Behavior of Piles Subjected to Surcharge Loading in Deep Soft Soils: Field Tests

A series of field tests were conducted to examine the behavior of pile foundation subjected to adjacent surcharge loading in deep soft soils. The emphasis was on the pile deflection, bending moment, soil horizontal displacement and lateral earth pressure acting on the piles under different surcharge loading conditions. It was found that among the surcharge loading distance, intensity and width, the surcharge loading distance was the most significant factor affecting the adjacent piles in deep soft soils. The springback process of piles subjected to adjacent surcharge loading after unloading was a slow process changing with time. The mean lateral earth pressure on the pile facing the surcharge loading is slightly larger than that opposite to the surcharge loading. The pile bending moment and mean lateral earth pressure acting on the pile decrease with time due to the consolidation process of soft soil. 3D finite element model in ABAQUS is established to study the influence of consolidation process of soft soil on piles subject to adjacent surcharge loading.