Ocean Engineering 208 (2020) 107420

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Ocean Engineering
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/oceaneng

Scour effects on lateral behavior of pile groups in sands

Yunjie Lin , Cheng Lin *
The University of Victoria, Department of Civil Engineering, 3800 Finnerty Rd., Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Scour that removes soils around foundations supporting bridges and marine structures is the major cause for
Local scour structural failures. Recently, many studies have been conducted to investigate scour effects on lateral behavior of
Pile groups single piles using numerical analyses, laboratory model tests, or centrifuge tests. However, very limited research
Lateral behavior
is focused on scour effects on lateral behavior of pile groups. No simple method is currently available for
Numerical method
practicing engineers to analyze pile groups under scour conditions. In this study, a simple and practical method
was proposed based on the existing p-y curve theory to facilitate the design of laterally loaded pile groups under
scour conditions. Feasibility of the proposed method was examined against 3D finite element (FE) analyses
through a series of parametric studies by varying scour-hole dimensions, soil properties, and pile group con­
figurations. The results showed that the proposed method generally produced agreeable results with the 3D FE
analyses. Scour-induced lateral capacity loss of pile groups was 10–13% more in dense sands than in loose sands.
Pile groups were more susceptible to scour than single piles under the equivalent scour conditions. A pile group
with smaller pile spacing and larger pile numbers showed a less loss of lateral capacity due to scour.

foundation. According to Lin et al. (2014), this method leads to 49–68%

higher groundline lateral displacement of single piles in sands under a
1. Introduction
typical range of lateral loads.
Recently, the importance of dimensions of local scour hole for
Scour is a phenomenon that soils around foundations are removed by
economical foundation design has been recognized. Numerous research
currents and waves. Scour causes significant reduction in foundation
has been conducted to investigate the effects of scour-hole dimensions
capacity due to the loss of soil supports (Lin and Lin, 2019). It is reported
on lateral responses of single piles (Chortis et al., 2020; Qi et al., 2016;
that flood and scour related bridge failures account for approximately
Liang et al., 2018; Lin et al., 2016), in which the scour hole is idealized
60% of total bridge failures in the U.S. and 80% in China (Kan et al.,
as an inverted truncated cone with dimensions of scour depth (Sd ),
1998; Lagasse et al., 2007; Liang et al., 2017). Marine structures are also
bottom scour width (Swb ) and scour-hole slope angle (β) (Lin and Lin,
vulnerable to scour (Whitehouse, 1998). Therefore, it is critically
2019). Lin et al. (2014) investigated the effects of local scour on a
important to design foundations against scour damage. A complete
laterally loaded steel pipe pile in dense sands (φ’ ¼ 39 ) using
�

design of foundations against scour requires the integration of hydraulic,

three-dimensional finite difference method. A wide range of scour-hole
geotechnical, and structural analyses (Arneson et al., 2012). Scour depth
dimensions (Sd ¼ 0 8D; Swb ¼ 0 18D, and β ¼ 0 39 , where D ¼
� �

due to general scour (erosion across the stream or sea bed) and local
pile diameter) were evaluated in their research. It was found that an
scour (erosion around foundations) is estimated based on hydraulic
increase in scour depth significantly increased pile lateral displacement
study at sites and engineers’ judgement prior to the conventional
and maximum bending moment. Effects of scour width and scour-hole
foundation design (Arneson et al., 2012; AASHTO, 2012). Local scour
slope angle were relatively less significant, especially when Swb � 8D.
caused by accelerated flow and vortex usually develops greater scour
Lin and Lin (2019) further studied the problem by varying soil properties
depth than the general scour, which, thus, induces more significant
from dense sands (φ’ ¼ 39 ), medium dense sands (φ’ ¼ 33 ) to loose
� �

capacity loss of foundations. However, in current pile design practice,

local scour that develops a scour hole around the foundation is simply
considered by totally removing the top soil layer to the estimated local
scour depth for convenience (i.e., simplifying the local scour as a general
scour), ignoring the contribution of the remaining soils apart from the
sands (φ ¼ 29 ) using commercial 3D finite element (FE) software,
’ �
PLAXIS 3D. They concluded that the loss of pile lateral capacity due to
scour was approximately 10% more in dense sands than that in loose
sands. In addition to 3D numerical simulations, a simple and practical

* Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: yunjielin@uvic.ca (Y. Lin), chenglin918@uvic.ca (C. Lin).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2020.107420
Received 25 February 2020; Received in revised form 5 April 2020; Accepted 18 April 2020
Available online 8 May 2020
0029-8018/© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Y. Lin and C. Lin Ocean Engineering 208 (2020) 107420

Notations y curves for sand

pult ultimate lateral soil resistance per unit length
Abg bottom area of scour hole at pile group Rinter interface reduction factor for soil-pile interface in PLAXIS
As ;Ac ;Bs ;Bc correcting factors for soil resistance in Reese’s p-y curves 3D
for sand S center to center pile spacing
C1 ;C2 ;C3 coefficients for determining the pult in Reese’s p-y curves for Sd depth of scour hole around single pile
sand Sdg depth of scour hole around pile group
C coefficient for determining yk in Reese’s p-y curves for sand Swb bottom width of scour hole around single pile
D pile diameter Swbg bottom width of scour hole around pile group
Deff effective diameter of pile group Swc distance between center pile to the edge of inverted
Dr relative density of soil truncated cone scour model
Eg elastic modulus of grout Swt top width of scour hole around single pile
Ep elastic modulus of pile t wall thickness of pile
Es elastic modulus of soil Wp projected width of a pile group
Et elastic modulus of tube y lateral displacement of pile
EI flexural stiffness ym ;yu ;yk specific pile deflections defining the linear portion, curved
fm p-multiplier portion, and plateau portion in Reese’s p-y curves for sand
Gs specific gravity of soil z depth below the post-scour ground line
K0 coefficient of lateral earth pressure at rest, for normally Z depth below the pre-scour ground line
consolidated soil, equal to 1 sin φ’ ze equivalent depth for modifying p-y curves to account for
Kh coefficient that accounts for the head location of a pile scour-hole dimensionsα ¼ φ’=2
group β slope angle of scour hole around single pile
kpy constant giving variation of soil reaction modulus with βg slope angle of scour hole around pile group
depth θ angle between wedge failure surface and pile, equal to 45�þ
Kr coefficient that accounts for the number of rows φ’=2
Ksp coefficient that accounts for the pile spacing ψ dilation angle
Ka coefficient of active earth pressure, equal to tan2 ð 45� φ’ friction angle
φ’ =2Þ αf skew angle of flow
L pile length υg Poisson’s ratio of grout
m slope defining portion of Reese’s p-y curves for sand υp Poisson’s ratio of pile
n number of segments, determining the power of the υs Poisson’s ratio of soil
hyperbolic part of Reese’s p-y curves for sand υt Poisson’s ratio of tube
Mmax maximum bending moment of pile γs ’ effective unit weight of soil
Nr number of rows of a pile group Δσ ’v changes in vertical effective stress due to scour
p soil resistance per unit length σ ’va vertical effective stress after scour
pm ; pu soil resistance at lateral deflection of ym and yu in Reese’s p-

