Chapter 2 Installation and Getting Started

Stiff Clay without Free Water (Reese)

Modified Stiff Clay without Free Water
Sand (Reese)

Liquefied Sand (Rollins)

Weak Rock (Reese)
Strong Rock (Vuggy Limestone)
Piedmont Residual
Silt (cemented c- )
Loess
Elastic Subgrade
User-input p-y curves
API soft clay with J
Massive rock.
Top of Soil Layer Below Pile Head: Values for the top of the soil layer are entered
relative to the origin of the depth coordinates. The origin of depth coordinates is the pile head,
which is the point of application of boundary conditions and corresponding loads.
A positive value for the Top Layer entry indicates a distance measured downward from
the top of the pile. A negative value indicates a distance measured above the top of the pile (only
used for when the pile head is embedded below the ground surface). The value of zero may be
used in the first layer if the pile head is at the level of the ground line.
Bottom of Soil Layer Below Pile Head: Values for the bottom of the soil layer are also
entered according to the origin of coordinates. The coordinate of the bottom of each layer should
always be equal to the coordinate of the top of the immediately consecutive layer. The bottom of
the last soil layer must at least reach the same depth as the bottom of the modeled pile
Soil Properties: The last column contains a context-sensitive button that varies depending
on the p-y curve soil type selected. The table button activates a soil type specific data entry
dialog where the user enters effective unit weight, shear strength parameters, and any other
required soil/rock property parameters, depending on the soil type selected. Descriptions follow:

3.6.1.1 Comments on p-y Curve Models

The following comments are made above the different p-y curve models.
With the exception of the silt model for cemented c- materials, all of the models are
based on load tests of full sized piles in which the pile diameter is typically in the range of 300 to
1,200 mm (12 to 48 inches). While it is possible to test piles with larger diameters, it is usually
not possible to load such large diameter pile to failure. Consequently, if a significant variation of
lateral load transfer characteristics due to pile diameter exists, it may not be accurately modeled
by the p-y curve formulations.
The p-y curve for silt (cemented c- soil) was not based on a load-testing program on
full-sized piles. Consequently, reliable recommendations for k and 50 cannot be made for this
model. However, if it is possible to perform a lateral load test in the field, it may be possible to
fit these parameters to a site-specific load test to calibrate the model. In such cases, the
performance of the model may be significantly improved.

54