2. Soii Conditions at Test Site—Borehole 1

 1200
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1000-
^ " " ^ - - ^ r ^ . ^ O O kPa

800
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ £ 3 = 3 0 0 kPa

V> 600
i

h ^ ~ " ~ ^ ^ ^ £ 3 = 200 kPa

400

~~~—• <^3 =100 kPa

200

Depth = 2m
I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24
Axial Strain £, °U

200 400 600 800 1000 1200

(«"1 + <5"3)/2, kPa

FIG. 3. Stress-Strain Curves and Failure Envelope from Drained Triaxial Tests
on Cemented Sand

in several heavy showers during the winter season. Excess evaporation over
rainfall leads to upward movement of ground water, resulting in precipitation
of carbonates and sulphates in the intergranular pore space and the formation
of crusts of cemented sands.
Two borings were augered at the site to a depth of 5.5 m. Samples and
standard penetration tests (SPT) were carried out at 1-m intervals. Data from
the two boreholes were almost identical and indicated similarity of the soil
properties across the site. The soil conditions were described in connection
with the plate loading tests at the site (Ismael 1989b); however, a brief sum-
mary is shown in Fig. 2. The soil profile consists of a medium dense ce-
mented silty sand layer to a depth of 3 m. This is underlain by medium

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 dense to very dense silty sand with cemented lumps to the bottom of the
boreholes. Ground water was not encountered within the depth of the bore-
holes.
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The soil strength parameters were determined by drained triaxial compres-

sion tests. Undisturbed samples were trimmed from block samples taken from
the cemented sand deposit for testing. Liner samples were also taken from
the lower layer for testing. The peak strength parameters c and <>
| determined
were 20 kPa and 35°, respectively, for the upper layer. Fig. 3 shows the
stress-strain curves and the failure envelope as determined from triaxial test
results on cemented samples at a depth of 2 m. The residual strength pa-
rameters were 0 and 34°, indicating loss of cohesion and a slight change in
the angle of shearing resistance. The lower layer had similar strength pa-
rameters in the first 0.5 m, i.e., to a depth of 3.5 m. Below this depth the
strength parameters were 0 and 43°, indicating no cohesion and very dense
conditions. The relative density in this layer ranges between 90% and 94%.
Chemical analysis in the upper layer indicated that the selected samples
consist mainly of quartz, but contain approximately 10% carbonates and sul-
phates, which decrease gradually with depth. A clear distinction between the
present competent land deposits and offshore calcareous deposits is impor-
tant here. While both deposits have a cemented fabric and the cementation
is destroyed at peak or ultimate stress levels, offshore deposits containing
80% to 90% carbonates are softer, more compressible, and subject to sig-
nificant crushing and degradation at high stress levels.

PILE INSTALLATION AND INSTRUMENTATION

The test program consisted of 12 0.3-m diameter bored piles. These piles
served dual purposes. First, they were loaded laterally against each other at
ground level and the lateral behavior of bored piles in cemented sand was
investigated. Following completion of this phase of work, the piles were
employed to provide reaction for plate loading tests in the center between
each two piles (Ismael 1989b).
A layout plan of these piles is shown in Fig. 4. Piles 1-4 were drilled to
a depth of 3 m and were reinforced with a 0.25-m diameter cage made of
four No. 22-mm bars. They were intended to be short piles located entirely
within the cemented sand deposit. Piles 5-12 were 5 m deep and had rein-
forcing cages 0.25-m in diameter consisting of six No. 22-mm reinforcing
bars. All piles protruded 0.3 m above ground level and a central 36-mm
diameter reinforcing bar was positioned in every pile. This rod, having a
length of 3 m, was welded to a 0.5-m long threaded ready-made section of
the same diameter. Of the total length, 2.7 m was embedded in the piles
and 0.8 m, including the threaded section, projected above the top of the
piles. The central pulling rods were placed in the piles so that they could
be used to provide reaction for the subsequent plate loading tests. The piles
were installed in a square pattern with a span of 3.6 m except for piles 5 -
8. These were installed along a straight line to form two small groups, each
consisting of two piles capped with a rigid reinforced concrete cap that rested
on the ground surface. The friction between the cap and the soil was cal-
culated as 5 kN or less, and was judged to be insignificant compared to the
expected loads, which exceeded 200 kN/pile. The spacing between the piles
in the small groups was three times the pile diameter or 0.9 m and the cap
dimensions (Fig. 4) were 0.5 m x 1.4 m x 0.5 m deep and projected 0.3
m above ground level. The two groups were spaced 1.5 m apart.

