Reliability analysis of laterally loaded piles using response surface methods

Response surface methods have been applied to the reliability analysis of laterally loaded piles. Beam elements and a series of discrete springs are used to model the pile–soil system. The pile head displacement and the maximum bending moment in the piles are used as the performance criteria in this study. It is shown in the illustrative example that the CDF and PDF curves of the pile head displacement and the maximum bending moment in the pile obtained from the proposed methods are in good agreement with Monte Carlo simulation. The failure probabilities of the pile under specified performance criteria, the probabilistic responses of the pile-soil system, and the effect of pile-soil parameters to the failure probability of the pile are also studied.     

Effect of reinforcement force distribution on stability of embankments

The effect of reinforcement force distribution on the stability of reinforced embankments is studied. The stability of reinforced embankments is analyzed using the extended generalized method of slices by incorporating the effect of reinforcement. The proposed method is capable of handling features such as a tension crack in the embankment, a varying soil strength profile in the foundation soil and a general slip surface. The method allows the tensile force distribution along the reinforcement to be varied. The stability analysis of reinforced embankments is solved using a spreadsheet optimization tool. The versatility of the proposed method is demonstrated through several cases of reinforced embankments. The results obtained from the proposed method are in good agreement with those obtained from other analytical or numerical methods. The assumed force distribution along the reinforcement appears not to affect the embankment stability in undrained condition. In drained condition, it has some effect on the location of the critical slip surface, but small effect on the factor of safety.