Lateral earth pressure of granular backfills on retaining walls with expanded polystyrene geofoam inclusions under limited surcharge loading

Existing studies have focused on the behavior of the retaining wall equipped with expanded polystyrene(EPS)geofoam inclusions under semi-infinite surcharge loading rather than limited surcharge loading.In this paper,the failure mode and the earth pressure acting on the rigid retaining wall with EPS geofoam inclusions and granular backfills(henceforth referred to as EPS-wall),under limited surcharge loading are investigated through two-and three-dimensional model tests.The testing results show that different from the sliding of almost all the backfill in the EPS-wall under semi-infinite surcharge loading,only an approximately triangular backfill slides in the wall under limited surcharge loading.The distribution of the lateral earth pressure on the EPS-wall under limited surcharge loading is non-linear,and the distribution changes from the increase of the wall depth to the decrease with the increase of the limited surcharge loading.An approach based on the force equilibrium of a differential element is developed to predict the lateral earth pressure behind the EPS-wall subjected to limited surcharge loading,and its performance was fully validated by the three-dimensional model tests.

Evaluation of the coefficient of lateral stress at rest of granular materials under repetitive loading conditions

Although the internal stress state of soils can be affected by repetitive loading,there are few studies evaluating the lateral stress(or K_(0))of soils under repetitive loading.This study investigates the changes in K_(0) and directional shear wave velocity(V_(s))in samples of two granular materials with different particle shapes during repetitive loading.A modified oedometer cell equipped with bender elements and a diaphragm transducer was developed to measure the variations in the lateral stress and the shear wave velocity,under repetitive loading on the loading and unloading paths.The study produced the following results:(1)Repetitive loading on the loading path resulted in an increase in the K_(0) of test samples as a function of cyclic loading number(i),and(2)Repetitive loading on the unloading path resulted in a decrease in K_(0) according to i.The shear wave velocity ratio(i.e.V_(s)(HH)/V_(s)(VH),where the first and second letters in parentheses corresponds to the directions of wave propagation and particle motion,respectively,and V and H corresponds to the vertical and horizontal directions,respectively)according to i supports the experimental observations of this study.However,when the tested material was in lightly over-consolidated state,there was an increase in K_(0) during repetitive loading,indicating that it was the initial K_(0),rather than the loading path,which is responsible for the change in K_(0).The power model can capture the variation in the K_(0) of samples according to i.Notably,the K_(0)=1 line acts as the boundary between the increase and decrease in K_(0) under repetitive loading.

Influence of Vertical Load on Lateral-Loaded Monopiles by Numerical Simulation

Monopiles are the most common foundation form of offshore wind turbines,which bear the vertical load,lateral load and bending moment.It remains uncertain whether the applied vertical load increases the lateral deflection of the pile.This paper investigated the influence of vertical load on the behaviour of monopiles installed in the sand under combined load using three-dimensional numerical methods.The commercial software PLAXIS was used for simulations in this paper.Monopiles were modelled as a structure incorporating linear elastic material behaviour and soil was modelled using the Hardening-Soil(HS)constitutive model.The monopiles under vertical load,lateral load and combined vertical and lateral loads were respectively studied taking into account the sequence of load application and pile slenderness ratio(L/D;L and D are the length and diameter of the pile).Results suggest that the sequence of load application plays a major role in how vertical load affects the deflection behaviour of the pile.Specifically,when L/D ratios obtained by lengthening the pile while keeping its diameter constant are 3,5 and 8,the relationships between lateral load and the deflection behaviour of the pile under the effect of vertical load demonstrate a similar trend.Furthermore,the cause of increased lateral capacity of the pile under the action of applied vertical load in the common practical application case and in the VPL case was analyzed by studying the variation law of soil stress along the pile embedment.Results confirm that the confining effect of vertical load increases means effective stress of the soil around the pile,thus increasing soil stiffness and pile capacity.

