A newly developed numerical method in geotechnical engineering

i.e. element-free Galerkin method (EFGM) or meshless method

as well as the moving least square method characterized by the local technique

is used to simulate the pile-soil interaction under horizontal load. In the present method

the discontinuous problem of material between pile shaft and surrounding soil is considered and resolved; and an EFGM calculation program is also developed by MATLAB. Based on the program

the deformation behavior of pile shaft under various magnitude of horizontal loads

types of surrounding soil and stiffness rations of pile shaft to surrounding soil is discussed in detail; and some qualitative conclusions are drawn. Through the application of the present method to an engineering example

the good agreement between the results by the program and that by the common FEM software (i.e. ANSYS) indicates that the present method has more advantages in such respects as accuracy and post-process convenience compared with those traditional numerical methods such as the finite element method.