• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.379-390
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• 2020

The behavior of a piled raft system in multi-layered soil subjected to vertical loading has been studied numerically using 3D finite element analysis. Initially, the 3D finite element model has been validated by analytically simulating the field experiments conducted on vertically loaded instrumented piled raft. Subsequently, a comprehensive parametric study has been conducted to assess the performance of a combined piled raft system in terms of optimum pile spacing and settlement of raft and piles, in multi-layered soil stratum subjected to vertical loading. It has been found that a combined pile raft system can significantly reduce the total settlement as well as the differential settlement of the raft in comparison to the raft alone. Two different arrangements below the piled raft with the same pile numbers show a significant amount of increase of load transfer of piled raft system, which is in line with the load transfer mechanism of a piled raft. A methodology for the factor of safety assessment of a combined pile raft foundation has been presented to improve the performance of piled raft based on its serviceability requirements. The findings of this study could be used as guidelines for achieving economical design for combined piled raft systems.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.25-32
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• 2007

The piled-raft foundation, a new design concept, is one of the most effective kinds of foundation for reducing settlement of structures. An alternative piled-raft system with disconnection cap and a sand cushion between the pile and raft was also investigated to compare the influence of ultimate bearing capacity and settlement. Load-settlement relation curves were used to evaluate the ultimate bearing capacity. In the numerical analyses, a plane strain elasto-plastic finite element model (Mohr-Coulomb model) was used to present the response of the piled-raft foundation.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.169-185
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• 2022

The urbanization and increasing rate of population demands effective means of transportation system (basement and tunnels) as well as high-rise building (resting on piled foundation) for accommodation. Therefore, it unavoidable to construct basements (i.e., excavation) nearby piled foundation. Since the basement excavation inevitably induces soil movement and stress changes in the ground, it may cause differential settlements to nearby piled raft foundation. To understand settlement and load transfer mechanism in the piled raft due to excavation-induced stress release, numerical parametric studies are carried out in this study. The effects of excavation depths (i.e., formation level) relative to piled raft were investigated by simulating the excavation near the pile shaft (i.e., H_e/L_p=0.67), next to (H_e/L_p=1.00) and below the pile toe (H_e/L_p=1.33). In addition, effects of sand density and raft fixity condition were investigated. The computed results have revealed that the induced settlement, tilting, pile lateral movement and load transfer mechanism in the piled raft depends upon the embedded depth of the diaphragm wall. Additional settlement of the piled raft due to excavation can be account for apparent loss of load carrying capacity of the piled raft (ALPC). The highest apparent loss of piled raft capacity ALPC (on the account of induced piled raft settlement) of 50% was calculated in in case of H_e/L_p = 1.33. Furthermore, the induced settlement decreased with increasing the relative density from 30% to 90%. On the contrary, the tilting of the raft increases in denser ground. The larger bending moment and lateral force was induced at the piled heads in fixed and pinned raft condition.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.387-396
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• 2023

Ground subsidence, which is a current concern that affects piled raft foundations, has occurred at a high rate in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam, due primarily to groundwater pumping for water supply. In this study, the groundwater level (GWL) change affect on a piled raft foundation was investigated based on the three-dimensional finite element method (3D-FEM) using the PLAXIS 3D software. The GWL change due to global groundwater pumping and dewatering were simulated in PLAXIS 3D based on the GWL reduction and consolidation. Settlement and the pile axial force of the piled raft foundation in Ho Chi Minh subsoil were investigated based on the actual design and the proposed optimal case. The actual design used the piled foundation concept, while the optimal case applied a pile spacing of 6D using a piled raft concept to reduce the number of piles, with little increased settlement. The results indicated that the settlement increased with the GWL reduction, caused by groundwater pumping and dewatering. The subsidence started to affect the piled raft foundation 2.5 years after construction for the actual design and after 3.4 years for the optimal case due to global groundwater pumping. The pile's axial force, which was affected by negative skin friction, increased during that time.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.183-192
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• 2022

Piled raft foundations are widely used and effective in supporting high-rise buildings around the world. In this study, a piled raft system was numerically simulated using PLAXIS 3D. The settlement comparison results between the actual building measurements and the three-dimensional (3D) numerical analysis, were in good agreement, indicating the usefulness of this approach for the evaluation of the feasibility of using a piled raft foundation in Ho Chi Minh City subsoil. The effects were investigated of the number of piles based on pile spacing, pile length, raft embedment on the settlement, load sharing, bending moments, and the shear force of the piled raft foundation in Ho Chi Minh City subsoil. The results indicated that with an increased number of piles, increased pile length, and embedding raft depth, the total and differential settlement decreased. The optimal design consisted of pile numbers of 60-70, corresponding to pile spacings is 5.5-6 times the pile diameter (D_p), in conjunction with a pile length-to-pile diameter ratio of 30. Furthermore, load sharing by the raft, by locating it in the second layer of stiff clay, could achieve 66% of the building load. The proposed model of piled raft foundations could reduce the total foundation cost by 49.61% compared to the conventional design. This research can assist practicing engineers in selecting pile and raft parameters in the design of piled raft foundations to produce an economical design for high-rise buildings in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam, and around the world.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2008.10a
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• pp.691-699
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• 2008

