# Comprehensive Evaluation of Lateral Performance of Innovative Post in Sand
## 7 Conclusions  
This study assessed the efficacy of newly proposed structural supports designed for lateral loads. This innovative foundation system comprises one or two plates attached to the flanges of a steel H-pile. Using 3D FEMs developed in PLAXIS 3D software, the lateral behavior of both single- and double-paddled piles, installed in sandy soil, was simulated.  
Comparing the numerical predictions and field load test results revealed good agreement, confirming the ability of the developed numerical models to accurately replicate the lateral response of the innovative supports. Utilizing these validated models, we conducted further analyses on the response of the innovative post were analyzed considering various configurations, leading to the following conclusions: Stiffening the H-pile with plates significantly increases the lateral capacity of the foundation. The calculated load-carrying efficiency varies between 57% to 83% for double-paddled piles and 35% to 63% for single-paddled piles.  
The lateral displacement capacity of the single-paddled pile is 30% to 55% less than that of the double-paddled pile (5 mm less than the double-paddled H-pile). However, its cost is anticipated to be less than the double-paddled pile.  
Stiffness efficiency of the innovative post is realized for \(\mathrm{W_{P}/W_{f}}\), \(<\)4 or \(\mathrm{L/W_{P}}\)\(<\) 4.5 in a double-paddled pile system and \(\mathrm{W_{P}/W_{f}}\), \(<\) 3 or \(\mathrm{L/W_{P}}\)\(<\) 3.5 in a single-paddled pile system.  
The plate width has a greater effect on the lateral capacity of the innovative post than plate length.  
Adding plates reduce the maximum bending moment along the pile shaft, as well as the bending moment profile along the pile, especially for larger \(\mathrm{W_{P}}\).  
The soil along the top 5-6 \(\mathrm{W_{P}}\) of the pile govern the lateral response of the proposed post.  
Based on stiffness efficiency, an optimal paddle width of \(\mathrm{W_{P}/W_{f}}\) = 4 and 3 is identified for double- and single-paddle piles, respectively. The optimal paddle length is suggested to be \(\mathrm{L/W_{P}}\)\(\geq\) 4.5 for the plate width considered in the present study.  
For a comprehensive understanding of how paddled H-piles behave when supporting laterally loaded structures such, it is advisable for future research to study the dynamic behavior of the proposed foundation system caused by wind loads. Employing the hardening soil model for dynamic analysis is also recommended. Furthermore, exploring the effects of combined load conditions, encompassing both vertical and lateral loads on paddled H-piles, would offer valuable insights into the overall system performance. Lastly, investigating the impact of vibratory driving of the PHPs on the soil through field and laboratory tests is recommended.  
A.A.: Conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, investigation, methodology, software, validation, visualization, writing original draft, writing review and editing. M.H.E.N.: Conceptualization, funding acquisition, project administration, resources, methodology, supervision, writing review and editing. O.D.: software, writing review and editing. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
I would like to thank Mitacs Accelerate Program. This research was for funded by Mitacs Accelerate, grant number IT29511.  
Not applicable.  
The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author.  
I would like to acknowledge Atlantic Industries Limited, particularly [PERSON], for their support and constructive feedback on this work. Additionally, I am grateful to Mitacs for their support through the Mitacs Accelerate Program.  
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.