Centrifuge Modeling of Laterally Loaded Pile Groups in Sands

Presented is a novel apparatus to drive and laterally load groups of six to nine piles in flight. The main component of the device is a flat plate with multiple apertures which are opened or closed through pneumatic solenoids while being raised or lowered with stepping motors via a PC. Presently, both lateral load versus deformation and load distribution within the rows can be measured. Testing on both loose and medium dense sands at three and five-pile-diameter spacings have been completed for free-headed groups of nine piles. It was found that as the soil's density increased, so did the group's lateral resistance as well as the variation from row to row. The five-pile-diameter groups carried larger lateral loads and resulted in a more even load distribution from row to row than its three-diameter counterpart. Work is underway to test larger groups as well as inclined piles.