The influence of vertical loads on the lateral response of group piles installed in
sandy soil and connected together by a concrete cap is studied through finite elements
analyses. The analyses focus on the five piles in the middle row of 3× 5 pile groups. The
vertical load is applied by enforcing a vertical displacement equivalent to 2% of the pile
diameter through the pile cap prior to the application of the lateral loads. The results have
shown that the lateral resistance of the leading pile (pile 1) does not appear to vary ...