Load – Displacement Behaviour of a Pile on a Sloping Ground for Various L/D Ratios

Abstract

An experimental study was carried out to understand the behaviour of a laterally loaded single pile on a slope with different length/diameter (L/D) ratios driven into cohesionless soil for a relative density of 70%. Static loading was applied in both forward and reverse directions for slopes of 1V:1.5H, 1V:2H, and 1V:2.5H for a constant L/D ratio representing flexible pile behaviour. It was observed that the load ratio (load on a sandy slope to the horizontal ground) decreased with an increase in the slope’s angle. The post-static behaviour of the pile under the same conditions was also studied to evaluate the elastic displacement, which increased with an increase in the slope’s angle. Due to the constant passive resistance under the reverse loading, the lateral load on the slope’s crest was almost equal to the horizontal ground’s condition. The effect of the L/D ratio was studied by varying the length and diameter and by maintaining the other parameter as a constant. The lateral load of a pile increased with an increase in its length and diameter.