Centrifuge modeling of single pile response due to lateral cyclic loading in kaolin clay

In offshore engineering, pile foundations are commonly constructed in marine deposits to support various structures such as offshore platforms. These piles are subjected to lateral cyclic loading due to wind, wave action, and drag load from ships. In this paper, centrifuge model tests are conducted to investigate the response of the existing single piles due to lateral cyclic loading. The cyclic loading was simulated by a hydraulic actuator. It is found that the residual lateral movement and bending strain are induced in the existing pile after each loading–unloading cycle. This is because plastic deformation is induced in the soil surrounding the existing pile during each loading–unloading cycle. By increasing the applied loads during cyclic loading–unloading process, the lateral movements and bending strains induced in the pile head increase simultaneously. As the cyclic loading varies from 10 to 50 kN, the residual pile head movement increases from 40 to 154?mm, and the residual bending strain of the existing pile varies from 100 to 260 με. The ratio of residual to the maximum pile head movements varies from 0.17 to 0.22, while the ratio of residual to the maximum bending strains is in a range of 0.12–0.55.