Lateral Loads on Piles

Ultimate Lateral Capacity

• Brinch Hanson Method - iterative

method covered in notes only. c-f
• Broms (1964) Method
• Barton (1982) and Marsland (1977)
• Numerical techniques - 3D problem;
non-symmetric; yield criteria and
plasticity
Pile Head Constraint
Free Fixed
 Pile Length
Short Long
 Short free-headed pile in clay
Hu Mmax = Hu (e+1.5B+f/2)
Hu = 9cuBf
e Mmax = 2.25cuBg2
1.5B 9cuB

f
L M

9cuB
 Long free-headed pile in clay
Hu Mmax = Hu (e+1.5B+f/2)
e Hu = 9cuBf
1.5B 9cuB

f M
L

g
Mmax = Mu
 Short fixed-headed pile in clay
Hu
Hu = 9cuB(L-1.5B)
Mmax = 4.5cuB(L2-2.25B2)
1.5B 9cuB M

L
L-1.5B
 Long fixed-headed pile in clay
Hu
Hu = 9cuBf
2Mu = Hu(1.5B+0.5f)
1.5B 9cuB Mu

f
M
L
Mu
 Example - cohesive soils

1.2m

Bored pile diam = 0.6m

7.2m
Cohesion, cu = 50 kPa
 94.5
60

Chart for short piles in

Ultimate lateral resistance Hu/cuB2
50 L

cohesive soils (Broms)

Restrained
40
1
2
30
26.2
20

Hu e
10
B
L
Free
head

0 4 8 12 16 20
Embedment length L/B
 100
Mu = 848 kNm
Ultimate lateral resistance, Hu/cuB2 60
Chart
41.35 for long piles in
40
cohesive soils (Broms)
B
Restrained
20
17.55
10

6
Free head
4 H u
e

2 L

B
1
34 6 10 20 40 100 200 400 600

Ultimate resistance moment, Mu/cuB3

 Short free-headed pile in sand
Hu
Hu =moments
Take pg/(e+L)
0.5BL3Kabout toe
e

L
M

P
3Bg’LKp
 Long free-headed pile in sand
Hu Mmax = Hu (e+0.67f)
e Hu = 0.5f23BgKp

f
M

L Mmax = Mu
 Short fixed-headed pile in sand
Hu Horizontal equilibrium
H = 1.5BgL 2K
u p

3Bg’LKp
 Long fixed-headed pile in sand
Hu
Hu = 0.5f23BgKp
2Mu = Hu(e+0.67f)
Mu
f

M
L
Mu
 Example - cohesionless soils

1.2m

Bored pile diam = 0.6m

7.2m
Friction angle, f = 35 o
Density, g = 20 kN/m3
 216
200

Applied lateral load Hu/KpB3g

Chart for short piles
Hu
e

in
160 cohesionless soils
L Free
B head
120
Restrained

80

61.7
40

0 4 8 12 16 20

Length L/B
 Chart for long piles in
Ultimate lateral resistance Hu/B3gKp
1000 H
u
e
M = 848 kNm
.

cohesionless soils u
. . . .
. . . ..
.
. . . .
.
.
L . . .
. .
.
.
. . . . .

B
100
34.4
Free head
20.1
Restrained
10

1
1.0 10 100 1000 10000
Ultimate resistance moment Mu/B4gKp
 Broms vs Barton :
cohesionless soils
• pu = 3Kp s’v • pu = K2p s’v
pu pu

f = 30o Kp = 3.00
f = 35o Kp = 3.69
f = 40o Kp = 4.60
f = 45o Kp = 5.83 Barton (1982) suggests
6% conservative - see
Poulos and Davis (1980)
charts in Fleming et al
quote 30% conservative
35o 40o
z z 30o
 Broms vs Marsland (1977):
cohesive soils
• pu = 0 to 1.5B • pu = 2cu at 0 and
9cu below 9cu at 3B and below
pu pu

1.5B

3B
see charts in
Fleming et al
z z
 Other issues not covered

• Deflections and rotations of piles

under lateral loads
• Lateral capacity of pile groups
• Deflections of pile groups under
lateral loads