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Piles 5 to 12 0.3m diam x 5 m deep Piles 1 to 4 0.3m diam x 3m deep

,5m

1Am
®
•12 (®\~ p ~/®~ A (•)-> P —H®1
i . ®
BH2 BH1
lD 3.6 m i.5m -y-0- 3.6m
36mm threaded bar typical
1.8m 1-8m
oo
_L_. J 11 10 J — 3 ( ® ) - — P —<-(•)
®7
® — 4m
8m 8m

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5 m .3.6 m 3.6 m ——

* Instrumented Piles
FIG. 4. Layout Plan of Test Piles
 i
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100m
Leadwire
Terminal

Rubber
Protection

J 100 mm
1

100 mm

Hole.

_4l2mrTJ_

FIG. 5. Strain Gage Installation Details

The installation of the piles was carried out under favorable ground con-
ditions. The holes were dry upon augering and no ground water was en-
countered. No casing was needed since no caving or collapse occurred within
a depth of 5 m. The steel reinforcing cage was lowered into position after
completion of the hole. Concrete was poured by free fall to the level of the
tip of the central rod which was then positioned in place, after which the
concrete pouring was continued to the top of the piles.

Instrumentation
For piles 5 and 12, each 5-m long, 12 electrical resistance strain gages
were attached to the inside of the reinforcing cage of each pile with two
gages placed diametrically at each of six levels. Fig. 5 shows strain gage
installation details. These gages were installed on separate steel bars, pro-
tected and checked, and affixed to the reinforcing bars of the steel cage at
a depth of 0.2 m, 1 m, 2 m, 3 m, 4 m, and 4.8 m below ground level. The
cage was then lifted and placed carefully in the hole. The strain gage wires
extending to ground level were connected to a strain indicator and read be-
fore and after the application of each load increment during the test. Piles
5 and 12 were instrumented in order to compare the behavior of a restrained

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 front pile in a group of two and a free-headed single pile of the same length
under lateral loading.
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TESTING PROGRAM
Nine lateral loading tests were carried out. For each four piles forming
the corners of a square, two tests were carried out along parallel edges such
as 10-11 and 9-12. This yielded results for four test piles. Then two more
tests were carried out on the same piles along edges 9-10 and 11-12 to ex-
amine the effect of testing the piles to failure in one direction on the load-
deflection behavior in a perpendicular direction. Thus four field tests were
carried out along the sides of each square plus one test between the two
small groups. Testing was carried out in March 1989, four weeks after pile
installation.
EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURE OF FIELD TESTING
The test arrangement is shown in Fig. 6. The horizontal force to both piles
or pile groups was applied simultaneously by a 510-kN (52-ton) Holmatro
hydraulic jack having a long stroke of 250 mm. The jack was connected to
a hand-operated pump equipped with a calibrated pressure gage that read to
an accuracy of 10 kN (1 ton). The jack exerted its force on a reaction beam
placed between the piles. Short reaction beams were employed between the
pile groups [Fig. 6(c)]. Each beam employed had 25-mm thick plates welded
at its ends. The frictional resistance between the edge of this plate and ground
soils during lateral loading was considered negligible. The single piles were
poured such that their projections above ground level had parallel flats facing
each other. These flats served as bearing surfaces for the tests.
Horizontal displacements of each pile or pile cap were measured by dial
gages having a range of 51 mm. The gages were attached from reference
beams installed behind each pile. The beams were secured to steel angles
that were anchored well away from the piles.
