The characterization of the problem of landslides and the use of piles to improve the stability of such slopes requires a better understanding of the integrated effect of laterally loaded piles and their interaction with soil layers above and below the sliding surface. The methodology presented in this work allows for the assessment of the mobilized soil-pile pressure and its distribution along the pile segment above the slip surface based on the soil-pile interaction. The proposed method accounts for the influence of soil and pile properties and pile spacing on the interaction between the pile and the surrounding soils in addition to the pile lateral capacity. Specific criteria were adopted to evaluate the pile lateral capacity, ultimate soil-pile pressure, development of soil flow-around failure, and group action among adjacent piles in a pile row above and below the slip surface. The effects of the soil type as well as the pile diameter, position, and spacing on the safety factor of the stabilized slope were studied. In addition, the influence of the pile spacing and the depth of the slip surface on the pile-row interaction (above and below the slip surface) were further investigated using the presented technique and 3D Finite Element analysis. The computer software (PSSLOPE), which was written in Visual Basic and FORTRAN, was developed to implement the methodology proposed for pile-stabilized slopes, including the slope stability analysis prior to pile installation using the Modified Bishop Method. The ability of the proposed method to predict the behavior of piles that were subjected to lateral soil movements due to slope instability was verified through a number of full-scale load tests.
展开▼
