Study of Strain Wedge Parameters for Laterally Loaded Piles

A set of small-scale physical modeling of a single pile under lateral loads was performed in a loose sand environment. Digital images were captured during the lateral loading of the pile from the side and from the top of the model simultaneously. The particle image velocimetry (PIV) method was applied, and the deformations of the soil around the pile and the soil strains were obtained from these tests. The soil displacement pattern near the surface around the piles was studied, and the effect of the pile length on the soil deformation pattern was investigated. The effect of pile stiffness and width on soil deformation patterns was also studied. For the study of soil deformation patterns around rigid piles, three tests with rigid piles were undertaken, and strain distribution in the soil was obtained. Based on PIV analysis, a three-dimensional strain wedge with the shape of a circular cone was formulated. The equation of the strain wedge was derived, and with the stress-strain limit equilibrium analysis, the lateral load response of the pile was obtained. Lateral load capacities of several piles from different studies were estimated based on various pile and soil properties, and these results are compared with the measured capacities. Comparisons show good agreement with the load measurements. (C) 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.