LIMIT STATE MOMENT FUNCTIONS FOR LATERALLY LOADED SINGLE PILES IN LOCAL OC CLAY

Performance level of piles is usually expressed with the maximum head deflection and bending moment. Uncertainties in the performance of a pile originates from many factors such as spatial variation of soil properties, inadequate soil investigations, errors taking place in the determination of soil parameters by various testing methods, and limited calculation models. These uncertainties make it difficult for practicing engineers to effectively select the appropriate method when designing laterally loaded piles. In this study, the conventional, numerical, two and three dimensional finite element solutions of free head loading conditions are analyzed for determining the maximum deflection and moment of a laterally loaded single concrete pile in a homogenous fully saturated overconsolidated local cohesive soil. The local clay has PI and OCR values of 35 and 6.1, respectively. While developing limit state functions via response surface method, maximum bending moment data under service load condition computed using 3D finite element analysis, which better represents the three dimensional nature of the soil-structure interaction, was used by considering the pile rigidity.