method was also developed for analysis of laterally loaded single piles
under local scour conditions (Lin et al., 2014; Lin and Wu, 2019; Yang
et al., 2018; Zhang et al., 2017). This method, known as modified p-y
method, was developed by modifying the ultimate soil resistance (pult )
based on either wedge failure model or derivation of soil vertical
effective stress around piles after scour. It enables the engineers to
incorporate the effect of various scour-hole dimensions into the routine
design of piles.
In practice, piles are more commonly installed in groups, and the
behavior of pile groups is more complex than that of single piles, espe­
cially under lateral loads (Reese and Van Impe, 2001). As compared with
single isolated piles, piles in a closely spaced pile group undergo a sig­
nificant reduction in lateral capacity in both sands and clays (Ashour
and Ardalan, 2011; Brown et al., 1988; Fayyazi et al., 2014; McVay
et al., 1995; Rollins et al., 1998, 2005). This phenomenon, termed as
group effect, is due to the overlapped soil reaction zones between
neighbouring piles. Similarly, there is also a “group effect” regarding the
scour potential for a pile group - that is, scour extent around individual
piles in a pile group would be intensified as compared with that around
single isolated piles due to the increased flow velocity and the turbu­
lence between piles in the pile group. Such a double “group effect” is
anticipated to impose a more severe scour consequence for pile groups
than single piles. However, to the best of authors’ knowledge, there is no
study available concerning the scour effects on lateral responses of pile
groups. Furthermore, although there exist modified p-y methods for
analysis of single piles under local scour, no such a simple and practical
method is available for analyzing laterally loaded pile groups under
scour conditions.
This study aims to propose a simple and practical method for
analyzing laterally loaded pile groups in sands under scour conditions.
This method was developed based on the modified p-y method for
scoured single piles (Lin and Lin, 2019). A MATLAB program was
developed to implement the proposed method. The computed results
were compared with those from 3D finite element (FE) analyses in a
series of parametric studies to ensure its validity. This paper starts with a
summary of the existing research on the pile group effect and the
scour-hole dimensions for a pile group, followed by development of the
proposed method. The 3D FE analyses were carried out to verify the
proposed method through a series of parametric analyses considering
the effects of scour depth, scour-hole slope angle, soil properties, and
pile group configurations. The results that are relevant to the design of
laterally loaded pile groups under scour conditions are discussed.
2. Review of pile group effects
Pile groups under lateral loading develop a group effect because of
the shared shear zones of soils between neighbouring piles. The group
effect may consist of shallowing effect (due to overlapped soil reaction
zones between piles in different pile rows) and edge effect (due to
overlapped soil reaction zones between piles in the same pile row)

2
Y. Lin and C. Lin
(Brown et al., 1988; Fayyazi et al., 2012; Rollins et al., 1998). Based on
the full-scale load tests on a 3 � 3 free-head pile group with the spacing
of 3D in dense sands, Brown et al. (1988) found that leading row, middle
row, and back row (illustrated in Fig. 1(a)) carried significantly different
percentages of the total load: i.e., 45%, 32%, and 23%, respectively. This
demonstrates that soils surrounding different pile rows were disturbed
in various degrees, indicating the shallowing effect. McVay et al. (1995)
investigated the shadowing effect through centrifuge tests on 3D and 5D
spaced free-head pile groups (3 � 3) in both medium dense sands (Dr ¼
55%) and medium loose sands (Dr ¼ 33%). Their tests showed that
larger spaced pile groups showed less shadowing effect. Based on both
studies of Brown et al. (1988) and McVay et al. (1995), the shallowing
effect tended to be less noticeable in looser sands. In addition to cohe­
sionless soils, Rollins et al. (1998) tested the lateral behavior of a
free-head 3 � 3 pile group (S ¼ 3D) in soft to medium stiff clays. Piles in
the pile group underwent twice the lateral displacement and 50–100%
more maximum bending moment than the corresponding single isolated
piles. Piles in the same row were found to respond differently to the
lateral load (i.e., edge effect). Exterior piles in the same row were found
to carry more lateral load and experience larger bending moment than
interior piles, probably because of less overlapped shear zones at the
exterior piles than at the interior piles. Similar observations were also
obtained in 3D numerical simulations and centrifuge tests (Fayyazi
et al., 2012; Ilyas et al., 2004).
To analyze the pile group effect, the method of p-multiplier was
proposed by Brown et al. (1988), which is widely accepted in practice.
The p-multiplier method includes applying a reduction factor, i.e.,
p-multiplier (fm ) to the p-y curves for a single pile for analysis of pile
groups under lateral loads (Fig. 2) (Brown et al., 1988; Reese and Van
Impe, 2001). In general, the value of fm varies with pile spacing, pile
Fig. 1. Schematic of scour hole around a pile group: (a) the model used in 3D FE analyses, (b) the model used to derive vertical effective stress around piles.
3
Ocean Engineering 208 (2020) 107420
location in the pile group, soil properties, and pile head conditions
(Ashour and Ardalan, 2011; Brown et al., 1988; Fayyazi et al., 2012,
2014). The fm is normally back-calculated from the full-scale tests,
centrifuge tests, or full 3D numerical simulations (Brown et al., 1988;
Ilyas et al., 2004). In the absence of field test data for back-calculation,
p-multipliers may also be obtained using an empirical correlation with
pile spacing (Mokwa et al., 2000) or simply taken to be 0.6 as often used
in practice. It should be mentioned that edge effect is often neglected as
it is relatively insignificant compared with the shadowing effect.
Therefore, as will be discussed, the edge effect is not considered in this
research.
3. Review of scour-hole dimensions for pile groups
The dimensions of scour hole developed around pile groups depend
not only on flow conditions and soil properties but also on pile group
configurations (Amini et al., 2012; Lança et al., 2013; Liang et al., 2017;
Sumer et al., 2005). Based on the tests at six pile groups (S ¼ 2; 3; 5D
where S ¼ pile spacing), Sumer et al. (2005) found that the scour around
the large-spaced pile group (S ¼ 5D) developed pits around individual
piles plus a big saucer-shaped depression around the pile group. The
depression is called global scour. For the small-spaced pile groups (S ¼
2Dor 3D), individual pits overlapped with each other. In a series of
laboratory tests on 4 � 1, 4 � 2, and 4 � 3 pile groups (S ¼ 1; 2; 3; 4:5;
and 6D), Lança et al. (2013) observed that when pile spacing was small
(i.e., S � 3DÞ, individual pits were fully interconnected, forming only a
global scour hole around the pile group. When the pile spacing was
increased to S ¼ 4:5D, although the individual pits were partially
interconnected, the global scour hole still dominated the overall shape of
scour hole,. When the pile spacing was further increased to S ¼ 6D, the
Y. Lin and C. Lin Ocean Engineering 208 (2020) 107420

Fig. 2. Illustration of concept of p-multiplier (fm).

