Research Initiation: Analysis of Pile-Soil-Pile Interaction in Laterally Loaded Pile Groups

许多结构（建筑物，桥梁，....）都是在深地基上支撑的，比如打孔桩。在某些类型的结构中，桩以较小的水平间距打入，并承受水平荷载。这种结构的例子包括海上石油生产平台和承受风和洋流侧向载荷的桥梁。对于这种情况，不存在可靠的设计方法，因此，目前使用的设计在大多数情况下可能是保守的，也就是说，为了确保不发生故障，花费了比必要数量更多的钱。然而，不确定性的程度是如此之高，以至于有时会发生过度的运动，并导致在桩上支撑的结构中的痛苦。最近，利用群桩进行了几个系列的全尺寸横向荷载试验，因此现在可以获得可靠的信息，用于检查分析的准确性。本项目首次尝试使用所谓的有限元技术对群桩进行三维全面数值分析。它应该提供一种以前不可能的洞察力。它可以为主要基础和数据提供一种设计工具，用于对不太复杂的情况进行简化分析。

Many structures (buildings, bridges,....) are supported on deep foundations such as driven piles. In some types of structures the piles are driven at small horizontal spacings and are subjected to horizontal loadings. Examples of such structures include offshore oil production platforms and bridges subjected to lateral loads from wind and ocean currents. No reliable design method exists for such cases and, as a result, the designs currently used are probably conservative in most cases, i.e., larger than necessary amounts of money are spent to ensure that failure does not occur. The level of uncertainty is such, however, that excessive movements sometimes occur and lead to distress in the structure that is supported on the piles. Recently, several series of full scale lateral load tests were performed using pile groups so that reliable information is now available to use as a check on the accuracy of analyses. This project involves the first attempt at a full-scale numerical analysis in three dimensions, of pile groups, using the socalled finite element technique. It should provide a level of insight not previously possible. It may provide a design tool for major foundations and data to be used in simplified analyses for less complex cases.