Investigating the Efficiency Coefficient of Pile Group in Clay Under Two-Way Lateral Load

This research investigates the behavior of a 2×2 pile group under two-directional lateral loads in addition to the vertical load.Through three-dimensional numerical modeling based on Flac 3D software,the study examines the total bearing capacity and efficiency coefficient of the pile group,considering factors such as the angle of lateral load,relative pile spacing,and relative stiffness of the pile-soil system.The findings highlight the significance of these factors in understanding and predicting the response of pile groups to changing lateral load directions.The results reveal that increasing the angle of the lateral load from 0°to 45°enhances both the maximum total lateral load and the efficiency coefficient of the pile group.When the relative stiffness of the pile-soil system significantly increases,soil stiffening occurs and reducing the relative spacing of the piles from 7 to 3 times the diameter of the piles diminishes the influence of the pile group.Consequently,the response of the pile group to lateral loads becomes more linear,with only a slight alteration in the maximum total lateral load and the efficiency coefficient when the lateral load is angled from 0°to 45°.Conversely,increasing the relative distance between the piles,specifically from 3 to 7 times the diameter of the piles,amplifies the influence of the pile group.Both the maximum total lateral load and the efficiency coefficient of the pile group exhibit an observed increase.These provide insights for designing pile groups and optimizing their performance under lateral loading conditions.

Response of Skirted Suction Caissons to Monotonic Lateral Loading in Saturated Medium Sand

Monotonic lateral load model tests were carried out on steel skirted suction caissons embedded in the saturated medium sand to study the bearing capacity. A three-dimensional continuum finite element model was developed with Z_SOIL software. The numerical model was calibrated against experimental results. Soil deformation and earth pressures on skirted caissons were investigated by using the finite element model to extend the model tests. It shows that the ＂skirted＂ structure can significantly increase the lateral capacity and limit the deflection, especially suitable for offshore wind turbines, compared with regular suction caissons without the ＂skirted＂ at the same load level. In addition, appropriate determination of rotation centers plays a crucial role in calculating the lateral capacity by using the analytical method. It was also found that the rotation center is related to dimensions of skirted suction caissons and loading process, i.e. the rotation center moves upwards with the increase of the ＂skirted＂ width and length; moreover, the rotation center moves downwards with the increase of loading and keeps constant when all the sand along the caisson＇s wall yields. It is so complex that we cannot simply determine its position like the regular suction caisson commonly with a specified position to the length ratio of the caisson.

Field testing of stiffened deep cement mixing piles under lateral cyclic loading

Construction of seaside and underground wall bracing often uses stiffened deep cement mixed columns （SDCM）. This research investigates methods used to improve the level of bearing capacity of these SDCM when subjected to cyclic lateral loading via various types of stiffer cores. Eight piles, two deep cement mixed piles and six stiffened deep cement mixing piles with three different types of cores, H shape cross section prestressed concrete, steel pipe, and H-beam steel, were embedded though soft clay into medium-hard clay on site in Thailand. Cyclic horizontal loading was gradually applied until pile failure and the hysteresis loops of lateral load vs. lateral deformation were recorded. The lateral carrying capacities of the SDCM piles with an H-beam steel core increased by 3-4 times that of the DCM piles. This field research clearly shows that using H-beam steel as a stiffer core for SDCM piles is the best method to improve its lateral carrying capacity, ductility and energy dissipation capacity.

Earth Pressure Distribution and Sand Deformation Around Modified Suction Caissons(MSCs) Under Monotonic Lateral Loading

The modified suction caisson(MSC) is a novel type of foundation for ocean engineering, consisting of a short external closed-top cylinder-shaped structure surrounding the upper part of the regular suction caisson(RSC). The MSC can provide larger lateral bearing capacity and limit the deflection compared with the RSC. Therefore, the MSC can be much more appropriate to use as an offshore wind turbine foundation. Model tests on the MSC in saturated sand subjected to monotonic lateral loading were carried out to investigate the effects of external structure sizes on the sand surface deformation and the earth pressure distribution along the embedded depth. Test results show that the deformation range of the sand surface increases with the increasing width and length of the external structure. The magnitude of sand upheaval around the MSC is smaller than that of the RSC and the sand upheaval value around the MSC in the loading direction decreases with the increasing external structure dimensions. The net earth pressure in the loading direction acting on the internal compartment of the MSC is smaller than that of the RSC at the same embedded depth. The maximum net earth pressure acting on the external structure outer wall in the loading direction is larger than that of the internal compartment, indicating that a considerable amount of the lateral load and moment is resisted by the external skirt structure.

