Lateral Load and Shaking Table Tests on Model Pile in Saturated Sand Specimen

Lateral Load and Shaking Table Tests on Model Pile in Saturated Sand Specimen

To study the behavior of soil-pile interaction for a pile foundation in saturated sand under earthquake shakings, a series of lateral loading tests and shaking table tests were conducted on the instrumented model pile within a saturated Vietnam sand specimen inside the laminar shear box at the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering(NCREE). The model pile, 1.60 m in length, was made of aluminum alloy with an outer diameter of 101.6 mm and a thickness of 3 mm. The pile tip was fixed at the bottom of the laminar shear box to simulate the condition of a pile foundation embedded in the rock or within a firm soil stratum. Strain gauges and accelerometers were installed on the pile surface to observe the behavior of the pile during shaking. The near-field and far-field soil responses, including pore pressure changes, accelerations, and settlements were also measured. Unidirectional and multi-directional shaking table tests were performed on the model pile in the shear box with and without soil. The shakings included sinusoidal and recorded earthquake accelerations. The results of this study can be used for the design of pile foundations under seismic loadings.