Numerical Investigation of the Scouring Effect on the Lateral Response of Piles in Sand

Scouring around a bridge foundation is a problem of much concern to civil engineers. The main purpose of this paper is to gain more understanding of the effect of scouring around the pile on the lateral capacity of the piles embedded in sandy soil. Factors such as soil stiffness, pile head fixity, and pile slenderness ratio (L/B) were studied to show their effects on the variation of the percentage decrease of lateral load capacity (PDC) due to scouring near an isolated pile. The results indicate that the PDC value reaches almost 50% when the scour depth reaches 1.3 to 2.4 times the pile diameter, and that piles with a fixed head are more capable of resisting lateral load loss. Furthermore, the PDC values remain almost constant after the pile slenderness ratio is greater than 10. Hence, the decrease in lateral load due to scouring of the soil will be more serious for short piles.