Elastic solutions for partially embedded single piles subjected to simultaneous axial and lateral loading

In order to improve the design level of partially embedded single piles under simultaneous axial and lateral loads, the differential solutions were deduced, in which the soil was treated as an ideal, elastic, homogeneous, semi-infinite isotropic medium. A comparison was made between model test results and the obtained solutions to show their validity. The calculation results indicate that the horizontal displacement and bending moment of the pile increase with increases of the axial and lateral loads. The maximum horizontal displacement and bending moment decrease by 37.9% and 13.9%, respectively, when the elastic modulus of soil increases from 4 MPa to 20 MPa. The Poisson ratio of soil plays a marginal role in pile responses. There is a critical pile length under the ground, beyond which the pile behaves as though it was infinitely long. The presented solutions can make allowance for the continuous nature of soil, and if condition permits, they can approach exact ones.

Experimental study on DX pile performance in frozen soils under lateral loading

Experiments about working mechanism and mechanical characteristics of the DX model pile foundation under lateral dynamic and static loading were conducted by using a model system of the dynamic frozen soil-pile interaction. The horizontal displacement-force relationship of the pile head and bending moment distribution along the body in frozen soils of different temperatures were discussed. According to test results, both the horizontal disp!acement-force relationship of the DX pile head and bending moment distribution of the DX pile body are smaller than that of equal-diameter piles under same lateral loads. The piles with different plate positions show different displacements and bending moments. This phenomenon is mainly related to the soil temperature and bearing plates locations. Thus, dynamic response analysis of the pile foundation should be taken into account.

Behaviour of Batter Micropiles Subjected to Vertical and Lateral Loading Conditions

Micropiles are drilled and grouted piles having diameter between 100 to 250 mm. Due to its small diameter, it is suitable for low headroom and limited work area conditions. It can be installed without noise nuisance, without vibrations to surrounding soils and structures and without disruption to the production operations in industries which makes micropiles suitable for underpinning and seismic retrofitting of structures. It is necessary to therefore understand the behaviour of micropiles under different loading conditions. This work is on vertical and battered micropiles with different length/diameter ratio (L/D) subjected to vertical and lateral loading conditions. Batter angles had a significant influence on both the vertical and lateral load carrying capacity. The ultimate vertical load was found to increase upto a 30°batter. The ultimate lateral load was found to increase significantly with increasing L/D ratios upto an L/D ratio of 30 for vertical and 48 for battered piles, beyond which the increase was found to be not significant. In general, negative battered micropiles offered more lateral resistance than positive battered micropiles. The results of the study indicated that the ultimate load capacity and mode of failure of the micropiles are a function of the angle of batter, direction of batter and the L/D ratio for vertically and laterally loaded micropiles.

Influence of vertical loads on lateral response of pile foundations in sands and clays

Although the load applied to pile foundations is usually a combination of vertical and lateral components,there have been few investigations on the behavior of piles subjected to combined loadings.Those few studies led to inconsistent results with regard to the effects of vertical loads on the lateral response of piles.A series of three-dimensional(3D) finite differences analyses is conducted to evaluate the influence of vertical loads on the lateral performance of pile foundations.Three idealized sandy and clayey soil profiles are considered:a homogeneous soil layer,a layer with modulus proportional to depth,and two-layered strata.The pile material is modeled as linearly elastic,while the soil is idealized using the Mohr-Coulomb constitutive model with a non-associated flow rule.In order to confirm the findings of this study,soils in some cases are further modeled using more sophisticated models(i.e.CYsoil model for sandy soils and modified Cam-Clay(MCC) model for clayey soils).Numerical results showed that the lateral resistance of the piles does not appear to vary considerably with the vertical load in sandy soil especially at the loosest state.However,the presence of a vertical load on a pile embedded in homogeneous or inhomogeneous clay is detrimental to its lateral capacity,and it is unconservative to design piles in clays assuming that there is no interaction between vertical and lateral loads.Moreover,the current results indicate that the effect of vertical loads on the lateral response of piles embedded in twolayered strata depends on the characteristics of soil not only surrounding the piles but also located beneath their tips.

