The bearing capacity of rigid piles and pile groups under inclined loads

in layered sand
G . G. MEYERHOF,
S. K. MATHUR,
AND A. J. VALSANGKAR
Deparftnet~toj Civil Et~git~eering,
Tecl~t~ical
Ur~iversiiyof Nova Scotin, Halifrrx, N.S., Cat~at/aB3J 2x4
Received March 11, 1981
Accepted July 22, 1981
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The ultimate bearing capacity of rigid vertical and batter piles and pile groups in layered sand
has been determined under various inclinations of the load varying from the vertical to hori-
zontal directions. The results of load tests on single model piles of dilferent inclinations and on
free-standing groups are compared with theoretical estimates. The influence of loact inclination
on the bearing capacity can be represented by simple interaction relationships between the axial
and normal components of the ultimate load. The effect of eccentricity of the load on the ulti-
mate bearing capacity of pile groups is discussed on the basis of previous theory and model
test results.
La force portante des pieux rigides verticaux et inclines et des groupes de pieux dans le sable
stratifii est diterminie sous des charges d'inclinaisons variables entre les directions verticales
et horizontales. Les rksultats des essais sur pieux modkles isolks d'inclinaiso11 variable et sur des
groupes de pieux libres sont compares avec les estimations theoriques. L'influence de l'incli-
naison de la charge sur la force portante peut Ctre representee par des relations d'interaction
entre les composantes axiale et normale de la resistance limite. L'effet d'excentriciti des charges
sur la force portante des groupes de pieux est discutke sur la base de la thkorie anterieure et des
resultats des essais en modkles.
For personal use only.

Can. Geotech. J., 18, 514-519 (1981)

Introduction cb with cell pressure and initial porosity of the sand in

In earlier papers (Meyerhof and Ranjan 1972,
1973) the bearing capacity of rigid piles under in-
clined loads in homogeneous sand was presented for
vertical and batter piles and for pile groups. The
corresponding problem of piles in layered sand has
been investigated previously only for vertical piles
under axial loads (Meyerhof and Valsangkar 1977)
and for laterally loaded vertical piles (Meyerhof et (11.
1981). As a continuation of this research the ultimate
bearing capacity of rigid model piles and pile groups
of vertical and batter piles under inclined loads in
layered sand has been investigated. The behaviour of
piles under non-axial loads depends to a considerable
extent on the deformation characteristics of the piles
and soil, and the failure mechanisln at the ultimate
load is rather con~plex.Accordingly, only a serni-
empirical analysis can be developed on the basis of
test results on piles subjected to loads at inclinations
varying from the vertical to the horizontal.
Tests
Soil clatn
The sand used for the model pile tests was well-
graded and had medium to coarse angular grains
(effective size Dl, = 0.3 mm, uniformity coefficient
C, = 3.0). Detailed triaxial compression tests were
carried out to study the variation of the friction angle
0008-3674/81/040514-06$01.CQ/O
@ 1981 National Research Council of CanadaIConseil national de recherches du Canada
the ranges used in the model tests (Meyerhof and
Sastry 1978). The sand was poured from difrerent
heights to form test beds of relative densities of
D, = 0.35 (loose) and 0.70 (dense) contained in a
large stiffened test box of 45 cm X 45 cm X 35 c n ~
high. The corresponding effective friction angles of
the sand were found to be 33 and 46", respectively.
Model tests
The model piles used in this investigation were
rough steel piles of 12.5 mm diameter and up to
23 cnl length (depth/diameter ratio D / B = 16) and
had a batter angle of 0 and 30" with the vertical. In
the small pile groups of 2 and 2 X 2 piles the free-
standing piles had a centre spacing of 38 mm (3 pile
diameters) at the steel cap, the piles generally being
vertical, but some 2 X 2 groups also included batter
piles (Fig. 1). Most piles were buried, but some piles
were pushed into the sand before testing The two-
layered sand beds (loose over dense sand and dense
over loose sand) had various upper layer thickness
ratios HID.
The piles were loaded to failure by a central load
applied at the pile head or cap near ground level
(Fig. 1). The different inclinations of the load gener-
ally comprised the whole range between vertical and
horizontal in every direction. Some pile groups were
subjected to a load at the cap in a different direction
 MEYERHOF ET AL.