individual pits were fully disconnected. In a field survey made at Aji­

gaura Beach in Japan (Bayram and Larson, 2000), a large single global
scour hole was also observed around several pile groups with the pile
spacing of S ¼ 4:5D. Since a pile group is commonly designed with the
spacing of 3D or 4D in general practice, a single global scour hole can be
reasonably used to represent the local scour around a pile group, while
the individual pits can be ignored.
Amini et al. (2012) presented several photographs of scour holes
generated around 3 � 5 pile groups (S ¼ 1; 2; 3:5 and 5D) during the
flume tests, showing the rounded square shape of the scour holes.
Therefore, in the 3D FE analyses, scour hole around pile groups may be
modelled as an inverted rounded square pyramid frustum with di­
mensions illustrated in Fig. 1(a). Similar to scour around single piles,
scour depth (Sdg ), bottom scour width (Swbg ) and scour-hole slope angle
(βg ) are used to describe the dimensions of the scour hole around a pile
group.
As with the expression of scour depth for single piles, scour depth
around pile groups is commonly normalized to the pile diameter for
convenience. However, different from that for single piles, scour depth
developed at pile groups is dependent on pile group configuration (Lin
and Lin, 2019). To reflect the effect of pile group configuration, the
scour depth may be better normalized to effective diameter of pile
group. The effective diameter of a pile group (Deff ) is essentially the
diameter of an equivalent single pile that can develop the same local
scour depth as the pile group under the same flow conditions (Sheppard,
2003). Therefore, scour depth around the pile group after normalized to
the effective diameter (i.e., Sdg =Deff ) is comparable to scour depth
around the single pile that is normalized to the pile diameter (i.e., Sd = D). Fig. 3. Schematic of projected width (modified from Sheppard, 2003).
In other words, if both ratios are equal, the extents of scour are equiv­
alent between pile groups and singe piles. The calculation of the effec­ extended above the water level. Kr can be calculated using Eqs. (3)–(5).
tive diameter is briefly described below, while the details can be found 8 � �
in Sheppard (2003). < f1 ðNr Þ f2 S for αf � 3�
Kr ¼ D (3)
:
Deff ¼ Wp Ksp Kh Kr (1) 1 for αf > 3�
0 1 �
� � 0:875 þ 0:125Nr for 1 � Nr � 5
4 Wpi B 1 C f1 ¼ (4)
Ksp ¼ 1 1 B1 � �0:6 C (2) 1:5 for Nr > 5
3 Wp @ S
A
D

In Eqs. (1) and (2), Wp is the sum of the non-overlapped projected

widths of piles in the first column and the first two rows onto the plane
normal to the flow, as illustrated in Fig. 3. Wpi is the unobstructed width
of a single pile (Wpi ¼ D for a circular pile). Kh is taken as 1 if pile head is

4
Y. Lin and C. Lin Ocean Engineering 208 (2020) 107420

� �
8
> S S (Brown et al., 1988). Several assumptions are necessary to develop this
> a þ a for 1 � �3
>
>
>
0 1
D D proposed method:
>
> � �
<
S S
f2 ¼ a2 þ a3 for 3 � � 10 (5) (1) Soil vertical effective stress around individual piles within the
>
> D D
>
>
> pile group is assumed equal to that surrounding the center pile (e.
>
>
: a þ a ð10Þ
2 3 for
S
> 10 g., the pile located in the middle row and middle column in Fig. 1
D (a)).
(2) In deriving vertical effective stress around the center pile of the
where αf is the skew angle of the flow (shown in Fig. 3); Nr is the number
pile group, scour hole is simply approximated as an inverted
of total rows in the pile group; ao ; a1 ; a2 ; and a3 are obtained by a0 ¼
truncated cone (Fig. 1(b)) having the same scour depth and scour-
0:5 þ 1:5=f1 a1 ¼ 0:5 0:5=f1 a2 ¼ 1:429 0:429=f1 , and a3 ¼
hole slope angle, as well as the same bottom area of the scour hole
0:413 þ 0:413=f1 .
as the inverted rounded square pyramid frustum (Fig. 1(a)). The
Table 1 summarizes the measured maximum scour depth collected
inverted truncated cone is only used for derivation of post-scour
from the literature (Bayram and Larson, 2000; Lança et al., 2013; Sumer
vertical effective stress as it helps to ease the derivation and to
et al., 2005) that is normalized to both pile diameter and effective
draw on the modified p-y method for single piles developed by Lin
diameter of pile group. In the table, specific flow and soil properties are
and Lin (2019).
not given as the motivation in this study is to obtain the typical range of
(3) p-multipliers (fm ) are assumed unchanged by scour, i.e., the
scour depth around pile groups. From Table 1, scour depth around pile
values remain the same before and after scour.
group ranges from 0.86 to 2.63Deff with an average value of
(4) Bottom scour width around the pile group is assumed to be zero,
ð1:68 �0:16ÞDeff . In marine foundation design, scour depth around sin­
Swbg ¼ 0.
gle piles is normally suggested to be Sd ¼ 1:5D (API, 2011). This is
Assumptions (1) and (3) are made based on the observations of the
comparable to Sdg ¼ 1:68Deff summarised here for pile groups. In other
3D FE analysis results as will be discussed later. The key of the
words, it may be suitable to consider Sdg ¼ 1:5 2:0Deff for the design of
proposed method is to determine an equivalent depth ðze Þ below the
pile group under local scour conditions.
post-scour ground line [Eq. (6)], which is dependent on the post-
Compared with the scour depth, the typical ranges of the bottom
scour vertical effective stress [Eq. (7)]. By substituting ze for Z in
scour width and scour-hole slope angle at pile group are still not well
the original Reese’s p-y curve equations for sands (Reese and Van
studied. Consequently, the typical values of bottom scour width and
Impe, 2001), the p-y curves are modified to consider different
scour-hole slope angle around single piles may be used for pile groups in
scour-hole dimensions around pile groups [Eqs. (8)–(12)]. To
absence of specific measurement data: i.e., Swbg ¼ 0 (Lin and Wu, 2019)
consider the group effect, the curves need to be further modified by
and βg ¼ 0� ; 12� to ðφ0 1Þ (Butch, 1996; Lin and Lin, 2019).
multiplying them with fm as presented in Eq. (8).

4. Proposed method considering both scour effects and pile The equivalent depth is calculated as:
group effects
σ ’va
ze ¼ (6)
Lin and Lin (2019) proposed an analytical solution for laterally γ’s
loaded single piles considering different scour-hole dimensions. This
Following the first and second assumptions, the vertical effective
method, known as modified p-y method, is essentially modifying the
stress around individual piles in the pile group (σ ’va ) is equal to that
ultimate soil resistance (pult ) in p-y curves based on the estimation of soil
around the center pile of the pile group. Therefore, the equation of Lin
vertical effective stress around piles in post-scour conditions using the
and Lin (2019) that was derived for scour hole around single isolated
Boussinesq point load solution. The analytical solution was compared
piles can be extended to the pile group by substituting Swb in the original
with the 3D FE analyses, showing satisfactory estimates of pile lateral
equation with Swc :
capacity and bending moment. However, this method is only applicable
2 0 13
to the analyses of single piles.
6 B Sdg
þ Swc C7
6 �B tanβ Swc C7
σ ’va ¼ Δσ’v þ γ’s z ¼ γ’s z6 B ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffigffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
61 þ tanβg Bsffi� qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiC 7
4.1. Development 4 @
�2
Swc þ z2 A5
2
C7
Sdg
tanβg
þ Swc þ z2
In this research, a simple and practical method is proposed for
(7)
laterally loaded pile groups under local scour conditions by combining
the modified p-y method (Lin and Lin, 2019) and p-multiplier (fm )