Lateral load pattern in pushover analysis

The seismic capacity curves of three types of buildings including frame,frame-shear wall and shear wall ob- tained by pushover analysis under different lateral load patterns are compared with those from nonlinear time history analy- sis.Based on the numerical results obtained a two-phase load pattern:an inverted triangle(first mode)load pattern until the base shear force reaches β times its maximum value,V_(max)followed by a(x/H)~α form,here β and α being some coeffi- cients depending on the type of the structures considered,is proposed in the paper,which can provide excellent approxima- tion of the seismic capacity curve for low-to-mid-rise shear type buildings.Furthermore,it is shown both the two-phase load pattern proposed and the invariant uniform pattern can be used for low-to-mid-rise shear-bending type and low-rise bending type of buildings.No suitable load patterns have been found for high-rise buildings.

Lateral load performance and seismic demand of unbonded scrap tire rubber pad base isolators

The scrap tire rubber pad(STRP)made by natural or synthetic rubber and high strength reinforcing cords exhibits substantial vertical stiffness and horizontal flexibility,and these properties can be regarded as suitable for seismic isolators for structures.The use of environmentally burdensome scrap tires as STRP isolators might be convenient as an efficient and low-cost solution for the implementation of aseismic design philosophy for low-to-medium rise buildings,especially in developing countries.Finite element analyses of unbonded square and strip-shaped STRP isolators subjected to a combination of axial and lateral loads are conducted to investigate its lateral deformation performance under seismic loading.The rubber of the isolator is modelled with Mooney-Rivlin hyperelastic and Prony viscoelastic materials,including the Mullins material damage effect.The influence of the length-to-width ratio and bearing height on the isolator performance is assessed in terms of the force-displacement relationship,horizontal stiffness,damping,and isolation periods.It is shown that the dependence of stiffness on the length-to-width ratio is significant in the longitudinal direction and minor in the transverse direction.The STRP isolators following the proposed design criteria are shown to satisfy the performance requirement at different levels of seismic demand specified by the ASCE/SEI 7-2010 seismic provisions.

Elastoplastic solutions for single piles under combined vertical and lateral loads

为了改进单身者的设计和计算的可靠性，堆在下面联合了垂直、侧面的负担，答案基于路基反应方法，最终的土壤抵抗在被考虑被介绍，路基反应的系数被假定是一个常数。相应计算节目用 FORTRAN 语言被开发。在获得的答案和模型测试结果之间的比较被做显示出获得的答案的有效性。，计算结果显示有垂直、侧面的负担和上面的堆积长度的增加的最大的侧面的排水量和弯曲时刻增加磨擦了作为堆积僵硬，路基反应的系数和土壤增加的让步的排水量减少。堆积头条件控制堆积回答，这也被显示出，垂直负担可以引起不稳定性问题到堆积。一般来说，建议方法能被采用计算堆积偏转的大小的堆积回答独立人士。

Stereo particle image velocimetry measurement of 3D soil deformation around laterally loaded pile in sand

A developed stereo particle image velocimetry(stereo-PIV) system was proposed to measure three-dimensional(3D) soil deformation around a laterally loaded pile in sand.The stereo-PIV technique extended 2D measurement to 3D based on a binocular vision model,where two cameras with a well geometrical setting were utilized to image the same object simultaneously.This system utilized two open software packages and some simple programs in MATLAB,which can easily be adjusted to meet user needs at a low cost.The failure planes form an angle with the horizontal line,which are measured at 27°-29°,approximately three-fourths of the frictional angle of soil.The edge of the strain wedge formed in front of the pile is an arc,which is slightly different from the straight line reported in the literature.The active and passive influence zones are about twice and six times of the diameter of the pile,respectively.The test demonstrates the good performance and feasibility of this stereo-PIV system for more advanced geotechnical testing.

Behavior of Pile Group with Elevated Cap Subjected to Cyclic Lateral Loads

The pile group with elevated cap is widely used as foundation of offshore structures such as turbines, power transmission towers and bridge piers, and understanding its behavior under cyclic lateral loads induced by waves, tide water and winds, is of great importance to designing. A large-scale model test on 3×3 pile group with elevated cap subjected to cyclic lateral loads was performed in saturated silts. The preparation and implementation of the test is presented. Steel pipes with the outer diameter of 114 mm, thickness of 4.5 mm, and length of 6 m were employed as model piles. The pile group was cyclic loaded in a multi-stage sequence with the lateral displacement controlled. In addition, a single pile test was also conducted at the same site for comparison. The displacement of the pile cap, the internal forces of individual piles, and the horizontal stiffness of the pile group are presented and discussed in detail. The results indicate that the lateral cyclic loads have a greater impact on pile group than that on a single pile, and give rise to the significant plastic strain in the soil around piles. The lateral loads carried by each row of piles within the group would be redistributed with loading cycles. The lateral stiffness of the pile group decreases gradually with cycles and broadly presents three different degradation patterns in the test. Significant axial forces were measured out in some piles within the group, owing to the strong restraint provided by the cap, and finally lead to a large settlement of the pile group. These findings can be referred for foundation designing of offshore structures.

