Effect of Slope and Loading Direction on Laterally Loaded Piles in Cohesionless Soil

Abstract

An extensive program of laboratory model tests was undertaken to study the effect of slope and loading direction on laterally loaded piles in cohesionless soil. The paper includes studies of the effect of distance from the crest of the slope (both slope side and embankment side), soil properties, and loading direction (both forward in the direction of the slope and reverse loading). The pile lateral capacity in sloping ground was compared with that in horizontal ground. From the experimental investigation, it is observed that when piles installed in sloping ground undergo forward loading, lateral capacities of the piles are almost reached at 8% of the pile diameter in loose-to-medium dense soil and 16% of the pile diameter in dense soil. If the pile is placed >15 times the pile diameter away from the slope crest within the embankment, the influence of slope in the lateral-load capacity is almost negligible under both forward and reverse lateral load.