Table 1
Measured maximum scour depth around pile group from literature.
Reference Test type Pile group configuration Pile diameter, Pile spacing, Skew angle,αf Scour Scour
D(mm) S ðDÞ (� ) depth, depth,Sdg ðDeff Þ
Sdg ðDÞ

Lança et al. (2013) Flume test 1�4 50 3 0 3.04 2.05

30 4.24 2.21
2�4 0 3.66 2.00
30 5.56 1.96
3�4 0 4.16 1.77
30 5.6 1.60
Sumer et al. (2005) Flume test 2�1 32 5 0 1.5 1.28
2�2 1.2 0.94
3�3 1.8 1.13
5�5 2.05 0.89
Bayram and Larson Field Rhombus shaped 4-pile 600 4.5 not given 3.50 2.63
(2000) survey group

5
Y. Lin and C. Lin Ocean Engineering 208 (2020) 107420

In Eq. (7) Sdg and βg are the scour depth and sour-hole slope angle for the proposed method. Prior to the verification, a baseline FE model was
the pile group, respectively; Swc is the distance between the toe of the established for a no-scour (or pre-scour) case utilizing the published data
inverted truncated cone and the side of the center pile (Fig. 1(b)), i.e., from the full-scale load test (Brown et al., 1988). The baseline model was
qffiffiffiffiffi
Abg then scoured to form a scour hole around the pile group. The effects of
Swc ¼ D
where Abg is the bottom area of the scour hole.
π 2 various scour-hole dimensions were then evaluated using the 3D FE
Once ze is determined in Eqs. (6) and (7), the new suite of p-y curves analyses and the proposed method. Moreover, the dependence of lateral
modified for scoured pile groups can be developed by using ze in responses of scoured pile groups on soil properties, pile spacing, and pile
conjunction with fm , as given in Eqs. (8)–(12). numbers was also investigated.
8
>
> kpy ze yfm ; y � yk
>
>
>
>
>
>
> 5.1. Baseline FE model
>
>
1
Cfm yn ; yk < y � ym
<
� �
p¼
> p m p u
The lateral load tests for single pile and pile group performed on the
>
>
>
>
pm
yu ym
ðy ym Þ fm ym < y � yu campus of University of Houston (Brown et al., 1988) were used to
>
>
>
>
> establish the baseline FE model in no scour condition. The load test
>
: fm pu y > yu results for single pile were used to back calculate the soil parameters
such as frictional angle and elastic modulus while the load test results for
(8)
pile group were used to validate the baseline FE model.
In Eq. (8), values of kpy depend on the properties of sands (Reese and Table 2 shows the properties of steel pipe piles used in the test. The
Van Impe, 2001). The displacements of ym and yu are D= 60 and 3D/80, piles were arranged in a 3 by 3 group with the pile spacing approxi­
respectively, while the other coefficients (yk ; C; n; pm ; and pu ) are mately equal to 3D. Typical values of Poisson’s ratio and elastic modulus
determined in Eqs. (9)–(12). for steel were used for the test piles, as listed in Table 2. The soils un­
derlain the site consisted of a 2.9 m compacted and submerged dense
pu ¼ As pult (9)
sand layer underlain by natural stiff clays. Since the depth of sands
exceeded 10 times pile diameter, the lateral behavior of piles was
pm ¼ Bs pult (10)
dominated by the sand properties, therefore piles were assumed to be
� � embedded in a single sand layer (Brown et al., 1988). Soil properties of
pult ¼ ðC1 ze þ C2 DÞγ’s ze ; C3 Dγ’s ze min (11)
friction angle and elastic modulus (dense sand in Table 2) were
back-calculated by fitting the FE analyses for the single pile to the
where C1 ¼ ðtan θÞ2 tan α=tanðθ φ’Þ þ Ko ftan φ’sin θ =½tanðθ
measured field test data (Fig. 4(a)). The internal friction angle of sands
φ’Þcos α� þ tan θðtan φ’sin θ tan αÞg; C2 ¼ tan θ=tanðθ φ’Þ Ka ; C3 ¼
was measured to be 38.5� based on the direct shear test, and was
Ka ½ðtan θÞ8 1� þ Ko tan φ’ðtan θÞ4 ; α ¼ φ’=2; θ ¼ 45�þ φ’= 2. Co­
approximately 30� to 45� when correlated with the data from standard
efficients of As and Bs are determined based on the loading type and
penetration test (SPT) (Brown et al., 1988). As seen in Table 2, the
relative depth (ze =D). Detailed procedures for determining coefficients
backed-calculated friction angle from pile load test fell in the range of
in modified Reese’s p-y curves can be found in Lin and Lin (2019).
SPT correlated values. Soil dilation angles were determined by ψ ¼ φ’
In Eq. (8), yk is determined by
30�(Brinkgreve et al., 2016). Effective unit weight was calculated using a
�
C n1
�n typical specific gravity value for sands (Gs ¼ 2:65).
yk ¼ (12) In the 3D FE baseline model for pile group shown in Fig. 5(a), soils
kpy ze
were modelled as an elastic perfectly plastic material with the Mohr-
1 Coulomb as a failure criterion. Groundwater table was set at the
where C ¼ pm ymn ; n ¼ pm =ðmym Þ; and m ¼ ðpu pm Þ=ðyu ym Þ.
ground surface. The pipe piles were simulated as an equivalent solid pile
Overall, once scour-hole dimensions are known, post-scour vertical
with the same outer diameter (D), pile length (L), and flexural stiffness
effective stress (σ ’va ) around individual piles within the pile group may
(EI) using linear elastic stress-strain relation. It should be noted that to
be estimated using Eq. (7). Once soil properties (e.g., kpy, φ’ ) and p- measure the bending moment of the test piles in the load tests, a small
multiplier (fm ) are available, utilizing Eqs. (6), (8) to (12), a series of steel tube with outer diameter of 16.8 cm and thickness of 1.6 cm was
modified p-y curves considering both scour-hole dimensions and pile
group effect can be generated. Normally, kpy and φ’ can be back-
Table 2
calculated from field test on a single pile while fm from field test on a Soil and pile parameters.
pile group. In the absence of field test data for back-calculation, kpy and
Soil Parameters Dense Medium Loose
φ’ may be estimated based on the empirical correlations with the data of sand dense sand sand
in-situ tests, while fm can also be estimated using empirical correlations
Effective unit 9.83 9.83 9.83
as discussed previously in Section 2. Soil (Mohr- weight, γs’ (kN/m3)
Coulomb) Friction angle, φ0 (� ) 43* 33 29
4.2. Implementation Dilation angle, ψ ð� ) 13 3 0
Elastic modulus, Es 55,000* 35,350 15,150
(kPa)
The proposed method is essentially the modification of the p-y curves
Poisson’s ratio, υs 0.3 0.3 0.3
for sands to account for various scour-hole dimensions and pile group Pile (Linear Pile length, L (m) 12.81
effects. The modified p-y curves are incorporated to the Euler-Bernoulli elastic) Pile diameter, D (m) 0.273
beam equation, with which the lateral responses of a pile group under Wall thickness, t 9.27
various scour-hole dimensions can be calculated. To solve the nonlinear (mm)
Poisson’s ratio, υp 0.3
fourth order beam equation, a finite difference algorithm with Newton’s Modulus of pile, Ep 2.02 � 108
iteration was developed and implemented in MATLAB. (kPa)
Modulus of grout, Eg 22 � 107
5. 3D finite element analysis (kPa)

Note: *indicates back-calculated parameters based on field test (Brown et al.,

A series of 3D FE analyses was performed using PLAXIS 3D to verify 1988).

