The Effect of Jet Grouting on Enhancing the Lateral Behavior of Piled Raft Foundation in Soft Clay(Numerical Investigation)

Soft clay soils cannot usually support large lateral loads,so clay soils must be improved to increase lateral resistance.The jet grouting method is one of the methods used to improve weak soils.In this paper,a series of 3D finite element studies were conducted using Plaxis 3D software to investigate the lateral behavior of piled rafts in improved soft clay utilizing the jet grouting method.Parametric models were analyzed to explore the influence of the width,depth,and location of the grouted clay on the lateral resistance.Additionally,the effect of vertical loads on the lateral behavior of piled rafts in grouted clay was also investigated.The numerical results indicate that the lateral resistance increases by increasing the dimensions of the jet grouting beneath and around the piled raft.Typical increases in lateral resistance are 11.2%,65%,177%,and 35%for applying jet grouting beside the raft,below the raft,below and around the raft,and grouted strips parallel to lateral loads,respectively.It was also found that increasing the depth of grouted clay enhances lateral resistance up to a certain depth,about 6 to 10 times the pile diameter(6 to 10D).In contrast,the improvement ratio is limited beyond 10D.Furthermore,the results demonstrate that the presence of vertical loads has a significant impact on sideward resistance.

Physical modeling of behaviors of cast-in-place concrete piled raft compared to free-standing pile group in sand

Similar to free-standing pile groups, piled raft foundations are conventionally designed in which the piles carry the total load of structure and the raft bearing capacity is not taken into account. Numerous studies indicated that this method is too conservative. Only when the pile cap is elevated from the ground level,the raft bearing contribution can be neglected. In a piled raft foundation, pileesoileraft interaction is complicated. Although several numerical studies have been carried out to analyze the behaviors of piled raft foundations, very few experimental studies are reported in the literature. The available laboratory studies mainly focused on steel piles. The present study aims to compare the behaviors of piled raft foundations with free-standing pile groups in sand, using laboratory physical models. Cast-in-place concrete piles and concrete raft are used for the tests. The tests are conducted on single pile, single pile in pile group, unpiled raft, free-standing pile group and piled raft foundation. We examine the effects of the number of piles, the pile installation method and the interaction between different components of foundation. The results indicate that the ultimate bearing capacity of the piled raft foundation is considerably higher than that of the free-standing pile group with the same number of piles. With installation of the single pile in the group, the pile bearing capacity and stiffness increase. Installation of the piles beneath the raft decreases the bearing capacity of the raft. When the raft bearing capacity is not included in the design process, the allowable bearing capacity of the piled raft is underestimated by more than 200%. This deviation intensifies with increasing spacing of the piles.

Deep Foundation Pit Excavations Adjacent to Disconnected Piled Rafts: A Review on Risk Control Practice

Foundation pit excavation engineering is an old subject full of decision making. Yet, it still deserves further research due to the associated high failure cost and the complexity of the geological conditions and/or the surrounding existing infrastructure around it. This article overviews the risk control practice of foundation pit excavation projects in close proximity to existing disconnected piled raft. More focus is given to geotechnical aspects. The review begins with achievements to ensure excavation performance requirements, and follows to discuss the complex soil structure interaction involved among the fundamental components: the retaining wall, mat, piles, cushion, and the soil. After bringing consensus points to practicing engineers and decision makers, it then suggests possible future research directions.

Response in piled raft foundation of tall chimneys under along-wind load incorporating flexibility of soil

The present paper deals with the numerical analysis of tall reinforced concrete chimneys with piled raft foundation subjected to along-wind loads considering the flexibility of soil. The analysis was carded out using finite element method on the basis of direct method of soil-structure interaction （SSI）. The linear elastic material behavior was assumed for chimney, piled raft and soil. Four different material properties of soil stratum were selected in order to study the effect of SSI. The chimney elevation and the thickness of raft of piled raft foundation were also varied for the parametric study. The chimneys were assumed to be located in terrain category 2 and subjected to a maximum wind speed of 50 m/s as per IS：875 （Part 3）-1987. The along-wind loads were computed according to IS：4998 （Part 1）-1992. The base moments of chimney evaluated from the S SI analysis were compared with those obtained as per IS：4998 （Part 1）-1992. The tangential and radial bending moments of raft of piled raft foundation were evaluated through SSI analysis and compared with those obtained from conventional analysis as per IS：I 1089-1984, assuming rigidity at the base of the raft foundation. The settlements of raft of piled raft foundation, deflection of pile and moments of the pile due to interaction with different soil stratum were also evaluated. From the analysis, considerable reduction in the base moment of chimney due to the effect of SSI is observed. Higher radial moments and lower tangential moments were obtained for lower elevation chimneys with piled raft resting on loose sand when compared with conventional analysis results. The effect of SSI in the response of the pile is more significant when the structure-foundation system interacts with loose sand.

