Model Studies of Lateral Soil Pressure on Drilling Piles in Dry and Saturated Sands

The results of a model study of single piles shaft bearing capacity in dry and saturated sandy soils are presented. The effect of loading rate on pile shaft capacity was investigated. The shaft bearing capacities of the piles were determined by pile load tests and compared with theoretical results. Generally, pile shaft capacities are greater than the theoretical values. The lateral earth pressure coefficient K depends on the internal friction angle of the soil, the pile diameter, the effective stress, and the saturation degree of the soil. It is shown that K decreases as the pile length/ diameter ratio increases.