Analysis of Large Group of Piles Under Axial And Lateral Loading

Shin-Tower Wang, M., ASCE, Luis Gonzalo Vasquez, and Lymon C. Reese, H. Mem., ASCE
Ensoft, Inc., 3003 West Howard Lane, Austin, Texas 78728, PH (512) 244-6464; FAX: (512) 244-6067; email:
ensoft@ensoftinc.com
Abstract
Analytical solutions have recently been developed for analyzing the behavior of piles in a group subjected to loading
in three-dimensional space. The piles may be installed vertically or on a batter and their heads may be fixed, pinned,
or elastically restrained by a rigid pile cap. The several components of the analytical method have been coded and
iteration is used to accommodate the nonlinear response of the soil around each pile in a group. With availability of
a rational and convenient tool, the engineer may consider several alternatives in a design, including pile spacing,
batter angle, and type of pile. This paper presents an example of use of the analytical tool to study the behavior of a
large group of piles.
Introduction
The ability to analyze a pile group under generalized loading has advanced significantly in recent years. Computer
codes are available that allow the problem to be modeled with considerable precision. The individual piles may be
analyzed for axial loading by the t-z method and under lateral loading by the p-y method, used internationally and
long recognized as effective methods. Allowance can be made for close spacing of the individual piles.
Compatibility can be achieved between movement of the heads of the individual piles and the movement of the pile
cap. Iteration is required to accommodate the nonlinear nature of the soil and the pile material.
The complex mechanics is presented for the problem of a group of piles subjected to generalized threedimensional loading that includes the response of a pile when subjected to torque. The equations are far too
complex for hand computations, but the importance of variables, such as soil strength, can easily be investigated.
Comparisons are presented where the analytical results from use of computer codes are compared with results from
experiments, where some of the piles are installed on a batter.
Analytical solution using the personal computer was developed to compute the distribution of loads (vertical,
lateral, and overturning moment) from the pile cap to individual piles in the group. The piles may be installed
vertically or on a batter and their heads may be fixed, pinned, or elastically restrained by the pile cap. The cap may
settle, translate, and rotate and is assumed to act as a rigid body. The software will generate internally the nonlinear
response of the soil, in the form of t-z and q-w curves for axial loading, t-r curves for torsional loading, and p-y
curves for lateral loading. A solution requires iteration to accommodate the nonlinear response of each of the piles.
The equations of equilibrium are satisfied, and compatibility is achieved between pile movement and soil response,
and between the movement of the cap and the pile-head movement.
Software, based on the technology noted above, is capable of analyzing a group of 500 or more piles where the
response of each pile is unique. A pushover analysis can be performed, considering the nonlinear response of the
soil, where the failure of one or more of the piles is reflected in excessive movement or excessive bending moment.
The program allows the engineer to investigate in a timely manner the comparative responses of groups with
differing conditions, such as the effect of the use of batter piles and the effect of varying the spacing. The code
provides the engineering community an analytical tool that deals with the solution of a practical problem, frequently
encountered in practice.
Methods of Analysis of Three-Dimensional Group of Piles
Figure 1 shows a pile cap supported by three piles each battered in three directions. The global coordinate system is
shown by X, Y, and Z, where X and Z define the plane of the top of the cap (Reese and ONeill 1967). The loadings
at the origin of global coordinate system are shown by three components of force and three components of moment.
Assumed movements at the origin of the global coordinate system in the X, Y, and Z directions, along with a set of

rotations, would result in the movement at the head of an i-th pile. The pile-head movement can be computed by
geometry from the position of the ith pile, given by the coordinates xi, yi, and zi.
The pile head will experience an axial force, a lateral force, and a moment, depending on the manner in which the
ith pile is attached to the superstructure. Forces and moments from all piles supporting the superstructure, from the
ith through the nth, must put the superstructure into equilibrium. If not, other movements and rotations of the origin
of the global coordinate system are selected until equilibrium is achieved.

