Simplified approach for design of raft foundations against fault rupture.Part II:soil-structure interaction

This is the second paper of two, which describe the results of an integrated research effort to develop a four-step simplified approach for design of raft foundations against dip-slip （normal and thrust） fault rupture. The first two steps dealing with fault rupture propagation in the free-field were presented in the companion paper. This paper develops an approximate analytical method to analyze soil-foundation-structure interaction （SFSI）, involving two additional phenomena： （i） fault rupture diversion （Step 3）; and （ii） modification of the vertical displacement profile （Step 4）. For the first phenomenon （Step 3）, an approximate energy-based approach is developed to estimate the diversion of a fault rupture due to presence of a raft foundation. The normalized critical load for complete diversion is shown to be a function of soil strength, coefficient of earth pressure at rest, bedrock depth, and the horizontal position of the foundation relative to the outcropping fault rupture. For the second phenomenon （Step 4）, a heuristic approach is proposed, which ＂scans＂ through possible equilibrium positions to detect the one that best satisfies force and moment equilibrium. Thus, we account for the strong geometric nonlinearities that govern this interaction, such as uplifting and second order （P-△） effects. Comparisons with centrifuge-validated finite element analyses demonstrate the efficacy of the method. Its simplicity makes possible its utilization for preliminary design.

Influence of Incomplete Soil Plugs on Bearing Capacities of Bucket Foundations in Clay

Due to the uneven seabed and heaving of soil during pumping,incomplete soil plugs may occur during the installation of bucket foundations,and the impacts on the bearing capacities of bucket foundations need to be evaluated.In this paper,the contact ratio(the ratio of the top diameter of the soil plug to the diameter of the bucket)and the soil plug ratio(the ratio of the soil heave height to the skirt height)are defined to describe the shape and size of the incomplete soil plug.Then,finite element models are established to investigate the bearing capacities of bucket foundations with incomplete soil plugs and the influences of the contact ratios,and the soil plug ratios on the bearing capacities are analyzed.The results show that the vertical bearing capacity of bucket foundations in homogeneous soil continuously improves with the increase of the contact ratio.However,in normally consolidated soil,the vertical bearing capacity barely changes when the contact ratio is smaller than 0.75,while the bearing capacity suddenly increases when the contact ratio increases to 1 due to the change of failure mode.The contact ratio hardly affects the horizontal bearing capacity of bucket foundations.Moreover,the moment bearing capacity improves with the increase of the contact ratio for small aspect ratios,but hardly varies with increasing contact ratio for aspect ratios larger than 0.5.Consequently,the reduction coefficient method is proposed based on this analysis to calculate the bearing capacities of bucket foundations considering the influence of incomplete soil plugs.The comparison results show that the proposed reduction coefficient method can be used to evaluate the influences of incomplete soil plug on the bearing capacities of bucket foundations.

Pile foundation in alternate layered liquefiable and non-liquefiable soil deposits subjected to earthquake loading

Pile foundations are still the preferred foundation system for high-rise structures in earthquake-prone regions.Pile foundations have experienced failures in past earthquakes due to liquefaction.Research on pile foundations in liquefiable soils has primarily focused on the pile foundation behavior in two or three-layered soil profiles.However,in natural occurrence,it may occur in alternative layers of liquefiable and non-liquefiable soil.However,the experimental and/or numerical studies on the layered effect on pile foundations have not been widely addressed in the literature.Most of the design codes across the world do not explicitly mention the effect of sandwiched non-liquefiable soil layers on the pile response.In the present study,the behavior of an end-bearing pile in layered liquefiable and non-liquefiable soil deposit is studied numerically.This study found that the kinematic bending moment is higher and governs the design when the effect of the sandwiched non-liquefied layer is considered in the analysis as opposed to when its effect is ignored.Therefore,ignoring the effect of the sandwiched non-liquefied layer in a liquefiable soil deposit might be a nonconservative design approach.

