Effect of the Non-Linear Behavior of Pile Material on the Response of Laterally Loaded Piles

The main purpose of this study is to assess the lateral response of piles/shafts and the p-y curves for different soil-pile combinations while introducing the effect of the moment-curvature (M - Φ) relationship of the pile into the soil-pile interaction. Therefore, the equilibrium among soil reaction, pile deflection pattern, pile-head load, and flexural stiffness distribution should be satisfied at any level of loading. The influence of the nonlinear behavior of the pile/drilled shaft material on the nature of the associated p-y curve is presented through strain wedge (SW) model analysis. The SW model allows the assessment of the (soil-pile) modulus of subgrade reaction (i.e. the p-y curve) based on soil and pile properties which includes the pile bending stiffness. Therefore, the assessed modulus of subgrade reaction will be affected by changes in the bending stiffness of the pile or drilled shaft at any pile cross section (via the M-Q relationship). The reduction in pile bending stiffness will affect the pile-head stiffness under varying static or dynamic loading