Influence of Pile Width and Pile Stiffness on Lateral Subgrade Reaction

The coefficient of lateral subgrade reaction of a pile is generally given in proportion to −1/2 to −1 power of the pile width. However, since this relationship has been obtained from the experimental results of piles with relatively small diameters, its applicability to piles with large diameters is unclear. The influences of pile width and pile stiffness on lateral subgrade reaction are investigated by centrifugal model experiments. When the pile diameter is considerably large, the lateral subgrade reaction converges to a constant value. The validity is confirmed in comparison with the results of the in-situ horizontal load tests.