To carry out a test, the upper 0.2 m of soil were removed between the
piles, and the ground was leveled prior to placement of the reaction beam
and jack. The load was applied in cumulative equal increments of 10 kN (1
ton) for the 3-m long piles, and 20 kN (2 ton) for the 5-m long piles. This
corresponds to one-tenth the estimated lateral capacity. Each load increment
was maintained for a time interval of not less than 15 minutes and until all
displacements had ceased. At each increment dial gage and strain gage read-
ings of instrumented piles were taken. The loads were applied until both
piles exhibited a total horizontal displacement exceeding 50 mm and con-
tinuous movement was occurring at no increase in load. At that point the
test was discontinued. All tests were static tests with no load cycling. It is
believed that load cycling will not affect the cementation bonds and cohesion
intercept at low stress levels corresonding to the design loads. However, it
may affect the ultimate lateral capacity as progressive failure is expected at
some points along the piles at high stress levels. The effect of load cycling
will be examined by a follow-up field testing program.
The inclination of the 5-m long instrumented pile at ground level was
measured at selected load increments by means of a plumb bob attached to
a string that was fastened to the threaded reaction rod.
ANALYSIS OF TEST RESULTS
The field tests conducted fell into one of the following three cases:
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••'••• \

/ % — - . - • •

'i »'

(a)

I I -*> ,
>x ••).

• A - ' - .•>:

.w

rw
FIG. 6. (a) Lateral Load Test Setup; (b) Strain Gage Readings During Test on 5-
m Long Pile; (c) Lateral Testing of Group of Two Piles

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 1. Short free-headed 3-m long single piles with a length-to-diameter ratio (L/
D) of 10 located entirely in cemented sand having strength parameters c and $
of 20 kPa and 35°, respectively.
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2. Free-headed 5-m long single piles with L/D = 16.67 located in two layers,
a surface layer of cemented sand underlain by very dense sand. The strength
parameters are 20 kPa and 35° from 0 to 3.5 m, and 0 and 43° from 3.5 m to
5 m.
3. Restrained piles 5 m long in a group of two with L/D = 16.67 in similar
soil conditions as case 2.
For the analysis of the test results, several methods were considered. These
included the linear subgrade reaction theory (Broms 1964), nonlinear (p-y)
analysis, elastic continuum analysis (Budhu and Davies 1988), and finite
element analysis (Poulos 1982). The approach adopted here is the nonlinear
(p-y) analysis, in which the soil is considered to be replaced by a series of
discrete springs to approximate the local resistance of the soil continuum to
lateral pile movement. The pile is considered as a beam-column. In this case
the governing differential equation is
EId4y Qd\
+ _ p _ w = o p= -Esy (1)
dx dx
where Q = axial load on the pile; y = lateral deflection of the pile at a point
x along the length of the pile; p = horizontal soil reaction per unit length;
EI = flexural rigidity of the pile; W = distributed load along the length of
the pile; and Es = kx the soil modulus.
If Q = 0 and W = 0, as in the present tests, Eq. 1 reduces to
EId4y
—V +Esy = 0 (2)
dx
The solution of Eq. 1 or 2 can readily be obtained by the use of a computer
program that employs the finite difference method, e.g., the program entitled
LPILE1 (Reese 1985). However, to solve the problem, it is necessary to
establish a set of p-y curves along the pile. Experimental p-y curves have
been determined by others for several types of soil conditions based on full-
scale tests on instrumented piles. These conditions include soft clays (Mat-
lock 1970), stiff clays with the presence of free water (Reese et al. 1975),
stiff clays with no free water present (Reese and Welch 1975), and sub-
merged cohesionless sand (Reese et al. 1974). For soft offshore carbonate
rocks with unconfined strength ranging from 0.5 M N / m 2 to 5 M N / m 2 , Abbs
(1983) proposed hybrid p-y curves, which are a combination of the estab-
lished curves for stiff clays and sands. However, for land deposits of ce-
mented sands possessing both strength components c and (j> and behaving
under drained conditions, no such curves have been determined or proposed.
The load versus pile head deflection data were plotted for the test piles.
Fig. 7 shows the data points for the 5-m long single piles and the average
curve for the four test piles. The response is nonlinear at all load levels.