LAYER I

I-
LAYER 2

(a 1

1
FIG. 1. Arrangement of model test piles: (a) single pile and

, " '?p
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notation; ( b ) pile groups.

TESTS 6
+ 3 3 O 46'
-+- 4 6 O 33'
---- THEORY 2
HOMOGENEOUS 5 0 ,
DENSE,

FIG.3. Polar bearing capacity diagram for single batter

piles under inclined loads. For legend see Figs. la and 2.
For personal use only.

greater than those of buried piles, especially in loose

(a) (b)
FIG..^. Polar bearing capacity diagram for single vertical
piles under inclined loads: (a) loose over dense sand; (b) dense
over loose sand.
to that of the rows of piles. The inclined load was
applied at a resultant pile displacement rate of about
2.5 mtil/min with measurements of horizontal and
vertical movements and rotation at the head of the
piles or cap. The experimental setup and the load-
displacement curves were similar to those given pre-
viously for homogeneous sand (Meyerhof and Ranjan
1972, 1973) and for layered sand (Meyerhof et 01.
1981). The ultimate load at which the displacement
increase first reached the tnaxin~umoccurred at a
displacement in the direction of the resultant load at
the pile head of about 3-6y0 of the pile length and at
a rotation of about 1-2" under loads inclined to the
pile axis. The failure loads of pushed piles were
sand, as would be expected.
Typical test results for buried single vertical and
batter piles in layered sand of various ratios of H I D
are shown in Figs. 2 and 3, respectively, in the forin
of polar bearing capacity diagrams; the lower parts
of the figures give the present ultimate loads of com-
pression piles in layered sand and the upper parts
show some previous test results of similar tension
piles in homogeneous sand (Meyerhof and Ra~ijan
1972, 1973). While the ultimate bearing capacity Q,
generally decreases as the inclination a' of the load
with the pile axis increases, it is of interest to note
that the curves for layered sand are, approximately,
geo~netricallysimilar to those for hon~ogetieoussand.
Further, for batter piles loaded in the direction of the
batter (positive batter piles) the ultimate bearing
capacity is smaller than for batter piles loaded in the
opposite direction to that of the batter (negative
batter piles), as found previously for homogeneous
sand (Tschebotarioff 1954; Awad and Petrasovits
1968; Meyerhof and Ra~ijan1973). Comparing the
experimental inclined failure load Q, with the ulti-
mate value Q, of similar axially-loaded piles for
different load inclinations a' of vertical and batter
piles, Fig. 4 indicates that the decrease of the ratio of
Qu/Q, with an increase of a' depends mainly on the
pile batter, the relative density of the sand, and the
upper layer thickness ratio HID.
Typical test results for the free-standing buried
two-pile and 2 X 2 pile groups are shown in Figs. 5-7
 CAN. GEOTECH. 3. VOL. 18, 1981

TESTS
TESTS
@I = 330 &=4 6 O
0
- VERTICAL P I L E
POSITIVE B A T T E R I +--
X
VERTICAL
POSITIVE B A T T E R
---- - N E G A T I V E
PlLE

BATTER
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THEORY
20

0
0a 20° 40' 60" 80°900
For personal use only.

INCLINATION O F LOAD WITH P I L E A X I S , a' INCLINATION O F L O A D WITH P I L E AXIS, CC'

(a (b)
FIG.4. Effect of load inclination on ultimate bearing capacity of single vertical and batter piles: ( a ) loose over dense
sand; (b) dense over loose sand.

