Axially loaded piles and pile groups embedded in a cross-anisotropic soil

Abstract

A numerical procedure is presented to study the behaviour of axially loaded piles and pile groups embedded in a cross-anisotropic soil, with isotropy as a special case. The soil profile may be homogeneous or heterogeneous. A parametric study is performed to investigate the influence of soil with anisotropic properties likely to be relevant to London clay. The results demonstrate the significance of soil anisotropy on the stiffness of single piles. However, its influence on pile-soil-pile interaction, as presented as a stiffness reduction factor, is small, whereas soil inhomogeneity has a greater influence.