Figure 1. Model of 3-dimensional pile group

The external loads on a 3-dimensional pile group are represented by a six-component vector:
Le = ( FeX, FeY, FeZ, MeX, MeY, MeZ)
(1)
where FeX, FeY, FeZ and MeX, MeY, MeZ are the external forces and moments with respect to the global
structural coordinate system (0; X, Y, Z). The goal is to obtain the equilibrium state of the applied external load and
the pile reactions on the pile-cap. This can be achieved by using the successive correction of pile-head
displacements, an iterative numerical procedure comprising the following sequence of steps. (1) A small,
generalized displacement is given to the pile cap. (2) Matrix methods are employed to find the generalized
movement of each pile head. (3) Soil-resistance curves are accessed to compute pile-head forces as a function of
the computed pile-head movements. (4) Forces and moments from each pile are summed at the pile cap and
compared with the applied loads. (5) If the computed pile cap loads fail to agree with the applied loads, a
correction is estimated and applied to the pile-head movement. (6) The procedure is repeated until the computed
loads are within a specified tolerance of the applied loads.
If a number of piles are supporting the cap, most of the computational time is taken for convergence to be achieved
between the pile-head movement from that pile cap and the computed pile-head movement, employing the nonlinear
soil-resistance curves described in the next section
Soil Resistance Curves
Geotechnical engineers are well aware that soils cannot generally be characterized as linear, homogenerous, elastic
materials. As shown in Fig. 2, the soil can be reasonably represented by a set of nonlinear mechanisms for a pile.
The nonlinear curves which represent the soil resistance for the axially loaded pile (Fig. 2a) were first used by Seed
and Reese (1957). The method is characterized as the t-z method. Similar nonlinear curves represent the soil
resistance for the laterally loaded pile (Fig. 2b). The method is characterized as the p-y method and has been
developed extensively by a number of authors since 1960 (Reese and Matlock 1960, Matlock and Reese 1962, Reese
1966, Matlock 1970, Parker and Reese 1971, Reese et al 1974, Reese et al. 1975, Georgiadis 1983). The work of

various authors proves the versatility and the theoretical applicability of the finite-difference method in dealing with
the highly nonlinear soil-pile-soil interaction for both axial and lateral load.

Figure 2. Model of axially and laterally loaded pile

Rotation about a vertical axis through the cap will result in a twist of the piles. The twist will create a torque on
each of the piles, which must be considered in the equilibrium equations (ONeill 1964). ONeill developed the
theory and ran experiments for computing the torque at the head of a pile as a function of twist. His model is not
shown. While the amount of torque at the top of a pile is a minor factor in achieving static equilibrium, equations
for the torque must be implemented in the three-dimensional model for completeness. The full development of the
torque-twist relationship is beyond the scope of this paper.
Efficiency of Closely Spaced Piles in a Group
The efficiency of closely-spaced piles in groups must be taken into account in solving for the behavior of a threedimensional group. O'Neill (1983) presented a comprehensive summary of the efficiency of piles in a group under
axial loading. Brown et al. (1987), Brown et al. (1988), and O'Neill (1983) presented results of research on
efficiency of piles in a group under lateral loading. With regard to lateral loading, the influence of the spacing
between piles can be related to a shadow effect for piles in line and to an edge effect for piles that are side by side.
Efficiency expressions were developed for use in the computer code for the three-dimensional group, but the scope
of this paper does not allow a full discussion of the procedures.
Verification of Solutions
Several steps have been undertaken to verify the output of software. The engineer, if desired, may easily perform
some of the elementary computations to check the force equilibrium at the pile cap. While employing the steps
shown above have confirmed the internal functioning of Program GROUP (Ensoft 2003), the application of the
program to results of field experiments is useful. The book by Reese and Van Impe (2001) presents a discussion of
the development of the methods used in Program GROUP and applies the methods to several cases: Matlock, et al
(1980), Brown, et al (1987), Brown, et al (1988), Rollins, et al (1998), Ruesta and Townsend 1997, and Awoshika
(1971). In addition to the comparisons between analysis and experiment, Reese and Van Impe present applications
of the method to the analysis of an offshore structure and to a pile-supported mat foundation.

Case Study
The geometrical configuration of this case is shown in Figure 3. It consists of 70 27.3-cm square, pre-stressed
concrete piles of 24.4 m in length. The piles are assumed to be connected to a rigid pile cap. A total of 42 piles were
installed vertically and the other piles installed with a battered angle based on the initial layout as shown in the
figure. The battered piles typically have 1(horizontal): 4(vertical) either in the x-y plane or in the x-z plane. The
distance from the pile cap to the assumed scour line is approximately 6 meters.
The group of piles is subjected to loads applied at the center of the pile cap and leveled with the pile tops and
conveniently the global origin of coordinates is at the point of application of loads. The Y-direction is defined as
longitudinal direction and the Z-direction is defined as the transverse direction. The component forces on the pile
cap are: 42,256 kN at the X direction (compression), 2,776 kN at the Y direction (shear), 890 kN at the Z direction
(shear), bending moment of 2,712 m-kN on the XY plane, and bending moment of 1,356 m-kN on the XZ plane.
The compressive strength of the pre-stressed concrete pile is assumed to be 41,364 kPa. The moment of inertia of
the section is 0.0036 m4. The Young's modulus of the concrete is 3.06 x 107 kPa. In this case the pile is regarded as
linearly elastic throughout, with the assumption that the maximum stress in the pile is always in the elastic range.
The t-z and p-y curves, which represent lateral and axial soil resistance, are generated by the program based on the
soil-strength parameters. The subsurface layers consist of 7-m of soft clay (c = 23 kPa, E50 = 0.02) underlain by 4.6m medium dense sand ( = 34). A layer of stiff clay (c= 220 kPa, E50 = 0.005) at depth of 11.6 m to 16.2 m, which
is underlain by another layer of dense sand with an internal friction angle of 36 degrees is encountered at depths of
16.2 m to 21.3 m below the ground surface. The maximum deflection at the pile head is near 38 mm and the
maximum bending moment developed in the pile is about 24.9 m-kN. The displacements of the pile cap and the
deformations of piles were calculated individually for comparison as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 3. Computer Graphics for Case Study

