Experimental and Numerical Study of Enlarged-Head Monopile Under Lateral Load in Soft Clay
Vol. 11 No. 2 (2025): February
Research Articles
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The behavior of piles and the reaction of soils in contact with structures are crucial aspects of foundation engineering. Laboratory model tests were investigated to evaluate the enhancement of the subgrade modulus for laterally loaded piles with enlarged heads in clay. These tests compared typical piles with enlarged heads in soft clay, considering factors such as the pile slenderness ratio and geometric configurations. The study was expanded by simulating monopiles with and without head enlargements using the numerical program Plaxis 3D. The results highlight the effectiveness of enlarged-head piles, demonstrating a substantial increase in lateral subgrade reaction with adequate head depth. For piles with Lp/Dp = 24, an enlarged head geometry of Le/Lp = 0.4, ΔDe/Dp = 1, and an undrained shear strength Cu = 15, the subgrade modulus improved by 200% compared to typical piles. Additionally, for Lp/Dp = 24 piles, the improvement due to enlargement was 1.3 and 2 times for Cu values of 10 and 15 kPa, respectively. These findings emphasize the advantages of using enlarged heads, especially uniform shapes, which are more practical and effective than tapered shapes. The numerical simulations corroborated the experimental results, providing detailed insights into deformation and bending moment variations that are challenging to measure in laboratory tests.
Doi:10.28991/CEJ-2025-011-02-04
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Elsiragy, M., Azzam, W., & Kassem, E. M. (2025). Experimental and Numerical Study of Enlarged-Head Monopile Under Lateral Load in Soft Clay. Civil Engineering Journal, 11(2), 453–471. https://doi.org/10.28991/CEJ-2025-011-02-04
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[2] Qin, H., Hung, C. Y., Wang, H., & Zhang, J. (2024). Response of laterally loaded finned piles in sand. Acta Geotechnica, 19(4), 1765–1786. doi:10.1007/s11440-023-01992-4.
[3] Yang, Z., Chen, K., Fu, X., & Zou, Z. (2024). Effects of cement-enhanced soil on the ultimate lateral resistance of composite pile in clayey soil. Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 16(1), 183–191. doi:10.1016/j.jrmge.2023.03.010.
[4] Islam, M. R., Turja, S. Das, Van Nguyen, D., & Kim, D. (2024). Lateral response and failure mechanism of single and group piles in cement-improved soil. Results in Engineering, 23, 102668. doi:10.1016/j.rineng.2024.102668.
[5] Hariswaran, S., Amaravathy, U., Puviarasu, S., & Jayasurya, J. (2024). Enhancement of lateral load carrying capacity of a pile incorporating fins – a parametric study. MATEC Web of Conferences, 400, 02004. doi:10.1051/matecconf/202440002004.
[6] Jegadeesh Kumar, T., Rathod, D., & Sahoo, S. K. (2024). Behaviour of a laterally loaded rigid helical pile located on a sloping ground surface. Marine Georesources and Geotechnology, 1–20. doi:10.1080/1064119X.2024.2337847.
[7] Sallam, A., Nasr, A., & Azzam, W. (2024). Effects of Simultaneous Torsional and Lateral Loads on Shaft Piles with Fins in Sandy Soil. Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, 42(5), 3777–3803. doi:10.1007/s10706-024-02757-w.
[8] Kumar Y. M, A., Shetty, K. K., & Krishnamoorthy, A. (2024). Efficiency of RCC piles with helical grooves subjected to axial and lateral loads in cohesionless soil. Cogent Engineering, 11(1), 2326769. doi:10.1080/23311916.2024.2326769.
[9] Meyerhof, G. G. (1959). Compaction of Sands and Bearing Capacity of Piles. Journal of the Soil Mechanics and Foundations Division, 85(6), 1–29. doi:10.1061/jsfeaq.0000231.
[10] Robinsky, E. I., & Morrison, C. F. (1964). Sand Displacement and Compaction around Model Friction Piles. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 1(2), 81–93. doi:10.1139/t64-002.
[11] Turner, J. P., & Kulhawy, F. H. (1987). Experimental analysis of drilled shaft foundations subjected to repeated axial loads under drained conditions (No. EPRI-EL-5325). Geotechnical Engineering Group; Electric Power Research Inst., Palo Alto, United States.
[12] Al-Mhaidib, A. I. (2005). Shearing rate effect on interfacial friction between sand and steel. In ISOPE International Ocean and Polar Engineering Conference, 19-24 June 2005, Seoul, Korea.
