Crosswise-loaded pile tests on residual soil site

This manuscript reports certain aspects linked to an analysis of the results of crosswise-loaded pile tests carried out in residual homogeneous lightly bonded soil. Data are shown relating crosswise load–horizontal displacement response determined from tests carried out using cylindrical reinforced concrete piles ranging from 0·10 to 0·40 m diameter and from 5·0 to 8·0 m long. Geometrical and mechanical parameters are implicated in the existing analysis, highlighting the possibility to express results in terms of dimensionless variables. This is achieved by expressing the outcomes in terms of normalised applied lateral pressure against horizontal top displacement-to-pile diameter ratio. In such plot, the effect of the pile area pressing laterally (reaching bearing capacity) is captured for this residual soil site. Finally, comparisons with the available normalised procedures in the literature suggest that the residual soil might not necessarily be handled as alluvial clay-like soil when the pile–soil interaction problem is analysed.