Experimental and numerical interpretation on composite foundation consisting of soil-cement column within warm and ice-rich frozen soil

Affected by climate warming and anthropogenic disturbances, the thermo-mechanical stability of warm and ice-rich frozen ground along the Qinghai-Tibet engineering corridor(QTEC) is continuously decreased, which may delay the construction of major projects in the future. In this study, based on chemical stabilization of warm and icerich frozen ground, the soil-cement column(SCC) for ground improvement was recommended to reinforce the foundations in warm and ice-rich permafrost regions. To explore the validity of countermeasures mentioned above, both the original foundation and the composite foundation consisting of SCC with soil temperature of -1.0℃ were prepared in the laboratory, and then the plate loading tests were carried out. The laboratory investigations indicated that the bearing capacity of composite foundation consisting of SCC was higher than that of original foundation, and the total deformation of original foundation was greater than that of composite foundation, meaning that overall stability of foundation with warm and ice-rich frozen soil can be improved by SCC installation. Meanwhile, a numerical model considering the interface interaction between frozen soil and SCC was established for interpretating the bearing mechanism of composite foundation. The numerical investigations revealed that the SCC within composite foundation was responsible for the more applied load, and the applied load can be delivered to deeper zone in depth due to the SCC installation, which was favorable for improving the bearing characteristic of composite foundation. The investigations provide the valuable guideline for the choice of engineering supporting techniques to major projects within the QTEC.

Numerical Study of the Mechanical Behavior of a Foundation Raft under the Hydrodynamic Influence of the Mechanical Characteristics of Clay Soils

The clay soils of the city of Douala are constantly saturated with water, which permanently favors the hydrodynamic behavior of the soils (swelling or consolidation). This phenomenon can cause serious disturbances in the structure of buildings resulting in the appearance of cracks in structures (buildings, road bridge, viaduct, etc.). The foundation raft is a very important structure in the dimensioning of structures. Given the soil-structure interactions, its mechanical characteristics must be the subject of a special study linked to the building environment. In this article, we present a study of the mechanical behavior of a foundation raft anchored in a laminate floor. The aim is to highlight the influence of the mechanical properties of the foundation soil on the evolution of the mechanical behavior of the raft. The method used is a numerical simulation. A physical model taking into account a 5-storey building based in Douala in the Denver district is studied. The foundation on the raft foundation of this building follows an elastic constitutive law with Mazars damage, and rests on a laminated soil of plastic elastic model with Camclay plasticity criterion. The ground-raft and ground-ground interfaces are carried out with the finite elements joined to three nodes (JOI3), and obey the Coulomb model;it is an expansion joint model with Mohr-Coulomb type criterion and associated flow. The numerical resolution is carried out by the finite element method, and the numerical simulations via the Cast3M calculation code. The results from the simulations show that the mechanical characteristics of foundation soils, in this case the water content, the compactness, the state of consolidation, greatly influence the mechanical behavior of the foundation slab. There is indeed a significant settlement and a great deformation of the raft foundation when the water content of the soil layers increases, and when the states of consolidation and compactness are low. This article allows us to predict and control the evolution of the behavior of the ground-structure interface of a raft foundation and to adopt a new model appropriate for the sizing of civil engineering structures.

Determination of undrained shear strength using piezocone penetration test in clayey soil for bridge foundation

In order to obtain the reasonable undrained shear strength Su for geotechnical analyses of bridge foundations in Yangtze River floodplain clayey soils, a site-specific study is conducted using the imported piezocone penetration test （CPTu） with dissipation phases at the Fourth Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge construction sites. Taking the values of Su from laboratory tests as references, several existing Su-predicted methods based on CPTu are compared and evaluated. To verify the presented cone factor Nk, additional test sites are selected and examined. The results show that the values of cone factors such as Nkt, Nke, and Nau, depend on the shear test mode and disturbance. Generally, the values of Nke show more scattering than those of Nkt and N△u. For the stratified and layered sediments of the Yangtze River floodplain, it is recommended using the net cone resistance qT to estimate Su and the preliminary cone factor values Nkt are from 7 to 16, with an average of 11. It is also confirmed that the CPTu test, as a new technique in site characterization, can present reasonable parameters for bridge foundations.