[13] Fatahi, B., Basack, S., Ryan, P., Zhou, W. H., & Khabbaz, H. (2014). Performance of laterally loaded piles considering soil and interface parameters. Geomechanics and Engineering, 7(5), 495–524. doi:10.12989/gae.2014.7.5.495.
[14] Ali, K., J. T, S., & K. G, S. (2013). An Experimental Study of Comparative Performance of Geosynthetic Reinforced Stone Columns in Soft Soils. Proceedings of Indian Geotechnical Conference, H-059:375-378, 733–738. doi:10.3850/978-981-07-3559-3_02-0215.
[15] Sakr, M. A., Nazir, A. K., Azzam, W. R., & Ali, N. O. (2024). Soft clay improvement using eggshell powder as a sustainable material. International Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, 18(4), 377–391. doi:10.1080/19386362.2023.2295684.
[16] Abdelrahman, G. E., & El Kamash, W. H. (2014). Behavior Improvement of Raft Foundation on Port-Said Soft Clay Utilizing Geofoam. Ground Improvement and Geosynthetics, 557–566. doi:10.1061/9780784413401.055.
[17] Azzam, W. R., & Elwakil, A. Z. (2017). Model Study on the Performance of Single-Finned Pile in Sand under Tension Loads. International Journal of Geomechanics, 17(3), 1943–5622 0000761. doi:10.1061/(asce)gm.1943-5622.0000761.
[18] Albusoda, B. S., & Alsaddi, A. F. (2017). Experimental study on performance of laterally loaded plumb and battered piles in layered sand. Journal of Engineering, 23(9), 23–37. doi:10.31026/j.eng.2017.09.02.
[19] Albusoda, B. S., & Alsaddi, A. F. (2017). Experimental study on performance of laterally loaded plumb and finned piles in layered sand. Applied Research Journal, 3(1), 32-39.
[20] Rao, S. N., & Prasad, Y. V. S. N. (1993). Estimation of uplift capacity of helical anchors in clays. Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, 119(2), 352–357. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9410(1993)119:2(352).
[21] Basack, S. (2010). Response of vertical pile group subjected to horizontal cyclic load in soft clay. Latin American Journal of Solids and Structures, 7(2), 91–103. doi:10.1590/S1679-78252010000200001.
[22] Chandrasekaran, S. S., Boominathan, A., & Dodagoudar, G. R. (2010). Group Interaction Effects on Laterally Loaded Piles in Clay. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 136(4), 573–582. doi:10.1061/(asce)gt.1943-5606.0000245.
[23] Boominathan, A., & Ayothiraman, R. (2005). Dynamic behaviour of laterally loaded model piles in clay. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Geotechnical Engineering, 158(4), 207–215. doi:10.1680/geng.2005.158.4.207.
[24] Winkler, E. (1867). The theory of elasticity and strength: Czechoslov: Dominicus, 36, 77–93.
[25] Wei, J. Q. (1998). Experimental investigation of tapered piles. Master Thesis, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
[26] Peng, J. R., Rouainia, M., & Clarke, B. G. (2010). Finite element analysis of laterally loaded fin piles. Computers and Structures, 88(21–22), 1239–1247. doi:10.1016/j.compstruc.2010.07.002.
[27] Hirany, A., & Kulhawy, F. H. (1989). Interpretation of Load Tests and Drilled Shafts”Part 3: Lateral and Moment. Foundation Engineering: Current Principles and Practicesm, The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Reston, United States.
[28] Azzam, W. R., & Basha, A. (2017). Utilization of soil nailing technique to increase shear strength of cohesive soil and reduce settlement. Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 9(6), 1104–1111. doi:10.1016/j.jrmge.2017.05.009.
[29] Vermeer, P. A. and Brinkgreve, R.B.J. (1994). A new effective non-local strain measure for softening plasticity. In Localisation and Bifurcation Theory for Soils and Rocks Edited by: Chambon, R., Desrues, J. and Vardoulakis, I. 89 – 100.
[30] Zidan, A. F., & Ramadan, O. M. O. (2015). Three-dimensional numerical analysis of the effects of tunnelling near piled structures. KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering, 19(4), 917–928. doi:10.1007/s12205-014-0741-6.
[31] Hazzar, L., Hussien, M. N., & Karray, M. (2017). On the behaviour of pile groups under combined lateral and vertical loading. Ocean Engineering, 131, 174–185. doi:10.1016/j.oceaneng.2017.01.006.
[32] Zhou, J. jin, Yu, J. lin, Gong, X. nan, El Naggar, M. H., & Zhang, R. hong. (2021). Field study on the behavior of pre-bored grouted planted pile with enlarged grout base. Acta Geotechnica, 16(10), 3327–3338. doi:10.1007/s11440-021-01208-7.
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