Behavioral Characteristics of Group Batter Piles According to Pile Inclination and Action Direction under Statically Lateral Loads

Abstract

Pile foundations are designed by vertical piles; however, sometimes batter piles are considered because of their bending rigidity. In general, batter piles are known to have more lateral resistance than the vertical piles, but limited research has been conducted on them because of application limitations and the fact that interpreting construction equipment is difficult. Additionally, field application cases are rarely used for off-shore plants in which lateral loads have a great effect on the foundations of wind power structures. In a single pile, the interaction behavior of a subgrade-pile is so complicated that accurate predictions are impossible. This study is designed to aid in understanding the behavioral characteristics of group batter piles on which a lateral load acts through a model test. The experiments were conducted with 22 single batter piles and 48 group batter piles, and the results showed that the lateral resistance increased as the tilt angle rose. Furthermore, the lateral resistance was at its peak when the lateral loading angle was 60 degrees, and the resistance of the front pile was greater than that of the rear pile. The bending moment, according to the angle of tilt, changed as the group of piles generally increased and as the angle of tilt rose for both the front and rear piles. The action position of the maximum bending moment tends to go up toward the upper part of the piles as the angle of tilt rises for the front and rear piles.