Model tests on work behaviors of retaining piles with different lengths and horizontal support

A new type of contiguous piles with different lengths as retaining structure is developed.Eleven groups of model tests on the new type of retaining piles with horizontal support are performed.The strain and the displacement of the piles are measured during the process of excavation.The behaviors of contiguous piles with the same length for all piles and those with different lengths are compared.The results of model tests show that the capacity of the two types of retaining piles in terms of displacement control is similar when the embedded length of short piles is not too small.This new type of contiguous piles is effective and leads to low cost.