The response of pile 10 was softer than the other three piles at loads ex-
ceeding 100 kN, indicating early yielding or progressive failure. The re-
sponse of the pile groups was very consistent at all load increments, as shown
in Fig. 8.
An analysis was first carried out that ignored the presence of the cohesion
of the upper sands, on the assumption that its effect is not significant. The

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FIG. 7. Pile Head Load versus Deflection for 5-m Long Single Piles

480

400 Piles 5,6

320

0 240 -

160 -

Piles 0-3m diam x 5m Long

12 16 24
Deflection, mm

FIG. 8. Pile Group Load versus Cap Deflection for 5-m Long Restrained Piles

p-y curves developed by Reese et al. (1974) were employed. The coefficient
k, which defines the initial slope of the p-y curve, was taken as 24.4 MN/
m and 61 mN/m 3 for the upper and lower layers, respectively, as recom-
mended by Reese (1985). Fig. 9 shows the load versus pile head deflection
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Deflection , mm

FIG. 9. Comparison between Measured and Predicted Load Deflection Response

for 3-m Long Single Pile

Deflection,mm

FIG. 10. Comparison between Measured and Predicted Load Deflection Re-
sponse for 5-m Long Single Pile

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 for the 3-m long pile based on the average measurements of four test piles,
and the analysis just described, which is designated analysis 1. A similar
analysis was performed for the 5-m long single pile (Fig. 10), where the
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effect of soil layering was considered using the proposal of Georgiadis (1983).
The method is based on the concept of an equivalent thickness of the layer
existing below the upper layer.
A parametric analysis was carried out to examine the influence of the
parameter k on the load-deflection behavior. The curves shown by dotted
lines above and below the analysis 1 curve in Figs. 9 and 10 correspond
respectively to values of k twice and half the presented values. The mag-
nitude of this parameter has evidently little effect on the predicted behavior
for the cases considered herein.
As shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the given analyses furnished predictions that
are much softer, and therefore unsatisfactory, compared to the measured pile
response. This points out the importance of soil resistance at and near the
ground surface and that satisfactory prediction of the lateral response of bored
piles in cemented sand requires consideration of the cohesion component of
soil resistance.
It is instructive to note herein that the linear subgrade reaction theory (Broms
1964) is not the most suitable for prediction of the load-deflection response.
The method overestimates the deflection at working loads in both sand and
clay deposits (Ismael and Klym 1981, 1978), based on measured values of
the coefficient of subgrade reaction. Figs. 9 and 10 show the linear predic-
tions for the 3-m and 5-m piles employing the subgrade reaction values rec-
ommended by Terzaghi (1955). These values are 6,600 and 17,600 k N / m 3
for a strip with a width of unity at a depth of unity in medium and dense
sands, respectively. Both predictions are considered unsatisfactory.
A second analysis was employed using the research findings of J. Brinch-
Hansen (1961), which implies that the ultimate lateral load capacity of a
narrow anchor block or a pile in cohesionless soils is greater than would be
calculated using conventional passive earth pressure theory. On this basis
the ultimate soil resistance along the piles Pu is expressed by
Pu = Cp<Tpd (3)
where Cp = correction factor for small width of pile; <T„ = passive earth
pressure = Kp •CT„;KP = coefficient of lateral earth pressure; a„ = effective
vertical pressure; and d = pile diameter.
For soils having both components of strength c and <j>, Duncan (1974)
suggested using Eq. 3 to calculate the ultimate soil resistance, provided that
Cp is given by
Cp= 1.5, for 0 S <)> S 15° (4a)
<f>
C„ = —, for <|) > 15° (4b)
P
10
Employing the Rankine earth pressure theory in the analysis, and taking
the cohesion of the cemented sand into account, <rp in Eq. 3 is given by
45 + cf>\ 2 / 4 5 + <j>
arp = 2c tan I I + cr„ tan I I (5)

From Eqs. 3 - 5 , Pu can be calculated. The p-y curves have been approxi-
mated by a cubic parabola (Matlock 1970) with the equation

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 / \1/3
w
?.-°i$
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where Yc = pile deflection at which p = 0.5 Pu.