Interaction behavior and load sharing pattern of piled raft using nonlinear regression and LM algorithm-based artificial neural network

In the recent era,piled raft foundation(PRF)has been considered an emergent technology for offshore and onshore structures.In previous studies,there is a lack of illustration regarding the load sharing and interaction behavior which are considered the main intents in the present study.Finite element(FE)models are prepared with various design variables in a double-layer soil system,and the load sharing and interaction factors of piled rafts are estimated.The obtained results are then checked statistically with nonlinear multiple regression(NMR)and artificial neural network(ANN)modeling,and some prediction models are proposed.ANN models are prepared with Levenberg-Marquardt(LM)algorithm for load sharing and interaction factors through backpropagation technique.The factor of safety(FS)of PRF is also estimated using the proposed NMR and ANN models,which can be used for developing the design strategy of PRF.

Influence of dynamic soil-pile raft-structure interaction:an experimental approach

Traditionally seismic design of structures supported on piled raft foundation is performed by considering fixed base conditions, while the pile head is also considered to be fixed for the design of the pile foundation. Major drawback of this assumption is that it cannot capture soil-foundation-structure interaction due to flexibility of soil or the inertial interaction involving heavy foundation masses. Previous studies on this subject addressed mainly the intricacy in modelling of dynamic soil structure interaction (DSSI) but not the implication of such interaction on the distribution of forces at various elements of the pile foundation and supported structure. A recent numerical study by the authors showed significant change in response at different elements of the piled raft supported structure when DSSI effects are considered. The present study is a limited attempt in this direction, and it examines such observations through shake table tests. The effect of DSSI is examined by comparing dynamic responses from fixed base scaled down model structures and the overall systems. This study indicates the possibility of significant underestimation in design forces for both the column and pile if designed under fixed base assumption. Such underestimation in the design forces may have serious implication in the design of a foundation or structural element.

Behavior of raft on settlement reducing piles:Experimental model study

An experimental program is conducted on model piled rafts in sand soil.The experimental program is aimed to investigate the behavior of raft on settlement reducing piles.The testing program includes tests on models of single pile,unpiled rafts and rafts on 1,4,9,or 16 piles.The model piles beneath the rafts are closed ended displacement piles installed by driving.Three lengths of piles are used in the experiments to represent slenderness ratio,L/D,of 20,30 and 50,respectively.The dimensions of the model rafts are 30 cm×30 cm with different thickness of 0.5 cm,1.0 cm or 1.5 cm.The raft-soil stiffness ratios of the model rafts ranging from 0.39 to 10.56 cover flexible to very stiff rafts.The improvement in the ultimate bearing capacity is represented by the load improvement ratio,LIR,and the reductions in average settlement and differential settlement are represented by the settlement ratio,SR,and the differential settlement ratio,DSR,respectively.The effects of the number of settlement reducing piles,raft relative stiffness,and the slenderness ratio of piles on the load improvement ratio,settlement ratio and differential settlement ratio are presented and discussed.The results of the tests show the effectiveness of using piles as settlement reduction measure with the rafts.As the number of settlement reducing piles increases,the load improvement ratio increases and the differential settlement ratio decreases.

Improving Bearing Capacity of Weak Soils:A Review

Weak soils,such as soft clay and loose sand,have a poor bearing capaci­ty,making them incapable of bearing the load of superstructures that will be imposed on them.As a result,engineers must have a solution to the is­sue of poor bearing capacity in weak soils before embanking into building on them.This paper reviewed the use of stone columns,piled rafts,and geogrids for improving the bearing capability of weak soils.Important findings from recent research are also discussed.From the review of the previous researcher’s findings,it was found that modelling approaches such as physical modelling(full scale,centrifuge,laboratory scale)and numerical modelling are used to study bearing capacity improvement.

Response of basement wall in tall buildings foundation under lateral loading

With increasing population and limitation of availability of land,tall buildings supported on piled raft foundations are increasingly used in the modern world.To increase the ratio of floor area to height,and to fulfill storage and parking facilities requirements,these tall buildings usually have more than one basement level.Conventionally,during the foundation design,engineers have not considered the basement wall contribution to resisting lateral load induced by earthquake or wind and this can result in an uneconomical construction of foundations.In this research work,an experimental study was performed on small-scale models,in order to study basement wall contribution,and the raft contribution including for piled raft foundations,to resisting lateral load.Three configurations of piles in 2×2,2×3,and 3×3 patterns were tested as a pile group,piled raft and piled raft with a basement wall.Results show that when a basement wall is present,the lateral displacement decreases and the demand on each pile decreases.The piled raft design can become more economical for tall buildings if the basement’s walls are taken into account.