Nondimensional Solutions for Laterally Loaded Piles in Sand Considering Nonlinear Soil–Pile Interactions

This article presents nondimensional solutions for laterally loaded piles in sand considering nonlinear soil–pile interactions. A nonlinear elastoplastic p–y model, termed the H-model, is introduced, and its ability to model the responses of laterally loaded piles in sand is demonstrated. Nondimensional forms of both the H-model and the governing equation for laterally loaded piles are then derived, after which the nondimensional responses of free-head piles subject to lateral forces and moments and that of fixed-head piles subject to lateral forces are evaluated using the finite-element method. It is found that (1) the pile responses are significantly affected by the nondimensional pile length; and (2) using nonlinear soil–pile interaction, the critical length of the pile increases with increasing normalized displacement and is noticeably larger than that utilizing linear soil–pile interaction. The quantitative nondimensional relationship between force and the moment responses of free- and fixed-head long piles is also obtained. Two design curves, normalized force against normalized displacement and normalized force against maximum normalized moment, are presented. Illustrative examples are given to show the step-by-step procedure for how the curves could be used in practice to estimate the behavior of piles.