-
TESTS

TESTS 92 4 PILES VERTICAL

---
33' 46' + 2 BATTER 8 2 VERTICAL
THEORY THEORY
1 ULTIMATE LOAD (N) I I ULTIMATE LOAD (N) 1

THICKNESS

oO
(a) (b)
FIG.5. Polar bearing capacity diagram for two-pile groups FIG.6. Polar bearing capacity diagram for four-pile groups
under inclined loads: (a) short axis loading; (b) long axis under inclined loads in loose over dense sand: (a) vertical
loading. piles; (b) vertical and batter piles.
 MEYERHOF ET AL.

-
+- 2
---
-4
TESTS
@, = 46O (I,=

PILES VERTICAL
33'

BATTER 8 2 VERTICAL
THEORY
piles the group capacity generally exceeds unity under
a vertical load and is smaller than unity under a
horizontal load, as found previously for homoge-
neous sand (Meyerhof and Ranjan 1973).
ULTIMATE LOAD (N)

Analysis of test results

Single piles
The ultimate bearing capacity Q, of a compression
pile is the sum of the point resistance Q, and shaft
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resistance Q,. In sand the ultimate load of an axially-

loaded pile is usually expressed by (Meyerhof 1976)
[I1 Qa = Qp + Qs

[2] = yDN,A, + K8yD(tan 6)(A8/2)

30'
where A, and A, are the areas of the pile point and
shaft respectively, D is the depth of embedment of
the pile, K, is the average coefficient of earth pressure
UPPER LAYER
THICKNESS on the shaft, N, is the bearing capacity factor for the
1000
overburden, 6 is the angle of skin friction, and y is
oO the average unit weight of the sand.
.
(-0,) (. b ). The ultimate lateral resistance of a free-head rigid
For personal use only.

FIG.7. Polar bearing capacity diagram for four-pile groups pile in sand loaded normally to the pile axis at ;he
under inclined loads in dense over loose sand: ( a ) vertical ground surface can be (Me~erhOf et
piles; (b) vertical and batter piles. 1981)

in the form of polar bearing capacity diagrams. The

where B is the diameter, Fb is a lateral resistance
two-pile group fails essentially by individual pile factor depending on the upper layer thickness ratio
action and generally has a greater ultimate bearing
H I D and the relative lateral resistance of the two
capacity under short axis loading than under long
sand layers, and Kb is the coefficient of passive earth
axis loading, while the four-pile group fails by block
pressure of the lower sand layer on the pile, allowing
failure of an equivalent pier. The ultimate bearing
for pile batter.
capacity of the pile groups varies with the inclination
Theoretical analyses for piles in homogeneous sand
of the load in a similar manner to that of single piles.
show (Meyerhof and Ranjan 1973) that for customary
This is shown in Fig. 8 where the observed failure
batter angles P of less than about 30" the axial bear-
load Q, under a load inclination a with the vertical
ing capacity is practically unaffected by the value of
is expressed in terms of the ultimate value of Q, of a
6, but the lateral resistance of positive batter piles is
similar group under vertical load.
much snlaller than for corresponding negative batter
The experimental results of the failure load of the
piles, as is also found in the present tests on batter
pile groups have been analysed in terms of a group
piles in layered sand. However, for a rigid batter pile
efficiency defined as the ratio of the ultimate group
under an oblique load an estimate of the ultimate
resistance to the sum of the single pile resistances
bearing capacity is difficult because of the nonsym-
under the same load inclination as the group. The
metrical and three-dimensional failure mechanism in
observed group efficiency is shown in Fig. 9n and b
the soil. The interaction between the limits of the
in the form of polar efficiency diagrams for the two
axial and normal components of the ultimate pile
and four-pile groups, respectively. It is found that
capacity Q, can be approximated by the semi-
the group efficiency at a given pile spacing decreases
empirical relationship (Meyerhof and Ranjan 1973)
with a greater number of piles in the group. For a
given pile group the efficiency varies considerably
with the inclination of the load but it is not much
[41 (Qu ;: a')2 + (Qy sin
Qn
a')' = I

affected by the upper layer thickness ratio HID. The

group efficiency of buried piles is generally less than where a' is the effective load inclination with respect
unity for all load inclinations. However, for pushed to the pile axis (Fig. 1). The values of Qa and Qn in
 CAN. GEOTECH. J. VOL. 18. 1981

