Special Topic Design of Piles Subjected to Lateral Soil Movement

Special Topic Design of Piles Subjected to Lateral Soil Movement 

Consulting Engineer, EK Consultants, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia 

In a number of design situations, piles have to be designed for effect of lateral soil movement. These include piles in or near an embankment built on soft clay, bridge abutment piles in soft ground, piles adjacent to an excavation, piles in unstable slope and piles in a marginally stable riverbank. These piles are called passive piles (De Beer 1977). As these piles will experience additional stress and strain, failure to assess the effect in design will result in unacceptable pile movement or stress or both. 

There are a number of construction design situations in which piles will be subjected to lateral soil movement. These include  

Piles in or near embankment, like bridge abutment piles, 

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