Analysis of laterally loaded rock-socketed shafts considering the nonlinear behavior of both the soil/rock mass and the shaft

In this paper, a new method is proposed for analyzing laterally loaded rock-socketed shafts by extending the elastoplastic continuum method developed by the corresponding author and his colleagues. The method considers a nonuniform shaft with diameter and/or flexural rigidity changing with depth and embedded in multiple layers of soil/rock masses. The method considers not only the yielding of the soil/rock mass but also the decrease in flexural rigidity of the shaft due to cracking. The proposed method is verified by applying it to analyze instrumented laterally loaded tests on rock-socketed drilled shafts at two different sites and comparing the analysis results with field test data. The results indicate the importance of considering the decrease in flexural rigidity of the shaft due to cracking, and show the simplicity and reliability of the proposed method.