Figure 4. Displacements of Pile Cap and Piles

Conclusions
Analytical techniques are currently available to predict the response of a group of piles supporting structures where
loads and moments act from a variety of directions with respect to the vertical axis of the group. While loads and
subsurface soil conditions are essentially fixed, the engineer can select from a number of variables to achieve the
optimum solution. The variables are the number and spacing of the piles, their orientation with respect to the
vertical, the kind of piles, and their geometry. The number of variables leads to a large number of cases but the
simplicity and speed of the computer code makes feasible a comprehensive study of the supporting foundation with
large group of piles.
References
Awoshika, K. (1971). Analysis of foundation with widely spaced batter piles. Dissertation, The University of
Texas at Austin.
Brown, D. A., Reese, L. C., and ONeill, M. W. (1987). Cyclic lateral loading of a large scale pile group, Journal
of the Geotechnical Engineering Division, ASCE 113(11), 1326-1343.
Brown, D. A., Morrison, C., and Reese, L. C. (1988). Lateral load behavior of a pile group in sand, Journal of the
Geotechnical Engineering Division, ASCE 114(11), 1261-1276.
Brown, D. A., Reese, L. C., and ONeill, M. W. (1987). Cyclic lateral loading of a large-scale pile group,
Journal of the Geotechnical Engineering Division, ASCE, 113(11), November, 1326-1343.
Ensoft (2003). Computer Program GROUP V.6 Analysis of a Group of Piles Subjected to Axial and Lateral
Loading, Austin, Texas.
Georgiadis, M. (1983). "Development of p-y curves for layered soils," Proceedings, Geotechnical Practice in
Offshore Engineering, ASCE, April, 536-545.
Matlock, H. (1970). "Correlations for design of laterally loaded piles in soft clay," Proceedings, Offshore

Technology Conference, Houston, Texas, Paper No. 1204, 577-594.

Matlock, H., Ingram, W. B., Kelly, A. E., and Bogard, D. (1980). Field tests of lateral load behavior of pile groups
in soft clay, Proceedings of the XII Annual Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, Texas, (OTC
3871), 163-174.
Matlock, H. and Reese, L. C. (1962). Generalized solutions for laterally loaded piles, Transactions, ASCE, Vol.
127, Part 1, 1220-1251.
ONeill, M. W. (1964). Determination of the pile-head torque-twist relationship for a circular pile embedded in
a clay Soil, M. S. Thesis, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin.
ONeill, M. W. (1983). Group action in offshore piles, Proceedings, Conference on Geotechnical Practice in
Offshore Engineering, ASCE, University of Texas at Austin, 25-64.
Parker, F., Jr., and Reese, L. C. (1971). Lateral pile-soil interaction curves for sand, Proceedings, The
International Symposium on the Engineering Properties of Sea-Floor Soils and their Geophysical Identification,
The University of Washington, Seattle, 212-223.
Reese, L. C. (1966). Analysis of a Bridge Foundation Supported by Batter Piles, Proceedings, Fourth Annual
Symposium on Geology and Soil Engineering, Moscow, Idaho, April, 61-73.
Reese, L. C., Cox, W. R. and Koch, F. D. (1974). Analysis of laterally loaded piles in sand, Proceedings,
Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, Texas, Vol. II, Paper No. 2080, 473-484.
Reese, L. C., Cox, W. R. and Koch, F. D. (1975). "Field testing and analysis of laterally loaded piles in stiff
clay," Proceedings of the VII Annual Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, Texas, Vol. 2, Paper No. 2312,
672-690.
Reese, L. C. and Matlock, H. (1960). Numerical Analysis of Laterally Loaded Piles, Proceedings of the II
Structural Division Conference on Electric Computation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, ASCE, 657-668.
Reese, L. C. and ONeill, M. W. (1967). The Analysis of three-dimensional pile foundations subjected to inclined
and eccentric loads, Proceedings, Conference of Civil Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers, 245276.
Reese, L. C., and Van Impe W. F. (2001) Single Piles and Pile Groups Under Lateral Loading. Balkema,
Rotterdam, 463 pages.
Rollins, K. M., Peterson, K. T., and Weaver, T. J., (1998). Lateral load behavior of full-scale pile group in clay,
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, ASCE 124(6), 468-478.
Ruesta, P. F. and Townsend, F. C., (1997a), Evaluation of a laterally loaded pile group at Roosevelt Bridge,
Journal of the Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, ASCE 123 (12): 1153-1162; also (1997b)
Prediction of the lateral load response of a pile group, Transportation Research Board Record (1569) 35-47.
Seed, H. B. and Reese, L. C. (1957). The Action of Soft Clay Along Friction Piles, Transactions, ASCE, Paper
No 2882, Vol. 122, 731-754.