6
Y. Lin and C. Lin
Fig. 4. Comparison of lateral load-displacement at pile head in pre-scour conditions calculated using different methods: (a) single pile, (b) pile group (3 by 3).
inserted inside the test pile, with the gap between the tube and the
interior wall of the test pile being grouted (Brown et al., 1988). Thus,
contributions of grout and small steel tube to the overall flexural stiff­
ness were considered by using typical material properties for the tube
and grout (i.e., Et ¼ 2:02 � 108 kPa; νt ¼ 0:3; Eg ¼ 2:2 � 107 kPa; νg ¼
0:3). In the field test, piles in the pile group were pin-connected to a
frame, which allowed the pile head to rotate freely, and the pile head
was located 0.305 m above the ground surface. Therefore, a free-head
condition was simulated. Interactions between soils and piles were
simulated with interface elements, which were composed of node pairs.
Two elastic-perfectly plastic springs were applied to each pair of nodes
to model the gap displacement and slip displacement, respectively
(Brinkgreve et al., 2016). The strength reduction factor (Rinter ) of 0.7 was
specified to account for the roughness of interfaces based on the types of
soils and structures (Brinkgreve and Shen, 2011). The pile group was
laterally loaded with a prescribed incremental displacement of 6.35 mm
7
Ocean Engineering 208 (2020) 107420
(0.25 inch) at the pile head until the total lateral displacement reached
38.1 mm (1.5 inches).
In PLAXIS 3D, the geometry of finite elements is restricted to 10-node
tetrahedron, leading to difficulties in computing bending moments using
the direct integration of normal stress over the cross section of pile (Lin
and Lin, 2019). Consequently, a special massless structural beam
(dummy beam) was inserted to the pile to assist with the calculation of
bending moments. The dummy beam has the same diameter as the test
pile but a negligible modulus (equal to 10 6 times that of the equivalent
solid piles). The bending moment of the test pile was then determined by
multiplying the bending moment of the dummy beam by 106 (Dao,
2011). The default meshing function in PLAXIS 3D (i.e., medium dense)
was used to create a mesh in the 3D FE model, where the pile elements
along the pile length and the soil elements in the upper 4.88 m were
refined using a coarseness factor of 0.1 and 0.6, respectively. Overall,
more than 150,000 elements were generated in the 3D FE model for pile
Y. Lin and C. Lin
Fig. 5. Contour of vertical effective stress distribution: (a) pre-scour; (b) post-
scour (Sdg ¼ 3D, Swg ¼ 0, βg ¼ 26.6� ).
group analyses. The boundaries of the model were set sufficiently far
from the pile group to avoid the boundary effects on the numerical
modelling. In this research, the horizontal boundaries were set at a
distance of 60D (parallel to the horizontal loads) and 40D (perpendic­
ular to the horizontal loads) from the center of the pile group while the
vertical boundary was located 10D below the pile toe.
The results of lateral displacement at pile head and lateral responses
along pile shaft from the baseline FE model are presented in Figs. 4(b)
and Fig. 6, respectively. Fig. 4(b) indicates that as compared with the
field test data, the baseline FE model produced agreeable but slightly
conservative results especially for the leading row. In other words, 3D FE
model overestimated the shadowing effect behind the leading row.
Fig. 6 shows the calculated bending moment for a single isolated pile
and the averaged value for each row in the pile group. Overall, the
computed bending moments were in agreement with the measured data.
The baseline FE model also predicted well the maximum bending
moment and the locations of maximum bending moment at different
8
Ocean Engineering 208 (2020) 107420
rows. Overall, the above comparison to field test data validates the
baseline FE model.
6. Simulation of scour hole and parametric analyses
The validated baseline FE model was used to simulate the lateral
behavior of pile group under various scour-hole conditions. For the
proposed method, the input values of kpy and φ’ were back-calculated
from the load tests for single pile, and fm was back-calculated from the
load test for pile group. The p-y method was used for the back calcula­
tion (see Fig. 4(a) and (b)). The back-calculated kpy was 34MN=m3 . The
back-calculated φ’ was 48� , which is higher than the 3D FE back-
calculated (i.e., 43� in Table 2). The φ’ back calculated from the p-y
method could be different from that from the 3D FE method (FEM) due
to the different constitutive relationships and numerical solutions used
in these two methods. The back-calculated fm for the leading row,
middle row, and back row was 0.8, 0.4, and 0.25, respectively. Fig. 6
shows the relatively good comparison of bending moment profiles be­
tween p-y method and the field measurement. Note that the proposed
method is reduced to the p-y method for pile group in no scour or pre-
scour conditions. Therefore, results from Fig. 6 confirm that the pro­
posed method is competent for evaluation for pile group effects, while its
feasibility to evaluate effects of scour-hole dimensions need to be further
verified by the 3D FE model.
Scour hole around a pile group was simulated as an inverted rounded
square pyramid frustum with 3D FEM illustrated in Fig. 1(a), and as an
equivalent inverted truncated cone with the proposed method shown in
Fig. 1(b). Fig. 5 indicates the distribution of vertical effective stress in
both pre-scour and post-scour condition. It is shown that vertical
effective stress beneath the scour hole is reduced due to the removal of
soils. Moreover, variation of vertical effective stress between piles was
small, which confirms the first assumption of the proposed method. The
dimensions of a scour hole were defined by scour depth (Sdg ), scour
bottom width (Swbg ), and scour-hole slope angle (βg ). To investigate the
effects of scour-hole dimensions on lateral responses of pile group, in
both 3D FEM and the proposed method, Sdg was varied from 0, 0.7Deff,
1.4Deff, 2.1Deff to 2.8Deff, which corresponded to 0, 1.5D, 3D, 4.5D to 6D.
The Swbg was set to 0, and βg varied from 0� ; 12� to ðφ’ 1Þ where φ’ is
soil friction angle. Note that the scour-hole slope angle should not be set
equal to or greater than the internal friction angle of soils to avoid soil
failure.
In addition to varying scour-hole dimensions, the effects of various
soil properties, pile spacing, and pile number on the scour susceptibility
of pile groups were also investigated by using both 3D FEM and the
proposed method. For the variation of soil properties, besides the dense
sands from the test site, medium dense and loose sands were added for
consideration. Typical values of internal friction angle and elastic
modulus (Table 2) were assumed for the medium dense and loose sands
(Kulhawy and Mayne, 1990). For the effect of pile spacing, a 3 by 3 pile
group with the pile spacing varied from 2D, 3D, 4D, 5D to 6D was
evaluated. For the pile number effect, three groups of 2 by 2, 3 by 3, and
4 by 4 with the same pile spacing of 3D were investigated.
7. Results and discussion
Results from the proposed method and 3D FEM included lateral ca­
pacity ratio, bending moment profiles, and load distribution of piles
within the pile group. The pile lateral capacity is defined as an applied
lateral load yielding 25-mm lateral displacement at the head of the pile
group (Lin and Wu, 2019). Instead of directly using lateral capacity, the
lateral capacity ratio, which is a ratio of lateral capacity of pile group
after scour to that before scour, is presented in this research to better
indicate the loss of pile lateral capacity due to scour (Lin and Lin, 2019).
The bending moment is presented as the averaged value in each row of
pile group.
Y. Lin and C. Lin
Fig. 6. Comparison of bending moment profiles of the pile group (3 � 3) in pre-scour condition: (a) single isolated pile, (b) back row, (c) middle row, and (d)
leading row.
7.1. Effects of scour depth
Fig. 7 presents the averaged load-displacement curves of 3 � 3 pile
group (S ¼ 3D) under various scour depth (Sdg ¼ 0 ​ to ​ 2:8Deff or 0 to
6D) while Swbg ¼ 0 and βg ¼ 26:6� . The averaged load of pile group is
calculated by dividing the total lateral load of the pile group by the
number of piles. The proposed method and 3D FEM resulted in
reasonably agreeable results. As discussed in the baseline model verifi­
cation, 3D FEM overestimated the shadowing effect (shown in Fig. 4(b)),
9
Ocean Engineering 208 (2020) 107420
especially in the leading row; therefore, the calculated averaged load
was relatively smaller than that from the proposed method in the pre-
scour condition. However, the opposite results were observed as scour
depth increased as seen in Fig. 7. This change may be explained by that
as with the modified p-y method for scoured single pile (Lin and Lin,
2019), the proposed method herein also failed to account for the soil-pile
interface friction that could potentially reduce the scour-induced release
of vertical stress of soils surrounding piles. In other words, the proposed
method underestimated the vertical effective stress of soils around piles,
Y. Lin and C. Lin
Fig. 7. Lateral load-displacement curves of a pile group (3 by 3) at different scour depth (βg ¼ 26.6� , pile spacing ¼ 3D).
leading to a lower estimated lateral resistance to piles than the 3D FEM.
This effect can be more pronounced in group piles than in single piles
due to the pile group effects.
Fig. 8 presents variations of lateral capacity ratios with scour depth
computed by the proposed method and 3D FEM, showing good agree­
ment. As the scour depth increased from 0 to 2.8Deff (0 to 6D), the lateral
capacity ratio was decreased from 1 to 0.42 according to the 3D FE
analyses, meaning 58% loss of lateral capacity of the pile group. As
compared with 3D FEM, the proposed method underestimated the
lateral capacity ratio by 12–22%. Such an underestimate was also found
in single piles but less significant (i.e., 10–18%) (Lin and Lin, 2019). As
discussed above, this is attributed to the under-estimated post-scour
vertical effective stress of soils around piles by the proposed method
which is amplified in pile group analysis. Fig. 8 also indicates that when
Sdg ¼ 1:5Deff , Swbg ¼ 0, and βg ¼ 26:6� , the lateral capacity ratio was
calculated to be 0.52 and 0.68 by the proposed method and 3D FEM,
Fig. 8. Lateral capacity ratio of pile group (3 by 3) at different scour depths (βg ¼ 26.6� , pile spacing ¼ 3D).
10
Ocean Engineering 208 (2020) 107420
respectively. These numbers were lower than those estimated using the
modified p-y method and 3D FEM for single piles (0.73 and 0.82,
respectively) in similarly dense sands (φ’ ¼ 39�) and equivalent scour
conditions (Sd ¼ 1:5D; Swb ¼ 0; and β ¼ 26:6�) (Lin and Lin, 2019). This
comparison demonstrates that the scour induced lateral capacity loss
was more severe in pile groups than in single piles.
Fig. 9 shows the load distribution within the pile group varied with
scour depth. Two methods predicted agreeable load share at different
pile rows. It is shown that leading row carried the largest lateral load as
the surrounding soils were least disturbed. As scour depth increased
from 0 to 2.8Deff (0 to 6D), only slight variations in load distribution
were observed in both the proposed method and 3D FEM, in which the
load share decreased by 2.4% in the leading row, increased by 2.5% in
the back row, while remained unchanged in the middle row. This result
indicates that variation of scour depth had a negligible effect on the pile
group effect. Therefore, it would be reasonable to assume that p-
Y. Lin and C. Lin Ocean Engineering 208 (2020) 107420