Numerical analysis of crack generation within embankment built on expansive soil foundation

In order to analyze the initial cracking behavior of highway embankment in the regions of expansive soil, the changes in peaks of tensile stress and their location on top of the embankment for a typical highway embankment section were simulated by ABAQUS. The simulation results indicate that the matric suction was a concave distribution on top of the expansive soil foundation and that it induced differential deformation of foundation and embankment. The peaks of tensile stress on top of the embankment are not located at a fixed site, but gradually move towards the shoulder following the evaporation duration. When the evaporation intensity is larger, the peak of tensile stress on top of embankment increases at a faster rate following the evaporation duration,and its location is closer to the shoulder. The thicker expansive soil layer helps the peaks of tensile stress to reach the critical tensile stress quickly, but the embankment cannot crack when the expansive soil layer is no more than 1.5m after 30d soil surface evaporation; the higher the embankment, the smaller the peak of tensile stress occurring on top of the highway embankment, and its location will be further away from the shoulder. Therefore, a higher embankment constructed on a thinner expansive soil layer can reduce the crack generation within the highway embankment.

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.

Deep Penetration of Spudcan Foundation into Double Layered Soils

The spudcan foundation has been widely used in offshore engineering for jack-up rigs. However, “punch through' failure often occurs where a stronger soil layer overlays a softer soil layer. In this study, spudcan penetration into double layered soils is investigated numerically. The soil profile is set up as a stronger soil layer overlaying a softer soil layer, with the soil strength ratio (bottom soil strength / top soil strength) varied from 0.1 to 1.0 (1 means uniform soil). The bearing behaviour is discussed and the bearing capacity factors are given for various cases involving different layer thicknesses and different strength ratios of the two clay layers. The development of the plastic zones and the effect of soil self-weight on the bearing capacity are also discussed. From this study, it is found that, when a spudcan is distant from the soil layer boundary, the spudcan can be analysed with single soil layer data. However, when a spudcan becomes closer to the soil boundary layer, the influence of the lower soft soil layer is significant, and the bearing capacity of the spudcan decreases. The critical distance is an indication of the occurrence of “punch through' failure. The critical distance between the spudcan and the layer boundary is larger for a rough spudcan than the one for a smooth one, and the critical distance decreases with increasing soil strength ratio. The depth of cavity formed during initial spudcan penetration depends on the top layer soil strength, soil strength ratio and unit soil self-weight, and the cavity affects the spudcan bearing behaviour as well.

Study of vibrating foundations considering soil-pile-structure interaction for practical applications

An investigation of soil-pile-structure interaction is carried out, based on a large reciprocating compressor installed on an elevated concrete foundation （table top structure）. A practical method is described for the dynamic analysis, and compared with a 3D finite element （FE） model. Two commercial software packages are used for dynamic analysis considering the soilpile-structure interaction （SPSI）. Stiffness and damping of the pile foundation are generated from a computer program, and then input into the FE model. To examine the SPSI thoroughly, three cases for the soil, piles and superstructure are considered and compared. In the first case, the interaction is fully taken into account, that is, both the superstructure and soil-pile system are flexible. In the second case, the superstructure is flexible but fixed to a rigid base, with no deformation in the base （no SSI）. In the third case, the dynamic soil-pile interaction is taken into account, but the table top structure is assumed to be rigid. From the comparison beteen the results of these three cases some conclusions are made, which could be helpful for engineering practice.

Optimization of constitutive parameters of foundation soils k-means clustering analysis

The goal of this study was to optimize the constitutive parameters of foundation soils using a k-means algorithm with clustering analysis. A database was collected from unconfined compression tests, Proctor tests and grain distribution tests of soils taken from three different types of foundation pits： raft foundations, partial raft foundations and strip foundations. k-means algorithm with clustering analysis was applied to determine the most appropriate foundation type given the un- confined compression strengths and other parameters of the different soils.