@,=33O $, =46O 4, = 33"

0
- 2 PILES SHORT A X I S
-- 2 PILES SHORT AXlS
A- 2 PILES LONG AXIS C-- DTO. LONG AXIS
-0 4 PILES VERTICAL * -- 4 PILES VERTICAL
-0 2 B A T T E R & 2 VERTICAL C-- 2 BATTER 8 2 VERTICAL
Inn I I I

UPPER LAYER THICKNESS

H/ D

80
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For personal use only.

INCLINATION OF LOAD, CE INCLINATION OF LOAD . CE

(a) (b)
FIG. 8. Effect of load inclination on ultimate bearing capacity of pile groups: (0)loose over dense sand; (b)dense over
loose sand.

of the ultimate bearing capacity of a pile in sand is

I GROUP EFFICIENCY
(a) (b)
FIG. 9. Polar efficiency diagram for pile groups under
inclined loads: (a) two-pile groups; ( b ) four-pile groups. For
legend see Fig. 8.
this equation are given by [2] and [3], respectively.
Con~parisonof these relationships with the present
test results shows that the corresponding estimates
using 4) = 33" (loose sand) and 4 = 46" (dense sand)
are generally on the side of safety (Figs. 2 and 3).
Moreover, for most load inclinations, a' (in practice
less than about 60°), the theoretical reduction factor
roughly given by the corresponding reduction factor
i, for shallow foundations (Meyerhof 1963) when
[5] Qu/Qa = i, = [l - (a'/9O0)I2
As shown in Fig. 4, this approximate reduction factor
is reasonable for piles in loose over dense sand and
homogeneous dense sand, but the theoretical reduc-
tion factor is overly conservative for piles in dense
over loose sand and homogeneous loose sand.
Pile groups
The above analysis of single piles can be extended
to pile groups with a customary pile spacing of about
three pile diameters by considering an equivalent pier
consisting of the piles and enclosed soil mass, for
which general expressions for the ultimate bearing
capacity of the group under a central inclined load
had been derived previously (Meyerhof and Ranjan
1973). After determining the vertical and horizontal
ultimate bearing capacities of the group from [2] and
[3], respectively, using the overall width and em-
bedded depth of the group, the corresponding ulti-
mate bearing capacity under a load inclination a is
estimated from [4] by using the value of a instead of
a'. This analysis is supported by the results of the
 MEYERHOIF ET AL. 519

present model tests on small free-standing pile cal and batter piles under oblique loads can approxi-
groups, as shown in Figs. 5-7. Furthermore, the mately be represented by a simple semiempirical
theoretical reduction factor of the ultimate group interaction relationship between the axial and normal
capacity for a load inclination a of less than about components of the ultimate load. The ultimate bear-
60" is given roughly by [5] using the value of a instead ing capacity of pile groups under inclined loads can
of a' (Fig. 8), with similar lin~itationsto those men- be estimated in a similar way from the vertical and
tioned above for single piles. horizontal ultimate resistances. Although these pro-
The ultimate bearing capacity of a group of rigid posed methods of analysis are approximately sup-
piles under an eccentric vertical load can be esti- ported by the present model tests, it is hoped that
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mated by including the lateral forces on the sides of corresponding field load tests be made on driven and
the group and, for individual pile failure, also the bored piles in layered soils for further investigation of
uplift resistance of the piles (Meyerhof 1960). When pile behaviour under inclined loads.
the moment due to the applied load is greater than
the ultimate moment due to the side resistance, the Acknowledgement
excess moment is balanced by an eccentric base
resistance so that the ultimate bearing capacity of the The research at the Technical University of Nova
group decreases rapidly with greater eccentricity of Scotia was carried out with the financial support of
the load, as for shallow foundations (Meyerhof 1953). the National Research Council of Canada.
These analyses have been confirmed by the results of
model tests on eccentrically loaded free-standing pile AWAD,A., and PETRASOVITS, G . 1968. Considerations o n the
bearing capacity of vertical and batter piles subjected to
groups and piled foundations with varying numbers forces in different directions. Proceedings, 3rd Conference
I
and spacings of piles in hon~ogeneoussand (Kishida o n Soil Mechanics, Budapest, pp. 483-497.
I
and Meyerhof 1965). These tests showed that for KISHIDA,H., and MEYERHOF,
For personal use only.