Fig. 9. Variations of load share in a pile group (3 by 3) with scour depth (βg ¼ 26.6� , pile spacing ¼ 3D).

multipliers are not changed by the increase in scour depth. This is
consistent to the third assumption made for the proposed method.
Fig. 10 depicts the profiles of averaged bending moment of each row
at two different scour depths (Sd ¼ 1:4Deff and 2:8Deff ) when the pile
group was subjected to a lateral pile-head displacement of 25 mm.
Bending moment profiles obtained by the proposed method and 3D FEM
match well. As with the results in the pre-scour conditions in Fig. 6, the
leading row had the largest bending moment than the other rows in the
post-scour conditions. The 3D FE analyses show that as scour depth
increased from 1.4 to 2.8 Deff (3 to 6D), the maximum bending moment
decreased by 18%, 16%, and 14% in the leading row, middle row, and
back row, respectively, and the corresponding locations moved toward a
deeper depth by about 2.2D, 2.0D, and 1.6D, respectively. Similar
change in maximum bending moment and corresponding location were
also captured by the proposed method. This result indicates that the
change in the location of maximum bending moment did not keep up

Fig. 10. Profiles of bending moment of the pile group (3 by 3) varied with scour depth: (a) back row, (b) middle row, and (c) leading row (βg ¼ 26.6� , pile spacing
¼ 3D).