Skempton (1951) found that Yc can be approximated by
Yc = 2.5ecd (7)
where ec = strain at which {ui — a3) — 0.5 (ax — o-3)„; (CTI —CT3)„= ultimate
principal stress difference in the triaxial test; and o-r and o-3 = the major and
minor principal stresses, respectively.
From drained triaxial compression tests on undisturbed samples of ce-
mented sand, the value of €c was determined as 0.005. Substituting this value
and the pile diameter of 0.3 m into Eq. 7, Yc is calculated as 0.00375 m.
Eq. 6 was used to determine the p-y curves in cemented sand. This was
encouraged by the general shape of the p-y curves back-figured from recent
field measurements in reconstituted calcareous sand by Williams et al. (1988)
and centrifuge model test data by Wesselink and Murff (1988).
To perform the analysis using this procedure for the 3-m long piles, p-y
curves were calculated at a depth of 0 and 3 m. These input p-y curves were
used in the computer program LPILE1 with internally generated p-y curves
for the lower cohesionless layer according to the criteria of Reese et al.
(1974). The latter were used for the 5-m long piles that penetrated this de-
posit. The results of this analysis, designated as analysis 2, are shown in
Figs. 9-11 for the 3-m and 5-m single piles and for the average of the four
piles in the two two-pile groups. The calculated and LPILE1 generated p-y
curves are shown in Fig. 12. As is shown in Figs. 9-11, significant im-
provement in prediction of the pile deflection response has been achieved
by including the cohesion component of the upper 3.5-m layer in the anal-
ysis. Although the predicted curves are consistently softer than those of the
test piles, they now closely compare with the actual deflection measurements
and appear to be satisfactory for engineering purposes.
Instrumentation Measurements
Up to this point the strain gage readings at the six levels along the two
instrumented piles have not been utilized. From the measured bending strains,
the bending moment was determined using the assumption of a linear strain
distribution on a cross section perpendicular to the pile axis (Welch and
Reese 1972). The flexural rigidity EI was determined from a calibration test
where the upper strain gages to a depth of 2 m were exposed after the tests
by excavation. The moment was determined at each exposed gage level by
multiplying the applied load by the distance from the point of load appli-
cation to each gage level. The flexural rigidity was determined from the
initial slope of the moment-curvature curves as 20.2 MN • m2. This value
remained fairly constant with depth. The Young's modulus for concrete was
measured during cylinder tests and a representative value of 22,000 MN/m 2
was selected. Good agreement existed between measured and theoretical EI-
values.
Inspection of the instrumented pile prior to the calibration test revealed
that no cracking occurred as a result of the lateral load tests. Each test pile
had steel reinforcement equal to 3.6% of its cross-sectional area to ensure
that its structural integrity and stiffness would not be affected by testing.
Indeed when the piles were retested in a perpendicular direction as will be
explained in the next section, little change was observed in the load-deflec-
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 225
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QI . I i I i I i I i I i I
0 4 8 12 16 20 24
D e f l e c t i o n , mm

FIG. 11. Comparison between Measured and Predicted Pile Load versus Deflec-
tion for 5-m Long Restrained Pile

tion response up to the maximum loads reached.

Polynomial curves were fitted to the bending moment data to obtain load-
transfer relationships {p-y curves) as described by Welch and Reese (1972).
The calculated curves agreed with the parabolic p-y curves given by Eq. 6,
as shown in Fig. 13. A better fit was obtained by a slightly higher exponent
of 0.4. Examination of Fig. 13 reveals that the experimental points deviated
from the analysis curves at large values of soil resistance. The values of the
ultimate soil resistance along the piles Pu were not reached during the test.
However, since Yc is the deflection at one-half the ultimate resistance, an
estimate of the ultimate resistance was obtained by doubling the value of
soil reaction corresponding to Yc. As such, the ultimate resistance was found
to be larger than the values calculated by Eq. 3, which employed the Ran-
kine passive earth pressure theory. The differences were at least 20%.
Although the preceding finding was based on measurements made at only
a few points along the pile, it appears to be logical and within reasonable
expectations. The use of the Rankine earth pressure theory ignores any fric-
tion between the pile and the soil, yet significant friction can develop de-
pending on the method of construction, degree of cementation, and soil fab-
ric.
