Analytical and numerical analysis of laterally loaded pile group-cap foundation system

The lateral resistance taken by the pile cap is very important and cannot be neglected because of its large contribution to the lateral resistance of the pile group-cap foundation system. Analytical and numerical analysis have been performed in this thesis in order to determine the lateral resistance taken by the pile cap in sand and clay soils for free and fixed head pile-cap connections. The results from the analytical Strain Wedge Model and numerical finite element program Plaxis 3D Foundation have been compared with field and lab test results. It was found that the lateral resistance of the pile cap could reach up to 50 percent of applied lateral loads for clay and approximately 40 percent for sand. Also, the pile cap in the pile group-cap foundation system with a free head pile-cap connection is absorbing more loads at the same deflection compared to the pile group-cap foundation system with a fixed head pile-cap connection.