Performance of piles subject to soil movements

Abstract

Under certain situations in practice, piles may be subjected to soil movements that could induce excessive axial and lateral loads on the piles. This paper reviews the performance of piles subject to vertical and lateral soil movements and the review has been mainly drawn from a good number of centrifuge model studies carried out at the National University of Singapore. It can be established that the pile behaviour varies considerably under different situations and appropriate considerations need to be taken when applying conventional theories to analyse the pile behaviour under the respective scenario. The practical implications of the experimental findings are also highlighted in this paper. © 2006 Taylor & Francis Group, London.