Passive Lateral Thrust and Deformation Effects of Embankments on Piled Bridge Abutments on Soft Ground

The construction of a new embankment next to bridge abutments founded on pile foundations in soft clay might lead to a time dependent soil–pile interaction caused by soil displacements. If deep founded bridge abutments next to new constructed embankments are loaded by horizontal soil movements, the piles are stressed by heavy shear forces and bending moments and deformations of the abutment may occur, as case studies with many damages have shown. Current design and construction practices of piled bridge abutment bridges have been reviewed and important design parameters have been identified. Very limited design and construction guidelines are available and no unified design procedures exist. This paper focuses on the numerical investigation of the soil-pile interaction considering rate-dependent effects. In this context a variation of relevant factors on time-dependent passive lateral thrust on a single pile, e.g. relative displacement between the pile and the moving ground, cross-sectional shape, surface roughness and the velocity of the moving ground, are investigated.