Influences of axial load on the lateral response of single pile with integral equation method

This article revisits the influences of axial load on the lateral response of single pile with integral equation method. The problem is formulated by decomposing the pile soil system into an extended elastic soil and a fictitious pile, the former of which is analyzed by making use of the fundamental Mindlin's solution for a concentrated horizontal load whereas the latter is modeled by the conventional beam bending theory. According to the rotation compatibility condition between the fictitious pile and the extended soil, a Fredholm integral equation of the second kind is established with the shear strain and rotation angle of the fictitious pile being the basic unknowns. The bending moment and displacement distribution along the pile are subsequently obtained. Comparison with existing solutions validates the accuracy and applicability of the present formulation. The results of parametric analysis indicate that the influences of axial load on the lateral response of single piles could be significant, and in general, the bending moment and horizontal displacement distributions along the pile increase considerably with the increase of axial load. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.