Calculation of Hydro-Dynamic Stability of the Soil Inside Bucket in the Process of Bucket Foundation Penetration

The offshore platform with bucket foundations is a;new type of offshore platform that distinguishes from traditional template platforms by replacing driven piles with bucket foundations. The suction penentration of bucket foundation is a complicated hydro-dynamic process. The key of this process is the seepage field caused by the difference of pressure applied on purpose inside and outside the bucket. The appearance and developement of seepage field has a decisive influence on the suction penetration process. In this study, the finite element analysis method is applied to the dynamic simulation of the seepage field of suction penetration of bucket foundation. A criterion is suggested to distinguish the hydro-dynamic stability of the soil inside the bucket according to the critical hydraulic gradient method. The reliability of the model and its applicability to engineering practice have been proved through comparison between the results of model test and finite element calculation.

Model test on vertical bearing capacity of X-section concrete pile raft foundation in silica sand

To reveal the bearing capacity of the X-section concrete piles pile raft foundation in silica sand,a series of vertical load tests are carried out.The X-section concrete piles are compared with circular section pile with the same section area.The load−settlement curves,axial force and skin friction,strain on concave and convex edge of the pile,pile-sand stress ratio,distributions of side and tip resistance are presented.The results show that bearing capacity of the X section concrete pile raft foundation is much larger than that of the circular pile raft foundation.Besides,compared with the circular pile,the peak axial force of X-section piles under raft is deeper and smaller while the neutral point of X-section concrete pile is deeper.Moreover,the strain on the concave edge is much larger than that on the convex edge of the pile,and the convex edge has more potential in bearing capacity as the vertical load increases.The X-section pile has higher pile-sand stress ratios and load-sharing between side resistance and tip resistance.Above all,the X-section concrete pile can significantly increase the bearing capacity of pile-raft foundations in silica sand.

Settlement calculation for long-short composite piled raft foundation

The mechanism of long-short composite piled raft foundation was discussed. Assuming the relationship between shear stress and shear strain of the surrounding soil was elasto-plastic, shear displacement method was employed to establish the different explicit relational equations between the load and the displacement at the top of pile in either elastic or elasto-plastic period. Then Mylonakis ＆ Gazetas model was introduced to simulate the interaction between two piles or between piles and soil. Considering the effect of cushion, the flexible coefficients of interaction were provided, With the addition of a relevant program, the settlement calculation for long-short composite piled raft foundation was developed which could be used to account for the interaction of piles, soil and cushion. Finally, the calculation method was used to analyze an engineering example. The calculated value of settlement is 10.2 ram, which is close to the observed value 8.8 mm.

Research of deformation prediction method of soft soil deep foundation pit

In view of the characteristics of soft soil deep foundation pit for the construction and geotechnical characteristics of the special medium,it is difficult to calculate theoreti- cally accurately structural deformation of the foundation pit,so in the course of excavation on the construction of the information is particularly important.The analysis and compari- son of several popular non-linear forecasting methods,combined with the actual projects, set up a grey theoretical prediction model,time series forecasting model,improved neural network model to predict deformation of the foundation pit.The results show that the use of neural network to predict with high accuracy solution,it is the foundation deformation prediction effective way in underground works with good prospects.

NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF SOIL PLUG INSIDE SUCTION FOUNDATIONS DURING SUCTION PENETRATION BY DISCRETE ELEMENT METHOD

The phenomenon of the soil plug usually rising inside the suction foundations during suction penetration was quantitatively described and predicted. The formation process of the soil plug was simulated and calculated by DEM （discrete element method） model. The seepage flow, the self-weight of soil, the friction on the chamber wall as well as the suction inside the chamber are considered as the main external forces in the process. The results are compared with a set of laboratory model tests performed by using three soil types （sand, silty clay and clay） in the Bohai Sea area. The heights of soil plug from numerical estimations are lower than those from model test results, mainly because the suction pressure and friction resistance are applied in an ideal way under the numerical simulation.

