Enhancing Pile Group Pullout Resistance Using Cutback Asphalt under Inclined Loading Conditions
Received: 29 April 2025 | Revised: 1 June 2025 | Accepted: 14 June 2025 | Online: 6 October 2025
Corresponding author: Wisam Adil Aljuboori
Abstract
The stability and performance of pile foundations under inclined pullout loads are critical factors in geotechnical engineering, particularly in sandy soils with weak shear strength. This study examines the load-displacement behavior of double and triple long pile groups subjected to inclined pullout forces at 0°, 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90° before and after soil improvement with cutback MC-30 asphalt. The experiment included preparing natural and asphalt-treated sandy soil samples and conducting pullout tests to evaluate the load resistance and displacement characteristics. Additionally, numerical simulations were conducted to validate and support the experimental findings. The soil behavior is assumed to be based on an elastic-perfectly plastic constitutive relation using the non-associated Mohr–Coulomb criterion, which is commonly used to analyze the pile behavior. The results revealed significant improvements in the pullout capacity and displacement reduction after asphalt treatment. For double piles under vertical load-displacement behavior, the maximum increase in the pullout load was 406.8% at 30°, with a 51.85% reduction in displacement. Under horizontal loading conditions, the maximum load improvement was 469% at 30°, with a 59.96% reduction in displacement. For triple piles, the vertical load-displacement behavior showed a maximum load increase of 288% at 0°, with a 10% reduction in displacement. Meanwhile, under horizontal load-displacement conditions, the highest improvement was observed at 30°, with a 453.52% increase in load and a 32.8% reduction in displacement.
Keywords:
piles, soil improvement, inclined load, pullout, analysis approachDownloads
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