Response of a Single Pile Located on Sloping Ground under Dynamic Loading-Paper

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The study examines the seismic response of a single pile installed on horizontal and sloping ground. Numerical analyses were conducted in PLAXIS 2D using the Mohr–Coulomb soil model and a concrete pile with length-to-diameter (L/D) ratios of 16, 25, and 33. The pile was subjected to ground-motion data from the Bhuj earthquake aftershock. Researchers assessed pile-head acceleration, maximum displacement, and bending moment across different slope conditions.<br /><br />Increasing the L/D ratio reduced the pile’s maximum acceleration, displacement, and bending moment. For example, on horizontal ground, maximum acceleration fell by about 66% between L/D ratios of 16 and 33. Longer embedment was associated with greater soil–pile system flexibility and a deeper depth of fixity.<br /><br />Ground slope had the opposite effect: as the ground became steeper, displacement and bending moment increased, attributed to reduced passive soil resistance in front of the pile. The steepest slope studied, 1V:1.5H, produced notably higher responses; bending moments increased by approximately 50–80% compared with horizontal ground across the L/D ratios considered. The increase in displacement was particularly pronounced for the pile with L/D = 16.<br /><br />Overall, the findings indicate that both pile embedment and slope geometry are important to seismic design. Greater embedment can mitigate pile response, while steeper slopes can increase deformation and structural demand.

Keywords

seismic response

single pile

sloping ground

PLAXIS 2D

Mohr-Coulomb model

Bhuj earthquake

pile acceleration

bending moment

length-to-diameter ratio

ground slope