Nonlinear response of laterally loaded rigid piles in sliding soil

This paper proposes a new, integrated two-layer model to capture nonlinear response of rotationally restrained laterally loaded rigid piles subjected to soil movement (sliding soil, or lateral spreading). First, typical pile response from model tests (using an inverse triangular loading profile) is presented, which includes profiles of ultimate on-pile force per unit length at typical sliding depths, and the evolution of pile deflection, rotation, and bending moment with soil movement. Second, a new model and closed-form expressions are developed for rotationally restrained passive piles in two-layer soil, subjected to various movement profiles. Third, the solutions are used to examine the impact of the rotational restraint on nonlinear response of bending moment, shear force, on-pile force per unit length, and pile deflection. Finally, they are compared with measured response of model piles in sliding soil, or subjected to lateral spreading, and that of an in situ test pile in moving soil. The study indi...