Study of the Behavior of Pile Groups in Liquefied Soils

Abstract eng:
One of the most dramatic causes of damage to structures during earthquakes has been the development of liquefaction in deposits of loose and saturated sand. Vibration due to the earthquake causes settlement of the ground surface and the resulting upward flow of water frequently turns the sand into a "quick" or liquefied condition. When liquefaction takes place during earthquakes, the ground often undergoes a large amount of permanent deformation as a result of lateral movement, even though the ground is nearly flat. Technical literature contains little information on quantifying the magnitude of the lateral spreading against piles in a group. This paper investigates the behavior of pile groups in deposits of liquefied soil, which is moving laterally (so called lateral spreading). As a foundation problem, the analysis of a pile foundation under axial and lateral loading is complicated by the fact that the soil reaction is dependent on the pile movement, and the pile movement, on the other hand, is dependent on the nonlinear soil response. If piles are situated in a soil layer undergoing lateral movement, it is evident that horizontal pressures are developed against the piles. The net soil force on piles depends on the relative movement of the pile and soil. This paper introduces an analytical solution to take into account the effect of lateral spreading on the behavior of pile groups during the post-liquefaction period. The configuration of the piles in a group can be an important factor in reducing the force from lateral spreading, which is identified in this paper.

• Export as: BibTeX | MARC | MARCXML | DC | EndNote | NLM | RefWorks
• Add to your basket