G. G. 1965. Bearing capacity of

I free-standing pile groups a load eccentricity smaller
than the half-width of the group has no significant
influence on the ultimate bearing capacity. However, MEYERHOF,
for piled foundations the corresponding reduction of
the ultimate bearing capacity was found to be more
important.
The influence of combined eccentricity and in-
clination of the load on the ultimate bearing capacity
of groups of rigid piles can roughly be estimated by
extending the above methods of analysis, as indicated
previously (Meyerhof 1960). However, no experi-
mental data appear to be available at present for this
general case of loading.
Conclusions
The results of model tests on single rigid vertical
and batter piles under inclined loads in layered sand
show that the load inclination significantly influences
the ultimate bearing capacity of the piles. Moreover,
the ultimate load on batter piles is smaller when they
are inclined in the direction of the load than in the
opposite direction. The reduction of the ultimate
bearing capacity with greater inclination of the load
to the pile axis depends mainly on the relative density
of the sand layers and the upper layer thickness ratio.
The results of model tests on free-standing pile
groups in layered sand show that the ultimate bearing
capacity varies with load inclination in a similar way
to that of single piles.
The ultimate bearing capacity of single rigid verti-
pile groups under eccentric loads in sand. Proceedings, 6th
International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Founda-
tion Engineering, Montreal, Vol. 2, pp. 270-274.
G . G. 1953. The bearing capacity of foundations
under eccentric and inclined loads. Proceedings, 3rd Inter-
national Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation
Engineering, Zurich, Vol. 1, pp. 440-445.
1960. The design of Franki piles with special reference
to groups in sands. Proceedings, International Association
for Bridge and Structural Engineering Syn~posiumo n Pile
Foundations, Stockholm, pp. 105-123.
1963. Some recent research on the bearing capacity of
foundations. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 1, pp. 16-26.
1976. Bearing capacity and settlement of pile founda-
tions. 11th Terzaghi lecture, ASCE Journal of the Geo-
technical Division, 102(GT3), pp. 195-228.
MEYERHOF. G . G., and RANJAN, G . 1972. The bearing capacity
of rigid piles under inclined loads in sand. I: Vertical piles.
Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 9, pp. 43&446.
1973. The bearing capacity of rigid piles under inclined
loads in sand. 11: Batter piles; 111: Pile groups. Canadian
Geotechnical Journal, 10, pp. 71-85; 428-438.
MEYERHOF, G. G., and SASTRY,V. V. R. N. 1978. Bearing
capacity of piles in layered soils. Canadian Geotechnical
Journal, 15, pp. 171-189.
MEYERHOF, G. G., and VALSANGKAR, A. J. 1977. Bearing
capacity of piles in layered soils. Proceedings, 9th Interna-
tional Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation
Engineering, Tokyo, Vol. 2, pp. 645-650
MEYERHOF G. G., MATHUR,S. K., and VALSANGKAR, A. J.
1981. Lateral resistance and deflection of rigid walls and
piles in layered soils. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 18,
pp. 159-170.
TSCHEBOTARIOFF, G. P. 1954. The resistance to lateral loading
of single piles and of pile groups. American Society for
Testing and Materials, Special Technical Publication No.
154, pp. 38-48.