COMPROBACIÓN DE LA RESISTENCIA FRENTE A CARGA LATERAL DE PILOTES HINCADOS EN SUELOS GRANULARES PARA CIMENTACIONES DE HUERTOS SOLARES FOTOVOLTAICOS

Abstract

Most photovoltaic solar farms directly installed on the ground have panels with fixed orientation, which are mounted on support structures formed by simple frames with one or two columns. Among the different possibilities for the foundation of those structures, one of the most common is the use of driven piles, usually of short length. The tables in which the panels are grouped behave in practice like mono-pitched marquees of small height, typically without obstruction in the lower part. Wind load acting on the tables, with components both perpendicular (pressure or suction) and parallel (friction) to the upper and lower surfaces of the panel, results in a horizontal or lateral force that has to be absorbed by the foundation. In this paper the most common methods for determining the lateral load resistance of driven piles in cohesionless soils are reviewed. Also, the results obtained with several existing methods are compared, proposing a new method based on a ground pressure distribution more consistent with the ultimate movement of the pile, which allows to obtain a better fit of model and prototype tests. Keywords: solar photovoltaics; solar farms; lateral loads; foundation; driven piles; cohesionless soils