INFLUENCE OF PILE-TO-CAP CONNECTION ON THE LATERALLY LOADED PILE GROUPS BEHAVIOR

The response of laterally loaded pile foundations may be significantly important in the design of structures. The aim of this paper is to derive the dynamic stiffness of grouped piles subjected to lateral loading hinged into a rigid pile cap. For this purpose, a computer program based on Thin Layered Element method is used. The results of the program are compared with rigorous solution on both lateral load capacity and the stiffness of the group. The response of the pile groups fixed in rigid pile cap is also compared to those of hinged in cap. The influence of the number of piles and spacing ratio to the group response is also discussed

Keywords:

Pile Group , Soil , Dynamic Interaction , Pile-Cap Connection