A comparative study on the lateral bearing capacity of pile between using theoretical calculation models and experimental investigation

This paper examined the reasons for the discrepancy and sensitivity of the key factors by contrasting the experimentally measured data with the theoretical calculation models, i.e., the m-method and the p-y method, due to horizontal static load tests. The comparison results demonstrated that the two theoretical calculation methods’ bending moment curve shape with depth is essentially similar to each other, and is also consistent with the measured situation of the pile foundation under horizontal loads. The trend of the measured bending moment and the position of the maximum bending moment are essentially consistent with the theoretical calculations, but the range of the measured pile shaft bending moment and the measured maximum bending moment differ significantly from the theoretical results. The m-method for calculating the horizontal bearing capacity is mostly affected by the choice of the proportion coefficient m of the foundation soil’s horizontal reaction coefficient, whereas the p-y method’s accuracy in calculating the pile shaft bearing capacity depends primarily on that, whether the proposed curve matches the actual distribution of the foundation reaction.