Analytical Solutions of Spherical Cavity Expansion Near a Slope due to Pile Installation

Abstract

Based on the hypothesis that the penetration of a single pile can be simulated by a series of spherical cavity expansions, this paper presents an analytical solution of cavity expansion near the sloping ground. Compared with the cavity expansion in the half-space, the sloping free boundary has been taken into account as well as the horizontal free boundary. The sloping and horizontal free surfaces are considered by the introduction of a virtual image technique, the harmonic function, and the Boussinesq solution. The results show that the sloping free boundary and the variation of the inclination angle have pronounced influences on the distribution of the stress and displacement induced by the spherical cavity expansion. The present solution provides a simplified and realistic theoretical method to predict the soil behaviors around the spherical cavity near the sloping ground. The approach can also be used for the determination of the inclination angle of the slope according to the maximum permissible displacement.