Dynamic response of a laterally loaded fixed-head pile group in a transversely isotropic multilayered half-space

The time-harmonic response of a laterally loaded fixed-head pile group embedded in a transversely isotropic multilayered half-space is investigated using a finite element and indirect boundary element coupling method. The piles are solved by the finite element method (FEM), while the soil can be modeled by the indirect boundary element method (BEM) with the aid of the fundamental solution for a transversely isotropic multilayered half-space in a cylindrical coordinate system. The governing equation of the pile-soil-pile dynamic interaction is established by applying the FEM-BEM coupling method. Numerical examples are carried out to validate the presented theory and to investigate influences of the soil's anisotropy and layering on the dynamic response of pile groups. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.