Load-Deflection response of transversely isotropic piles under lateral loads

In general, pile materials are assumed to be isotropic during the analysis of the load-deflection response of piles under lateral loads. However, comm only used materials such as reinforced concrete and timber as well as poten tially promising new pile materials such as fiber reinforced polymers are t ypically transversely isotropic materials. Experimental studies have shown that transversely isotropic materials have a high ratio of section longitud inal modulus to the section in-plane shear modulus (E-zz/'G(xz)) compared t o the value for isotropic materials. The high modulus ratio leads to a more significant shear deformation effect in beam bending. To account for the s hear deformation effect, the Timoshenko Beam Theory has been adopted in der iving the solutions for the load-deflection response of transversely isotro pic piles under lateral loads instead of the Classical (Euler-Bernoulli) Be am Theory. The load-deflection responses depend on the shear effect coeffic ient, the lateral soil resistance, the embedment ratio, and the boundary co nditions. The deflection of the pile, if the shear deformation effect is co nsidered, is always larger than if it is neglected. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.