Therefore, pile-soil friction was introduced using the conventional Cou-
lomb earth pressure theory in order to obtain better agreement between the
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 1800
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1600
1

1400
1

1200
1

1000

800 /
/ ^^LPILEI Generated p-y Curves

600

400-- / / Input p_y Curves

\ x - 3.5 m
200 -//

\ v - n
i i i i i i i
15 20 25 30 35 40
y, mm •

FIG. 12. Input and LPILE1 Generated p-y Curves Employed in Analysis 2

analytical predictions and the large ultimate soil resistance obtained via the
strain gage measurements. An angle of wall friction 8 = 10° or ~ 0.3 $
was considered. The coefficient of lateral earth pressure Kp employed was
4.84 using a curved failure surface (Shields and Tolunay 1973), which is
1.29 times the corresponding Rankine coefficient of 3.69 for 4> = 35°. The
cohesion c was not included in obtaining the Kp-values. Analysis 3 was
carried out using the larger coefficient and p-y curves determined from Eq.
6. The results are plotted in Figs. 9-11, which show a very close agreement
with the load-deflection response, particularly for the 3-m long pile and the
5-m long restrained pile.
However, there is a consistent deviation at the higher loads with stiffer
predictions than the actual pile response prior to the soil yielding and pile
failure under lateral loading. This may be explained in part by noting that
as soil starts to fail progressively, cementation bonds are broken at some
points, leading to a reduction in soil mass strength. A close examination of
Figs. 9-11 and 13 reveals that analysis 3 yielded substantially greater pile
capacity than was observed. The calculated ultimate soil resistance Pu also
exceeded the experimental values except at ground level (Fig. 13). Because
of this, and in view of the possible ground disturbance resulting from poor
construction practice, this analysis is not recommended for the design of
drilled shafts under lateral loading. Employing the experimental p-y curves,

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 400
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£ , I , I , I . I . I . I . I , I
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
y , mm

FIG. 13. Comparison between Experimental and Fitted p-y Curves of Cemented
Sands

the calculated pile head load-deflection response was almost identical to the
observed behavior.
A comparison between the measured bending moments along the 5-m long
piles and analyses 2 and 3 is shown in Fig. 14 for a lateral loading of 50
kN. As can be seen, close agreement exists between both analyses and the
actual measurements. The only significant deviation occurs at a depth of 0.2
m for the restrained pile, where the measured moment is nearly half the
analysis values. For the free-headed pile, the moment reached a maximum
value at a depth of 1 m and decreased to zero at a depth of 3 m at all lateral
load increments. The applied lateral load versus the maximum measured mo-
ment is plotted in Fig. 15 for the 5-m long single pile with the analysis
predictions. As shown, analyses 2 and 3 plot very close to the actual mea-
surements.

EFFECT OF RETESTING IN PERPENDICULAR DIRECTION

The arrangement of the single piles at the corners of squares allowed re-
testing the piles in a perpendicular direction to investigate the effect of test-
ing the pile to failure in one direction on its capacity and load-deflection
response in a perpendicular direction.
The average load deflection curves for the initial tests and for the retested
piles are shown in Fig. 16 for both the 3-m long and 5-m long single piles.
It is evident that the load-deflection response for the retested piles is softer,
giving larger deflections at all loads. However, the effect is small, and ap-
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 Moment, kN.m Moment, kN.m
Depth
m
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50 kN i-0 /W. I I \WXSK

-1

-3
Strain
Gage

Free Headed Fixed or Restrained

Pile Pile

FIG. 14. Comparison between Measured Moment and Analyses Predictions

proximately the same maximum loads were reached in both cases. The small
effect of retesting in the perpendicular direction may be explained by noting
that the theoretical interference between the passive shear wedges in two
perpendicular directions around the pile is small (see Fig. 16). Therefore the
effect during retesting in the perpendicular direction is likewise expected to
be small.

0 3
. ^'^~

120 - /zs"
-<2
- Measured^>//
80- •^Analysis 1
O
O
.
•D

&
Z. 40
a.
