3D finite elements analysis of vertically loaded composite piled raft

In recent years,a new type of foundation named composite piled raft foundation (also called long short composite piled raft) has been developed.Where designing shallow foundations would mean unacceptable settlement,or other environmental risks exist which could impair the structure in the future,composite piled raft foundations could be used.Finite element method was applied to study the behavior of this type of foundation subjected to vertical loading.In order to determine an optimal pile arrangement pattern which yields the minimum settlement,various pile arrangements under different vertical stress levels were investigated.Results show that with increasing the vertical stress on the raft,the effectiveness of the arrangements of short and long piles become more visible.In addition,a new factor named "composite piled raft efficiency" (CPRE) has been defined which determines the efficiency of long short piles arrangement in a composite piled raft foundation.This factor will increase when short piles take more axial stresses and long piles take less axial stresses.In addition,it is found that the changes in settlements for different long short piles arrangement are in a well agreement with changes in values of CPRE ratio.Thus,CPRE ratio can be used as a factor to determine the efficiency of piles arrangements in composite piled raft foundation from the view point of reducing raft settlements.

Stabilized effects of L-S cement-mixed batter pile composite foundation for existed warm frozen soil subgrade

In permafrost regions with warm frozen soil,subgrade thaw-collapse phenomenon commonly occurs,facing thaw collapse problems of the existed frozen soil subgrade,thus it is difficult to use traditional methods such as active cooling and passive protection technology to stabilize the existed warm frozen soil subgrade.This study derives a novel stabilizer method,a long-short(L-S)cement-mixed batter pile composite foundation to stabilize the existed warm frozen soil subgrade.To solve the thawcollapse problems in warm frozen soil subgrade,high water content and large compressibility characteristics were compared between soft soil and warm frozen soils.Theoretical analysis of heat conduction and numerical simulation of finite element model were used to study the freeze–thaw process and evaluate the stabilized effects of the L-S cement-mixed batter piles on the warm frozen soil foundation of the Qinghai-Tibet Highway.Furthermore,the thaw process and mechanical properties of foundation and piles were analyzed by introducing the hydration heat factor in the thermodynamic control equation.The results indicate that the thawing displacement of the existed warm frozen soil subgrade was reduced owing to the“support”and“grasp”effects of the L-S cement-mixed batter piles on the surrounding soil.The composite ground formed by strengthening the warm frozen ground with batter piles could considerably improve the bearing capacity of the existed warm frozen ground,effectively restrain the deformation of the upper embankment,and improve the strength of the ground.The analysis can provide method for the construction design of cement mixing batter pile foundation in cold regions.