Effect of Sloping Ground on the Pile Behaviour Under Varying Static Lateral Loads

Generally, pile foundations are used in offshore structures to resist huge lateral loads, which can be inferred as a result of wind, waves, earthquakes, and moving trains. The sloping grounds vary from gentle slopes in case of mooring platforms or berthing structures to steeper slopes in case of transmission towers to be erected on hilly or mountainous areas. Hence, it is critical to analyse the response of piles on varying slopes and also the interaction between the soil and pile at different slopes. The current study aims to understand the behaviour of single pile and pile groups on the sloping ground under varying static lateral loads. A parametric study is conducted on model aluminium piles embedded in uniform sand stratum with varying pile configurations (single pile and 2 × 2 pile group), aspect ratio (12, 25, 40), pile spacing (3D and 5D), lateral load (forward and reverse directions), and slope (horizontal, 1V:3H and 1V:5H). The effect of slope, load deflection, and bending moment characteristics of the pile was examined under different loading circumstances. The forward lateral load condition implies a significant reduction in the pile lateral load capacity; single piles showed percentage reductions of 60%, 48%, and 40%, while the 2 × 2 pile group for 3D spacing showed reductions of 70%, 52, and 48%. The effect of slope, load deflection, and bending moment characteristics of the pile was examined under different static lateral loading directions.