Estimation of Heights of Soil Plug Inside Bucket Foundations During Suction Penetration by Deformable Discrete Element Modeling

The soil plug phenomenon involving the rising of the surface soil inside the bucket chamber under the suction pressure and seepage forces was simulated and calculated by deformable discrete element method (DDEM) models. The seepage forces, the effective gravity of soil, the friction on the chamber wall and the suction inside the chamber are considered as the main external forces of DDEM specimen. Three typical types of soil (silty clay, silt and sand) in the Bohai Sea are set as the main environmental conditions in the formation process of soil plug. It is found that the heights of soil plug simulated by DDEM models are 161.85 mm in silty clay, 125.22 mm in silt and 167.56 mm in sand, which are close to model test results and higher than those estimated by discrete element method (DEM). DDEM is an effective method to estimate and predict the heights of soil plug before suction penetration of bucket foundations on site.

Design parameter optimization of beam foundation on soft soil layer with nonlinear finite element

Finite element method was performed to investigate the influences of beam stiffness, foundation width and cushion thickness on the beating capacity of beam foundation on underlying weak laminated clay. The comparison between numerical results and results from field test including plate-bearing test and foundation settlement observation shows reasonable agreement. According to the numerical results, the beam width, length, cross section and cushion thickness were optimized. The results show that the stresses in subgrade soil decrease greatly with increasing the cushion thickness and width of foundation. However, the foundation settlement and influencing depth of displacement also increase correspondingly under conditions of relatively thinner cushion thickness. For the foundations on underlying weak layer, increasing foundation width merely might be inadequate for improving the bearing capacity, and the appropriate width and cushion thickness depend on the response of subgrade. A comparison between rigid and flexible beams was also discussed. The influence of a flexible beam foundation on subgrade is relatively smaller under the same loading conditions, and the flexible beam foundation appears more adaptable to various subgrades. The proposed flexible beam foundation was adopted in engineering. According to the calculation results, beam width of 2.4 m and cushion thickness of 0.8 m are proposed, and a flexible beam foundation is applied in the optimized design, which is confirmed reasonable by the actual engineering.

Spring constitutive model of rigid pile composite foundation and application in design of raft foundation

The simplified analysis method based on the static equilibrium is generally adopted for raft design. The secondary stress of superstructure due to the differential settlement of the foundation is neglected, which leads to larger support moments and longitudinal bending of raft compared with real values. The spring constitutive relation of composite foundation is obtained by the flat plate loading tests in Karst region. The interaction between the spring and the raft is equivalent to the interaction between the composite foundation and the raft. The model for superstructure-raft-composite foundation interaction analysis is thus established and the raft is designed. This method not only considers the nonlinear properties of composite foundation but also analyzes the influence of superstructure on bending moment and deformation of raft. Compared with the inverted floor method, the calculated values of moment become more reasonable and uneven settlements are considered. This can be references to the design of raft foundation in similar regions.

New artificial boundary condition for saturated soil foundations

Anew artificial boundary model based on multi-directional transmitting and viscous-spring artificial boundary theories is proposed to absorb stress waves in a saturated soil foundation in dynamic analysis. Since shear waves （S-waves） are the same in a saturated soil foundation and a single-phase medium foundation, a tangential visco-elastic boundary condition for a single-phase medium foundation can also be used for saturated soil foundations. Thus, the purpose of the artificial boundary proposed in this paper is primarily to absorb two types of P-waves in a saturated soil foundation. The main idea is that the stress of the P-waves in the saturated soil foundation is decomposed into two types. The first type of stress, δra＇ is absorbed by the first artificial boundary. The second type of stress, δrb, is balanced by the stress generated by the second artificial boundary. Ultimately, both types of P-waves （fast-P-waves and slow-P-waves） are absorbed by the artificial boundary model proposed in this paper. In particular, note that the fast-P-waves and slow-P-waves are absorbed at the position of the first boundary. Thus, the artificial boundary model proposed herein can simultaneously absorb P-fast waves, P-slow waves and shear waves. Finally, a numerical example is given to examine the proposed artificial boundary model, and the results show that it is very accurate.