Investigation of the behaviour of single pile and pile groups under uplift load embedded in sand soil

In this study, the behaviour of single pile and pile groups embedded in sand soil under the uplift load have been investigated both experimentally and numerically. The effects of some variables such as pile surface, pile embedment ratio (L/D) and relative density of sand (Dr) on the uplift capacity have been studied in the experiments. The effect of the spacing ratio between piles (S/D) has been observed for two different pile surface (rough and smooth) and relative density of sand (30% and 80%), and then the optimum spacing ratio between piles, where the maximum uplift load value is reached, has been determined. Moreover, by connecting a load cell to each pile in the group, it is aimed to detect the extent to which the pile placement changes the uplift capacity. In the study, the piles embedded in dense sand soil have been analysed with the three-dimensional finite element method by using PLAXIS 3D computer software. It has been understood that the results obtained from the experimental and numerical studies are in a good agreement, and the results show that the investigated variables have a significant effect on the uplift load of the piles.