11
Y. Lin and C. Lin
with the increase in scour depth (i.e., 3D), which agreed with the find­
ings for the scoured single piles (Lin and Lin, 2019). In other words, as
scour depth increased, the locations of Mmax would move toward the
post-scour ground line with the location in the back and middle rows
being closer to the post-scour ground line than in the leading row.
Fig. 11 shows contours of horizontal displacement and effective
stress of soils in both pre-scour and post-scour conditions when the top
of the pile group was mobilized laterally by one inch (25 mm).
Displacement and stress distributions show that the pile group under the
scoured condition developed smaller passive influence zone than under
the pre-scour condition. This may be attributed to that at the same
lateral deflection at pile head, less lateral displacement was applied to
the ground in the post-scour condition than in the pre-scour condition as
the cantilever portion of pile group was increased by scour. Fig. 11(b)
indicates that in the post-scour condition, the lateral movement of soils
on the passive side was restrained by the unscoured overburden away
from the piles, showing a prograde pattern. This is in contrast to the
wedge pattern on the passive side in the pre-scour condition in Fig. 11
(a). Fig. 11(a) and (b) also indicate that pre-scour and post-scour soil
Fig. 11. Contours in pre-scour and post-scour conditions: (a)(b) horizontal displacement; (c)(d) horizontal effective stress.
12
Ocean Engineering 208 (2020) 107420
displacement fields within the pile group and on the active side were in a
similar pattern. Fig. 11(c) and (d) indicate that although the area of soil
reactions was different, the distribution of soil reactions exhibited
similar patterns before and after scour. This may explain why similar
load share was observed under various scour depths in Fig. 9.
7.2. Effects of scour-hole slope angle
Fig. 12 shows variations of lateral capacity ratio with scour-hole
slope angle when it varied from βg ¼ 0�to 42�while the scour depth
remained at Sdg ¼ 1:4Deff (or 3D). The upper bound of βg was limited to
42�as it should not exceed the internal friction angle of sands (43�) to
avoid soil failure. The value of βg ¼ 0�corresponded to the case where
the local scour is simplified as a general scour hole, which is often used
in general design practice of pile foundations under scour conditions.
The results yielded by the two methods showed a similar trend but an
increasing deviation as the βg increased. For example, the discrepancy
increased from 7.8% at βg ¼ 0�to 20.6% at βg ¼ 42�. However, compared
Y. Lin and C. Lin
Fig. 12. Lateral capacity ratio of pile group (3 by 3) at different scour-hole
slope angle (Sdg ¼ 1.4Deff or 3D, pile spacing ¼ 3D).
to 3D FEM results, the results from the proposed method were conser­
vative. The insensitivity of the proposed method against scour-hole
slope angle may be primarily due to its underestimation of the vertical
effective stress of soils around piles as discussed before, and secondarily
due to its inability to evaluate the difference of passive and active earth
pressures between the perimeter piles at various βg , which will be dis­
cussed later. The total decrease in lateral capacity ratio with the
decrease in βg was estimated to be 0.05 and 0.15 based on the proposed
method and 3D FEM, respectively. In other words, the loss of lateral
capacity by varying βg was only 5% and 15%, which are much smaller
than the loss of lateral capacity due to scour depth (63% with the pro­
posed method and 58% with 3D FEM in Fig. 8). This indicates that the
effect of scour-hole slope angle was much less noticeable than the effect
of scour depth. Fig. 12 also shows that simplifying the local scour as a
general scour (i.e. ​ βg ¼ 0�) underestimated the lateral capacity of pile
group by 17% as compared with the typical local scour (i.e., βg ¼ 26:6�).
Fig. 13 shows the load share at different pile rows varied with
different scour-hole slope angles. From the proposed method, the load
share at each row did not change with the increase of βg . The reason is
that the post-scour vertical effective stress around individual piles in the
pile group was approximated by that around the center pile. According
to Lin et al. (2014), the effect of scour-hole slope angle on laterally
Fig. 13. Load share among the pile group (3 by 3) at different scour-hole slope angle (Sdg ¼ 1.4Deff or 3D, pile spacing ¼ 3D).
13
Ocean Engineering 208 (2020) 107420
loaded single pile was less significant when the bottom scour width was
greater than 3D. In this research, the value of Swc was 3:4D, which thus
led to the calculated lateral responses less prone to the change of
scour-hole slope angle. Technically speaking, the increase in scour-hole
slope angle would provide a higher lateral resistance to the leading row
(passive earth resistance) and a higher active earth pressure to the back
row. Therefore, as the slope angle increased, load share would increase
in the leading row but decrease in the back row. This effect was captured
by the 3D FE analyses; however, it was insignificant. For example, the
results of FE analyses in Fig. 13 indicate that as βg increased from 0 to
�
42 , the load share of the leading row increased by 4.4%, and the amount
�
of lateral load increased at the leading row was equal to the amount
decreased in the back row. This result also reveals that the effect of
change in βg on pile group effect is small. Therefore, it is reasonable to
assume that p-multipliers are not affected by the changes in scour-hole
slope angle, which confirms the third assumption for the proposed
method. Fig. 14 shows similar bending moment profiles computed by
the two methods for two typical scour-hole slope angles βg ¼ 0�and 26:6�,
which are often used in general practice. This result indicates that by
simply treating local scour as a general scour, the maximum bending
moment was underestimated by 8–15%. Moreover, the computed loca­
tion of Mmax when βg ¼ 0�was 0.9D, 0.4D, and 0.2D deeper in the leading
row, middle row, and back row, respectively than that when βg ¼ 26:6�.
Overall, the computed results of lateral deflections, load distribution
in the pile group, and bending moments using the proposed method
were agreeable with those from the 3D FE analyses. This validates the
effectiveness of the proposed method in the assessment of scour-hole
dimension effects on the lateral behavior of a pile group.
7.3. Effects of soil properties
Besides the scour-hole dimensions, scour effects on lateral responses
(i.e., lateral capacity ratio and bending moment) of the pile group were
further investigated in different soil properties using the proposed
method and 3D FEM. Sands of various densities (φ’ ¼ 43�; 33�; and 29�)
were considered in the 3D FE model and the specific soil properties are
summarised in Table 2. For the proposed method, the corresponding soil
properties for dense, medium dense, and loose sands were: φ’ ¼ 48�; 35�;
and 26�, respectively, and kpy ¼ 34MN=m3 ; 16:3 MN=m3 ; and
5:4MN=m3 , respectively. It should be noted that in the proposed
method, the parameters in dense sands were back-calculated based on
the pile load test data while those in medium dense and loose sands were
Y. Lin and C. Lin Ocean Engineering 208 (2020) 107420

Fig. 14. Profiles of bending moment of the pile group (3 by 3) varied with scour-hole slope angle: (a) back row, (b) middle row, and (c) leading row (Sdg ¼ 1.4Deff or
3D, pile spacing ¼ 3D).

determined by fitting the 3D FE analysis results in the pre-scour
conditions.
Fig. 15 depicts the relationship of lateral capacity ratio with scour
depth in different sand properties. It is shown that lateral capacity ratio
was different between dense and loose sands, and the proposed method
yielded lower lateral capacity ratio than 3D FEM but with similar trends.
As the scour depth increased from 0 to 2.8Deff, scour-induced lateral
capacity loss in dense sands, medium dense sands, and loose sands was
67%, 61%, and 57%, respectively in the proposed method, but 58%,
50%, and 45%, respectively in 3D FEM. This result demonstrates that
pile groups were more sensitive to scour in denser sands. Similar
conclusion was also found for the scoured single piles in sands of varying
relative density (Lin and Lin, 2019). Under the similar soil conditions
and scour-hole dimensions (i.e., Sd ¼ 1:5D; Swb ¼ 0 and β ¼ 26:6� for
single piles versus Sdg ¼ 1:5Deff ; Swbg ¼ 0 and βg ¼ 26:6�for pile groups),
a pile group was found to undergo greater lateral capacity losses than a
single pile: i.e., 22–32% in the pile group vs. 15–18% in the single pile
(Lin and Lin, 2019). In other words, scour impact was more severe on
pile groups than on single piles. The computed lateral capacity ratios of
the pile group when βg ¼ 0�and 26:6�and Sdg ¼ 1:4 Deff (or 3DÞ are
presented in Table 3. It is shown that the lateral capacity ratio estimated

Fig. 15. Lateral capacity ratio of pile group (3 by 3) at different scour depth in different relative density of sand (βg ¼ 26.6� , pile spacing ¼ 3D).