< - //
l 1 1 1 l I 1
20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Max. Moment, kN. m

FIG. 15. Pile Head Load versus Maximum Moment for 5-m Long Single Pile

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Overlapping Shear
Zones
Pile

- Initial Tests

J. Geotech. Engrg., 1990, 116(11): 1678-1699

12 16 20 12 16 20 2A
Deflection , mm Deflection , m m

FIG. 16. Effect of Lateral Loading in One Direction on Load Deflection Response in Perpendicular Direction
 EFFECT OF PILE CAP RESTRAINT
A comparison between the load-deflection response of the 5-m long single
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piles and the restrained piles is shown in Fig. 17. In the case of the restrained
piles, it was assumed that the load is shared equally between the two piles
in the group. The effect of shadowing, if any, was not considered or ex-
amined herein (Brown et al. 1988). From Fig. 17 it may be noted that the
pile cap significantly restrained the piles, making the slope at ground level
equal to zero and the maximum load per pile larger than that of the single
piles. In terms of the maximum loads reached, which is indicative of ulti-
mate soil failure, the ratio of maximum loads was 215/150 = 1.43. This
emphasizes the importance of the presence of a rigid pile cap. It is note-
worthy that the maximum measured moments along the restrained pile (Fig.
14) were also smaller than the values measured along the single pile.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Finally, it was previously established (Ismael 1989b) that saturation or
wetting of cemented sands leads to partial loss of the cohesion strength com-
ponent c due to softening or loss of cementation bonds. For a long pile in
cemented sand subjected to lateral loading, the wetting effect will be re-
stricted to a thin surface zone below ground level. Therefore, it may not
significantly affect the pile response. However, for a short pile, extensive
wetting can lead to a softer pile response under lateral loading. This effect
may disappear gradually if dry conditions prevail for a long period of time,
leading to subsequent gain of cementation bonds. For this and other reasons
such as poor construction practices, which may result in improper installa-

220 -
200
s^® Pile in a Group of Two
180

160

140
z
•* 120 J3^^ Free Headed Pile

1 100
80

60 S i t e : South Surra
Piles: 0.3m Diam,
40
5 m Long
20

n 1 1 . 1 . 1 . I . 1

12 16 20 24

Deflection, mm

FIG. 17. Comparison between Lateral Load Deflection Response for Free-Headed
and Restrained Piles

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 tion or ground disturbance, it is prudent to employ a conservative analysis
for design based on the Rankine passive earth pressure theory.
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SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

A program of lateral load tests was carried out on bored piles and pile
groups installed in cemented sand. Based on the results of the field tests,
the associated laboratory tests, and on the analysis of test results, the fol-
lowing conclusions can be made:

1. Cemented soils possess both components of shear strength c and t|>, and it
is not approriate to ignore the cohesion c in the analysis of the pile response
under lateral loading.
2. The measured response of the bored piles under lateral loads is nonlinear
and indicates the need to use nonlinear p-y curves to predict behavior along the
pile.
3. Parabolic p-y curves were obtained from the instrumentation data for the
cemented sand deposit. Similar curves were employed in the analysis using con-
ventional earth pressure theories.
4. The use of analysis 2, employed herein, is recommended because it is rea-
sonably conservative and yields good predictions of the measured pile response
under lateral loading.
5. For short piles, extensive wetting and ground disturbance will cause soft-
ening and partial loss of cementation in the top surface layer. In this case, a
reduction of 30%-40% in the magnitude of the cohesion is recommended in the
analysis.
6. The effect of lateral loading in one direction on the load-deflection response
in a perpendicular direction is to cause a softer pile response. However, the effect
is small and nearly the same maximum loads were reached in both cases.
7. The restraining effect due to the presence of a rigid cap is significant. The
maximum load on a restrained pile increased by 40%, and deflections at working
loads decreased to half the values corresponding to a similar free-headed pile.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The investigation reported herein was supported by the Kuwait University
Research Administration under research project No. RMU 043. Thanks to
M. A. Mollah of the Ministry of Public Works, Kuwait, for providing as-
sistance in the field and laboratory tests for this research.

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