Lateral Pile Response During Earthquakes

A nonlinear method for seismic soil-pile-structure interaction is presented. Primary features of the proposed method include a consistent approach to determine seismic p-y relationships and a liquefaction model that is suited to pore pressure evaluation for earthquake-type irregular loadings. The seismic- p-y relationships are determined from nonlinear stress-strain relations of soils, and include soil nonlinearity as well as pore pressure buildup effects around a pile. The performance and validity of the method were evaluated through an analysis of shaking table test on model soil-pile-structure systems. Using the proposed method, seismic response characteristics of an idealized offshore pile-supported structure at a sand site were analyzed. Results indicated that liquefaction as well as pore pressure bulidup around a pile can have a large impact on the response of pile-supported structures.