Response of pile group adjacent to a slope crest under static axial loading

Pile groups are commonly used in geotechnical engineering construction; thus, understanding the response of a pile group located near a soil slope is of practical value to structural design. The purpose of this study was to analyze the response of pile groups located in soil slopes with regard to axial load capacity, settlement, and horizontal displacement. For this purpose, a large-scale test setup (1.8 m × 0.90 m × 0.90 m) was developed. A series of physical modelling tests were performed to investigate the effects of the distance of the pile group from the slope crest, a square pile-group configuration, the pile-group direction (parallel or vertical direction relative to the slope direction), and the pile spacing on the axial loading response of the pile group. The results showed that the vertical bearing capacity and horizontal displacement of a pile group near sloping ground approached that of level ground and the zero, respectively, as the edge-to-slope crest distance increased. The reduction factor of the square pile groups increased with an increase in the pile spacing from 3 to 5 dp. The axial load capacity of the pile group increased with an increase in the number of piles in the group from 4 to 9. The horizontal displacement of the pile group towards the slope face increased as the distance from the slope crest and the pile spacing decreased. The response of the linear pile group located on the soil slope was dependent on the pile group direction relative to the slope direction.