On the response prediction of horizontally loaded fixed-head pile groups in sands

The aim of this paper is to investigate the behavior of laterally loaded pile groups in sands with a rigid head and correlate the response of a pile group it to that of a single pile. For this purpose, a computationally intensive study using 3-D nonlinear numerical analysis was carried out for different pile group arrangements in sandy soils. The responses of the pile groups were compared to that of the single pile and the variation of the displacement amplification factor R_a was then quantified. The influence of the number of piles, the spacing, and the deflection level on the group response is discussed. A relationship for predicting the response of a pile group, based on its configuration and the response of a single pile, has been formulated allowing also for soil shear strength which was found to affect the group response. The relationship provides a reasonable prediction for various group configurations in sandy soils.