Pile head displacements with different cross sectional shapes under lateral loading and unloading in granular soils

Piles in structural foundations that are used to load transmissions from the main structure to the bed are generally subjected to lateral loads. in order to study the eect of concrete pile geometry on its structural behavior, several models with different shapes and dimensions were selected and analyzed, assuming nonlinear behavior for soil. the behavior of the pile models was studied, evaluated and tabulated using numerical analysis under different conditions, such as changes in the pile geometry and shape, and soil properties. therefore, the displacements of pile heads situated in granular soil, with different compaction levels, under a lateral load, were studied in loading and unloading cycles. the dissipated energy was calculated based on pile head displacements in different load steps in the first and second cycles of loading. the performance index is defined as the ratio of dissipated energy to the maximum pile head displacement, and these two factors effects on different pile model behavior were compared, concurrently. it was observed that piles with rectangular cross sections and smaller width have the maximum dissipation of energy, and the minimum displacement occurs in dense soil.