• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.29-43
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• 2011

In this paper a semi-analytical approach is proposed to study the lateral behavior of a piled footing under horizontal loading. As accurate computation of stresses is usually needed at the interface separating the footing (pile) and the soil, this important location should be appropriately modeled as zero-thickness joint element. The piled footing is embedded in elastic soil with either homogeneous modulus or modulus proportional to depth (Gibson's soil). As the pile is the principal element in the piled footing system, a limited parametric study is carried out in order to investigate the influence of footing dimensions and the interface conditions on the lateral behavior of the pile. Hence, the pile behavior is examined through its main governing parameters, namely, the lateral displacement profiles, the bending moments, the shear forces and the soil reactions. The numerical results are presented for Poisson's ratio of 0.2 to represent a large variety of sands and Poisson's ratio of 0.5 to represent undrained clays.