ABSTRACT
Behavior of an elastic pile subjected to lateral loads was modeled using p-y concept (McClelland and Focht 1958; Matlock 1970; Reese et al. 1974; Reese et al. 1975). The model is characterized by the limiting force per unit length (pu) mobilized between the pile and soil, especially at high load levels (Randolph et al. 1988; Guo 2006). The profile of pu (or LFP) along the pile has generally been constructed using empirical or semi-empirical methods (Brinch Hansen 1961; Broms 1964a, 1964b; Matlock 1970; Reese et al. 1974; Reese et al. 1975; Barton 1982; Guo 2006) (see Chapter 3, this book). In light of a generic LFP, Guo (2006, 2009) developed elastic-plastic, closedform (CF) solutions for laterally loaded free and fixed-head piles. The solutions well-capture the nonlinear response of lateral piles in an effective and efficient manner (Chapter 9, this book). They also enable the LFP (pu profile) to be deduced against measured pile response. Nonetheless, they are confined to elastic piles with a constant EpIp. As noted in Chapter 9, this book, structural nonlinearity of pile body is an important issue at a large deflection (Nakai and Kishida 1982; Reese 1997; Huang et al. 2001; Ng et al. 2001; Zhang 2003), in particular for rock socket piles.
