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Experimental study of displacement field of layered soils surrounding laterally loaded pile based on transparent soil

  • Soils, Sec 2 • Global Change, Environ Risk Assess, Sustainable Land Use • Research Article
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Abstract

Purpose

In the pile-soil interaction system, the disturbed soil directly affects the safety of the laterally loaded pile. The soil displacement field helps to evaluate the range and degree of soil disturbance. This study presents a method of visualiziing the displacement field of the soil around the laterally loaded pile by using transparent soil technology, which overcomes the measurement obstacles caused by the non-transparency of the real soil.

Methods

Glass sand and transparent pore solution were mixed to make a saturated transparent soil with two particle sizes (0.1 ~ 0.5 mm and 0.5 ~ 1 mm). Instead of real soil, transparent soil was used to observe the degree of disturbance in the process of interaction with laterally loaded piles. In addition, particle image velocimetry (PIV) was used to capture the displacement of transparent soil particles. The displacement of each particle was integrated into the displacement field by a MATLAB program.

Results

When a horizontal force was applied on the top of the pile, the particles in front of the pile were compressed, producing observable movement within a certain area. From the displacement vector diagram, it could be seen that the displacement area of the soil surface in front of the pile increases as the layer thickness of large particle soil increases. The vertical displacement of soil in front of the pile was compacted to form a wedge-shaped area under the horizontal load. The angle between the direction of soil motion and the horizontal plane was positively correlated with the thickness of the soil layer.

Conclusion

Transparent soil and particle image velocimetry can help reveal the displacement trends of the soil around a laterally loaded pile. Based on this, an early warning can be provided when the displacement value and displacement angle of the soil around the laterally loaded pile exceeds the normal range.

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Data availability

The data used to support the results of this research can be obtained from the corresponding author upon request.

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Acknowledgements

The editorial help from Professor Galen Leonhardy of Black Hawk College is also greatly appreciated.

Funding

Support provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51978177, 51809050, and 41902288), by the Science and Technology Plan Project of Guangdong Provincial Department of Transportation (2017–02-018), by the Guangdong Natural Science Foundation (No. 2018A030313839).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, China

    Bingxiang Yuan, Zihao Li, Zuqing Zhao, Hong Ni, Zhilei Su & Zhijie Li

  2. School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China

    Hong Ni

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  1. Bingxiang Yuan
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  2. Zihao Li
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  3. Zuqing Zhao
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  4. Hong Ni
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  5. Zhilei Su
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The manuscript is approved by all the authors for publication.

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Correspondence to Hong Ni.

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Responsible editor: Jean Louis Morel

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Yuan, B., Li, Z., Zhao, Z. et al. Experimental study of displacement field of layered soils surrounding laterally loaded pile based on transparent soil. J Soils Sediments 21, 3072–3083 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-021-03004-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-021-03004-y

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