Response evaluation of horizontally loaded pile groups in clayey soils

The aim of this paper is to investigate the behaviour of laterally loaded pile groups with a rigid head, and correlate the response of a pile group to that of a single pile. For this purpose, a computationally intensive study using three-dimensional non-linear numerical analysis was carried out for different pile group arrangements in clayey soils. The responses of the pile groups were compared with 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 previously proposed relationship for predicting the response of a pile group, based on its configuration and the response of a single pile, has been modified to allow for soil shear strength that was found to affect the group response. The modified relationship provides a reasonable prediction for various group configurations in clayey soils.