14
Y. Lin and C. Lin Ocean Engineering 208 (2020) 107420

Table 3 construction of the pile cap. The spacing of 3D or 4D is most common­

Lateral capacity ratio of pile group (3 by 3) in different relative density of sand place in design and construction practice of pile groups. To facilitate the
(spacing ¼ 3D). analyses and comparison, only a single global scour hole was considered
Relative density of Sdg ¼ 3D, βg ¼ 0� Sdg ¼ 3D, βg ¼ 26.6� herein even the pile spacing exceeded 4.5D. Fig. 17 shows the rela­
sand
3D Proposed 3D Proposed
tionship between lateral capacity ratio and pile spacing for the 3 by 3
FEM method FEM method pile group when Sdg ¼ 1:4Deff (or 3D), and βg ¼ 0�and 26:6�. Although the
proposed method produced less lateral capacity ratio than 3D FEM, the
Dense 0.58 0.54 0.70 0.57
Medium 0.65 0.59 0.76 0.64 trends from both methods were consistent. From the 3D FE analyses, the
Loose 0.70 0.62 0.79 0.67 increase in pile spacing resulted in the increase in lateral capacity loss by
3% and 9%, respectively, when βg ¼ 0�and 26:6�. In other words, pile
groups of smaller pile spacing experienced less lateral capacity loss,
for various sand properties in the case of βg ¼ 0�was 11–17% lower than
which was more obvious at βg ¼ 26:6�. The discrepancy in calculated
that in the case of βg ¼ 26:6�, indicating the conservatism caused by
lateral capacity ratio for βg ¼ 0�and 26:6�diminished as pile spacing
simplifying the local scour as a general scour. In contrast to 3D FEM, the
increased.
proposed method estimated much less difference of lateral capacity ratio
The effect of pile numbers on the lateral behavior of the scoured pile
between βg ¼ 0�and βg ¼ 26:6�(i.e., 5–8%) in various sand properties as
group was also examined using both the proposed method and 3D FEM.
it was less sensitive to the changes in scour-hole slope angle. Table 4 presents the computed lateral capacity ratio of 2 by 2, 3 by 3 and
Fig. 16 shows profiles of bending moment varied with properties of 4 by 4 pile groups with pile spacing of 3D under the same scour condi­
sands when Sdg ¼ 1:4Deff and βg ¼ 26:6�. Both the proposed method and tion (Sdg ¼ 1:4Deff , βg ¼ 0�and 26:6�) in dense sands. Overall, the pro­
3D FEM showed the variations of maximum bending moments with posed method yielded agreeable results as compared with the 3D FEM;
different rows and sand density. As the sand relative density increased, however, the results calculated by the proposed method became more
the maximum bending moment in the leading, middle, and back row conservative at a larger size of pile group in the case of βg ¼ 26:6� . This
was increased by 71%, 68%, and 57%, respectively. Moreover, the lo­
might be attributed to the approximation of post-scour vertical effective
cations of Mmax in dense sands were about 2D closer to the bottom of
stress around the individual piles by that around the center pile. Table 4
scour hole than in loose sands.
also shows that the 2 by 2 pile group underwent 6% and 16% more
lateral capacity loss when βg ¼ 0�and 26:6�, respectively, than the 4 � 4
7.4. Effects of pile spacing and pile numbers pile group based on the 3D FE analyses. This result indicates that the
lateral capacity loss due to local scour was more pronounced in the
The effects of pile spacing on the lateral behavior of the scoured pile smaller pile group.
group in dense sands were investigated by varying the pile spacing from
2D to 6D. Pile spacing beyond this range is not commonly seen in
practice, as it would lead to either installation difficulties or high cost of

Fig. 16. Profiles of bending moment of pile group (3 by 3) varied with relative density of sand: (a) back row, (b) middle row, and (c) leading row (Sdg ¼ 1.4Deff or 3D,
βg ¼ 26.6� , pile spacing ¼ 3D).

15
Y. Lin and C. Lin Ocean Engineering 208 (2020) 107420

Fig. 17. Lateral capacity ratio of pile group (3 by 3) varied with pile spacing (Sdg ¼ 1.4Deff or 3D).

Moreover, the locations of Mmax in dense sands were approxi­

Table 4
mately 2D closer to the bottom of scour hole than in loose sands.
Lateral capacity ratio varied with pile numbers.
(4) Pile groups tended to be more susceptible to local scour than
Pile group Sdg ¼ 3D, βg ¼ 0� Sdg ¼ 3D, βg ¼ 26.6� single piles. In similar soil conditions, lateral capacity loss of pile
arrangement
3D Proposed 3D Proposed groups was 22–32% when Sdg ¼ 1:5Deff while that of single piles
FEM method FEM method was 15–18% when Sd ¼ 1:5D.
2�2 0.55 0.52 0.69 0.58 (5) Pile groups with smaller pile spacing experienced less lateral
3�3 0.58 0.54 0.70 0.57 capacity loss when subjected to the same changes in scour-hole
4�4 0.61 0.55 0.85 0.58 dimensions. A smaller pile group (e.g., 2 by 2 pile group) ten­
ded to undergo a greater lateral capacity loss than a larger pile
8. Conclusions group (e.g., 4 by 4 pile group). Consequently, the design of pile
groups with smaller pile spacing and larger pile numbers may
This study proposes a simple and practical method to evaluate lateral help alleviate the scour impact.
behavior of a pile group under scour conditions, which was developed (6) A limitation of the proposed method is that the estimated results
based on the modified p-y method for single piles in various scour-hole were insensitive to the changes in scour-hole slope angle. A
geometries. The proposed method was verified with the full 3D finite further study would be warranted to improve the proposed
element analyses whose baseline model was validated against the load method.
test of a pile group. A series of parametric studies was performed
through varying scour-hole dimensions, soil properties, pile spacing, Declaration of competing interest
and pile numbers of the pile group. Comparisons of the results between
the proposed method and 3D finite element method showed satisfactory The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
agreement, validating the effectiveness of the proposed method. The interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
following conclusions can be drawn from this study: the work reported in this paper.

(1) The increase in scour depth from Sdg ¼ 0 to 2.8Deff (or 0 to 6D)
resulted in approximately 58–67% loss of lateral capacity for a 3
by 3 pile group with pile spacing of 3D. As scour depth increased
from 1.4 to 2.8Deff (or 3 to 6D), the maximum bending moment
(Mmax) in the leading row, middle row, and back row decreased
by 18%, 16%, and 14%, respectively. The corresponding loca­
tions of Mmax also moved toward the post-scour ground line with
the increase in scour depth.
(2) At a given scour depth (Sdg ¼ 1:4Deff ), simplifying the local scour
as a general scour (i.e., βg ¼ 0�) underestimated lateral capacity of
pile groups in dense sands by 17% and Mmax by 8–15% as
compared with when βg ¼ 26:6�. The underestimates were more
pronounced in dense sands than in loose sands.
(3) Pile groups were found to be more prone to scour impact in
denser sands. Scour-induced lateral capacity loss of pile groups
was 10–13% more in dense sands than that in loose sands.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Yunjie Lin: Conceptualization, Software, Formal analysis, Data
curation, Writing - original draft. Cheng Lin: Methodology, Writing -
review & editing, Supervision.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the support by Natural Sci­
ences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) through a
discovery grant.
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