Analysis of Pile Groups with Flexural Resistance

A procedure is presented for the analysis of groups of piles subjected to loading in one plane, when the piles are assumed to be pinned at head and tip, and when the flexure of the piles and the lateral resistance of the ground is taken into account. The resistance offered to the flexure of piles by two types of ground (soil of uniform stiffness and soil whose stiffness is proportional to depth below the surface) is calculated, and the effective depth to fixity is determined for piles with various depths of embedment and unembedded lengths. Information is given on methods of estimating the lateral resistance of given soils and on the stability of partially embedded piles. An illustrative example is included.