In the design of a foundation, settlement of the foundation may exceed allowable design criteria even with a competent bearing stratum. In such a case, a piled-raft foundation system may be adopted using piles as settlement reducing component. In this paper, Disconnected Piled Raft Foundation (DPRF) system, which installs disconnected piles underneath the raft and uses the piles as ground reinforcements, is studied as a cost effective design method against the classical piled-raft foundation system. To this end, large size loading tests were carried out on weathered ground changing area replacement ratio and length of piles. The results indicated that the settlement of the reinforced ground was reduced by 34~87% and the allowable bearing pressure increased by 70% on average from those of the unreinforced original ground, respectively. The correlating formula between the area replacement ratio and the load bearing ratio of piles were derived from the test results and numerical analysis. From the correlation, a design method determining the size and the quantity of the disconnected piles to enhance the bearing capacity of original ground to the desired value was proposed based on one inch settlement criteria.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Building Construction Conference
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• 2010.05a
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• pp.17-19
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• 2010

This paper describes the possibility of the raft thickness reduction for mega foundations system of super high-rise buildings through a case study on domestic and foreign super high-rise buildings. In case of super high-rise buildings, the size of foundations, especially raft becomes wider and deeper because of heavy upper load. It is difficult to pour concrete of this kind of mega foundation, and cracks by hydration heat could happen. Therefore, there are several ways to reduce the raft thickness of mega foundations. Piled-raft could be the one because moment and shear load that the raft subjects on by soil reaction are lower. The effect of the piled-raft foundation on the raft thickness reduction could be confirmed by comparison of super high-rise buildings with pile, piled-raft and mat foundation. Furthermore, it was showed that the raft thickness could be more reduced by locating piles right under the vertical members of super structures.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.433-445
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• 2020

A new code, called PRaFULL (Piled Raft Foundation Under Lateral Load), was developed for the analysis of laterally loaded Combined Pile Raft Foundation (CPRF). The proposed code considers the contribution offered by the raft-soil contact and the interactions between all the CPRF system components. The nonlinear behaviour of the reinforced concrete pile and the soil are accounted. As shallower soil layers are of great relevance in the lateral response of a pile foundation, PRaFULL includes the possibility to consider layered soil profiles with appropriate properties. The shadowing effect on the ultimate soil pressure is accounted, when dealing with pile groups, as proposed by the Strain Wedge Model. PRaFULL BEM code obviously requires less computational resources compared to FEM (Finite Element Method) or FDM (Finite Difference Method) codes. The proposed code was validated in the linear elastic range by comparisons with the code APRAF (Analysis of Piled Raft Foundations). The reliability of the procedure to predict piled raft performance was then verified in nonlinear range by comparisons with both centrifuge tests and computer code PRAB.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.20-25
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• 2004

For the structural foundation above the soft clay layer conditions, the design charts are first presented for the evaluation of both bearing capacity and total settlement in the basic raft foundation system. wad settlement relationship curves are used to evaluate the ultimate soil bearing capacity. The total settlement is evaluated by applying various traditional factors into the ultimate bearing capacity. Then, the parametric studies are carried out for the piled-raft foundation system. In the numerical analysis, the elasto-pastic finite element model(Mohr-Coulomb model) is used to present the foundation response and design charts, which enable the determination of the raft size and pile length and spacing.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.449-461
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• 2018

The load sharing ratio (${\alpha}_{pr}$) of piles is one of the most common problems in the preliminary design of piled raft foundations. A series of 3D numerical analysis are conducted so that special attentions are given to load sharing characteristics under varying conditions, such as pile configuration, pile diameter, pile length, raft thickness, and settlement level. Based on the 3D FE analysis, influencing factors on load sharing behavior of piled raft are investigated. As a result, it is shown that the load sharing ratio of piled raft decreases with increasing settlement level. The load sharing ratio is not only highly dependent on the system geometries of the foundation but also on the settlement level. Based on the results of parametric studies, the load sharing ratio is proposed as a function of the various influencing factors. In addition, the parametric analyses suggest that the load sharing ratios to minimize the differential settlement of piled raft are ranging from 15 to 48% for friction pile and from 15 to 54% for end-bearing pile. The recommendations can provide a basis for an optimum design that would be applicable to piled rafts taking into account the load sharing characteristics.