Generation of electromotive force in igneous rocks subjected to non-uniform loading

When one end of an air-dry igneous rock block was uniaxially loaded in laboratory, there appeared an electromotive force that made electric currents flow from the stressed volume to the unstressed volume. Quartz-free rocks such as gabbro also generated this force, stronger than quartz-bearing rocks such as granite. This indicates that the piezoelectric effect of quartz and the electrokinetic effect of pore water do not make a large contribution toward generating the electromotive force. We focus on peroxy bond that is one of the abundant lattice defects in igneous rock-forming minerals. When mechanical loading deforms the lattice structure around this defect and breaks its bond, its energy levels change and act like an accepter. As an electron is trapped at this defect from a neighbor 02- site, a positive hole is activated there. They attempt to diffuse toward the unstressed volume through the valence band and are simultaneously affected by the attractive electric force with the electrons trapped in peroxy bonds. This leads to a polarization in the stressed volume and the generation of electromotive force between the stressed and unstressed volumes. Similar electromotive force may be generated in the Earth＇s crust where inhomogeneous stress/strain is changing.

Experimental study on full scale light frame wood house under repeated lateral load

In order to obtain a deeper understanding of the behavior of the structure under high wind load,this paper conducted an experimental study on a full-scale L-shaped single story light frame wood house under the uniform lateral load simulated using a gasbag.The investigation involved the performance of light frame wood structure after it experienced the repeated cyclic lateral wind load as well as the performance of the structure under the ultimate lateral load.Then,the study verified that light frame wood structure can resist repeated cyclic wind loads without observable degradation in stiffness during the anticipated serve life,and recommended shear wall percent drift restriction for lateral wind load design of wood structure in serviceability limit states is 1/400 drift,and in ultimate limit states is 1/80 drift.The conclusions of this paper can be benefit for the engineering practice of the light frame wood structures in high wind load regions.

Numerical Analysis of Laterally Loaded Long Piles in Cohesionless Soil

The capability of piles to withstand horizontal loads is a major design issue.The current research work aims to investigate numerically the responses of laterally loaded piles at working load employing the concept of a beam-on-Winkler-foundation model.The governing differential equation for a laterally loaded pile on elastic subgrade is derived.Based on LegendreGalerkin method and Runge-Kutta formulas of order four and five,the flexural equation of long piles embedded in homogeneous sandy soils with modulus of subgrade reaction linearly variable with depth is solved for both free-and fixed-headed piles.Mathematica,as one of the world’s leading computational software,was employed for the implementation of solutions.The proposed numerical techniques provide the responses for the entire pile length under the applied lateral load.The utilized numerical approaches are validated against experimental and analytical results of previously published works showing a more accurate estimation of the response of laterally loaded piles.Therefore,the proposed approaches can maintain both mathematical simplicity and comparable accuracy with the experimental results.

Lateral load-carrying capacity analyses of composite shear walls with double steel plates and filled concrete with binding bars

A method is developed to predict the lateral load-carrying capacity of composite shear walls with double steel plates and filled concrete with binding bars(SCBs). Nonlinear finite element models of SCBs were established by using the finite element tool, Abaqus. Tie constraints were used to connect the binding bars and the steel plates. Surface-to-surface contact provided by the Abaqus was used to simulate the interaction between the steel plate and the core concrete. The established models could predict the lateral load-carrying capacity of SCBs with a reasonable degree of accuracy. A calculation method was developed by superposition principle to predict the lateral load-carrying capacity of SCBs for the engineering application. The concrete confined by steel plates and binding bars is under multi-axial compression; therefore, its shear strength was calculated by using the Guo-Wang concrete failure criterion. The shear strength of the steel plates of SCBs was calculated by using the von Mises yielding criterion without considering buckling. Results of the developed method are in good agreement with the testing and finite element results.