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The Bearing Capacity of Rigid Piles and Pile Groups Under Inclined Loads
The Bearing Capacity of Rigid Piles and Pile Groups Under Inclined Loads
The Bearing Capacity of Rigid Piles and Pile Groups Under Inclined Loads
in layered sand
G . G. MEYERHOF,
S. K. MATHUR,
AND A. J. VALSANGKAR
Deparftnet~toj Civil Et~git~eering,
Tecl~t~ical
Ur~iversiiyof Nova Scotin, Halifrrx, N.S., Cat~at/aB3J 2x4
Received March 11, 1981
Accepted July 22, 1981
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The ultimate bearing capacity of rigid vertical and batter piles and pile groups in layered sand
has been determined under various inclinations of the load varying from the vertical to hori-
zontal directions. The results of load tests on single model piles of dilferent inclinations and on
free-standing groups are compared with theoretical estimates. The influence of loact inclination
on the bearing capacity can be represented by simple interaction relationships between the axial
and normal components of the ultimate load. The effect of eccentricity of the load on the ulti-
mate bearing capacity of pile groups is discussed on the basis of previous theory and model
test results.
La force portante des pieux rigides verticaux et inclines et des groupes de pieux dans le sable
stratifii est diterminie sous des charges d'inclinaisons variables entre les directions verticales
et horizontales. Les rksultats des essais sur pieux modkles isolks d'inclinaiso11 variable et sur des
groupes de pieux libres sont compares avec les estimations theoriques. L'influence de l'incli-
naison de la charge sur la force portante peut Ctre representee par des relations d'interaction
entre les composantes axiale et normale de la resistance limite. L'effet d'excentriciti des charges
sur la force portante des groupes de pieux est discutke sur la base de la thkorie anterieure et des
resultats des essais en modkles.
For personal use only.
LAYER I
I-
LAYER 2
(a 1
1
FIG. 1. Arrangement of model test piles: (a) single pile and
, " '?p
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TESTS 6
+ 3 3 O 46'
-+- 4 6 O 33'
---- THEORY 2
HOMOGENEOUS 5 0 ,
DENSE,
TESTS
TESTS
@I = 330 &=4 6 O
0
- VERTICAL P I L E
POSITIVE B A T T E R I +--
X
VERTICAL
POSITIVE B A T T E R
---- - N E G A T I V E
PlLE
BATTER
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THEORY
20
0
0a 20° 40' 60" 80°900
For personal use only.
-
TESTS
---
33' 46' + 2 BATTER 8 2 VERTICAL
THEORY THEORY
1 ULTIMATE LOAD (N) I I ULTIMATE LOAD (N) 1
THICKNESS
oO
(a) (b)
FIG.5. Polar bearing capacity diagram for two-pile groups FIG.6. Polar bearing capacity diagram for four-pile groups
under inclined loads: (a) short axis loading; (b) long axis under inclined loads in loose over dense sand: (a) vertical
loading. piles; (b) vertical and batter piles.
MEYERHOF ET AL.
-
+- 2
---
-4
TESTS
@, = 46O (I,=
PILES VERTICAL
33'
BATTER 8 2 VERTICAL
THEORY
piles the group capacity generally exceeds unity under
a vertical load and is smaller than unity under a
horizontal load, as found previously for homoge-
neous sand (Meyerhof and Ranjan 1973).
ULTIMATE LOAD (N)
FIG.7. Polar bearing capacity diagram for four-pile groups pile in sand loaded normally to the pile axis at ;he
under inclined loads in dense over loose sand: ( a ) vertical ground surface can be (Me~erhOf et
piles; (b) vertical and batter piles. 1981)
80
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For personal use only.
present model tests on small free-standing pile cal and batter piles under oblique loads can approxi-
groups, as shown in Figs. 5-7. Furthermore, the mately be represented by a simple semiempirical
theoretical reduction factor of the ultimate group interaction relationship between the axial and normal
capacity for a load inclination a of less than about components of the ultimate load. The ultimate bear-
60" is given roughly by [5] using the value of a instead ing capacity of pile groups under inclined loads can
of a' (Fig. 8), with similar lin~itationsto those men- be estimated in a similar way from the vertical and
tioned above for single piles. horizontal ultimate resistances. Although these pro-
The ultimate bearing capacity of a group of rigid posed methods of analysis are approximately sup-
piles under an eccentric vertical load can be esti- ported by the present model tests, it is hoped that
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mated by including the lateral forces on the sides of corresponding field load tests be made on driven and
the group and, for individual pile failure, also the bored piles in layered soils for further investigation of
uplift resistance of the piles (Meyerhof 1960). When pile behaviour under inclined loads.
the moment due to the applied load is greater than
the ultimate moment due to the side resistance, the Acknowledgement
excess moment is balanced by an eccentric base
resistance so that the ultimate bearing capacity of the The research at the Technical University of Nova
group decreases rapidly with greater eccentricity of Scotia was carried out with the financial support of
the load, as for shallow foundations (Meyerhof 1953). the National Research Council of Canada.
These analyses have been confirmed by the results of
model tests on eccentrically loaded free-standing pile AWAD,A., and PETRASOVITS, G . 1968. Considerations o n the
bearing capacity of vertical and batter piles subjected to
groups and piled foundations with varying numbers forces in different directions. Proceedings, 3rd Conference
I
and spacings of piles in hon~ogeneoussand (Kishida o n Soil Mechanics, Budapest, pp. 483-497.
I
and Meyerhof 1965). These tests showed that for KISHIDA,H., and MEYERHOF,
For personal use only.