Analysis of Laterally Loaded Large-Diameter Rigid Piles Considering Vertical and Horizontal Soil Displacements

A continuum-based analytical framework for a rigid circular pile embedded in an elastic, multi-layered soil continuum under static lateral load and moment is developed using the principle of virtual work. Soil displacement is chosen based on the geometry and kinematics of the pile, and the vertical displacement in the soil caused by the large-diameter pile is explicitly considered in the analysis. An iterative algorithm is used to obtain the solutions of the equations for the pile and soil displacement. The method is computationally efficient and provides accurate results for laterally loaded large-diameter rigid piles without adjusting the soil modulus. The equivalent lateral soil spring stiffnesses at the side of the pile are also derived analytically from the solution, and curve-fitted equations for the spring stiffnesses are provided for piles in homogeneous soil under different loading conditions.