Undrained Lateral Resistance of Fixed-Headed Rectangular and Circular Piles

In this paper, a numerical study of undrained lateral resistance of fixed-headed rectangular and circular piles is presented. The 3D finite element limit analysis with upper and lower bound theorems is employed to perform the numerical solutions to the pile problem. This study focuses on the combined effect of the three important dimensionless parameters, namely, the overburden stress factor, the pile length–width ratio, and the aspect ratio of the rectangular pile. In addition to rectangular piles, the cases of circular piles are also considered in this paper which are used to compare the cases of rectangular piles. The associated failure mechanisms are investigated with respect to all parametric effects. The design charts are proposed which can be employed by practitioners to predict the undrained lateral capacity of fixed-headed piles with circular and rectangular sections.