Piles under horizontal load: an overview

The experimental evidence on the behaviour of piles under lateral loading, by full scale and centrifuge tests, is reviewed. The load – deflection relationship is non linear from the early stages of loading, while the load – moment relationship is nearly linear. Some influence of the installation technique, usually neglected, is evident; it deserves further investigations. A simple procedure to evaluate the maximum bending moment in the pile shaft is presented and assessed. Keywords: installation technique, horizontal load, piles