The Bearing Capacity of Flexible Piles Under Combined Loads in Dense Sand

Pile foundations are often subjected to vertical and lateral loads and moments. The current design practices assume that the effect of these loads is independent of each other and hence the pile design is carried out separately for vertical and lateral loads. The ultimate bearing capacity of flexible single piles in sand has been researched by model test under various combinations of vertical load, horizontal load and moment. The results of the load test which contain of the curve of vertical load-settlement, horizontal load-displacement and the ultimate bearing capacity are presented in the form of Cartesian co-ordinates. The basic laws of the component of the combined loads are analyzed and the ultimate bearing capacity is compared with the theoretical estimates based on the test results. Reasonable agreement has been found between the observed and predicted ultimate bearing capacity of flexible piles.