Analysis of Piled Raft Foundations Using a Variational Approach

A variational approach for the analysis of piled raft foundations is presented. The raft and piles are both analyzed by the use of the principle of minimum potential energy. By representing the deformation of the piles and raft using finite series, the method is very efficient for the analysis of a piled raft with a large number of piles. Comparisons with other numerical methods and field measurements have shown reasonable agreement.     

Design Strategies for Piled Rafts Subjected to Nonuniform Vertical Loading

The piled raft is a geotechnical composite construction, consisting of the three elements piles, raft, and soil, which is applied for the foundation of tall buildings in an increasing number. In a parametric study, 259 different piled raft configurations have been analyzed by means of three-dimensional elastoplastic finite element analyses. In the study, the pile positions, the pile number, the pile length, and the raft-soil stiffness ratio as well as the load distribution on the raft has been varied. In the scope of this paper, the results of the parametric study are presented and design strategies for an optimized design of piled rafts subjected to nonuniform vertical loading are discussed.     

Contribution to Piled Raft Foundation Design

Raft foundations enhanced with deep foundation elements (typically piles), simply known as piled rafts, were examined to develop a more integrated, displacement-based, design methodology. Illustrative piled rafts were analyzed using simplified linear elastic and nonlinear plane strain finite element models. The effects of raft and pile group system geometries and pile group compression capacity were evaluated on the “average” and differential displacements, raft bending moments, and pile butt load ratio of the piled rafts. The results were synthesized into an updated, displacement-based, design methodology for piled rafts.     

Bearing Capacity of Piled Rafts on Soft Clay Soils

The conventional design of a piled foundation is based on a bearing capacity approach, and neglects the contribution of the raft. As a consequence, piled foundations are usually designed by overconservative criteria. With respect to the conventional approach, a more rational and economical solution could be obtained by accounting for the contribution of the raft toward the overall bearing capacity, but this potential is not exploited due to the lack of theoretical and experimental research on the behavior of piled rafts at failure. Based on both experimental evidence and three-dimensional finite element analyses, a simple criterion is proposed to evaluate the ultimate vertical load of a piled raft as a function of its component capacities, which can be simply evaluated by the conventional bearing capacity theories. The results presented in the paper thus provide a guide to assess the safety factor of a vertically loaded piled raft.     

Horizontal Bearing Capacity of Piles in a Lateritic Soil

The behavior of pile foundations subjected to horizontal loading is typically evaluated using horizontal load tests. Although load tests are valuable to understand site-specific soil-structure interaction phenomena, validated predictive methods are also useful during the design phase. In this study, the results from horizontal load tests are compared with methods which predict the horizontal bearing capacity of piles using in situ measurements of soil behavior. Specifically, several horizontal load tests were performed in order to evaluate the behavior of two 12-m long Strauss piles and four bored piles with similar length, all installed in a lateritic soil profile. Two prediction methods were evaluated using p-y curves computed from the results of Marchetti’s dilatometer test (DMT) results. The predictive methods using the p-y curves from the DMT showed good agreement with the behavior observed in the pile loading test.     

Experimental Study of Eccentrically Loaded Raft with Connected and Unconnected Short Piles

Piled raft foundations are often used when the supporting soil has adequate bearing capacity but the raft settlements exceed allowable values. In traditional practice, long piles with high load capacity are usually used that may lead to two structural problems: the structural collapse of the pile and large strains mobilized in the raft leading to an uneconomic design. This paper presents an experimental study of the effectiveness of using short piles either connected or unconnected to the raft (instead of long piles) on the behavior of an eccentrically loaded raft. The load configuration was designed to simulate rafts under vertical loads and overturning moment. Several arrangements of piles with different lengths and numbers along with the effect of the relative density of the soil and the load eccentricity were studied. Test results indicate that the inclusion of short piles adjacent to the raft edges not only significantly improves the raft bearing pressures but also leads to a reduction in raft settlements and tilts leading to an economical design of the raft. However, the efficiency of the short piles-raft system is dependent on the load eccentricity ratio and pile arrangement. Also, connecting short piles to the raft gives greater improvement in the raft behavior than unconnected piles. Based on test results, the effects of different parameters are presented and discussed.     

Analysis and Performance of Piled Rafts Designed Using Innovative Criteria

In this paper the main criteria adopted for the design and some aspects of the observed behavior of the piled foundations of a cluster of circular steel tanks are reported. They were designed to store sodium hydroxide, a toxic liquid with a unit weight of 15.1?kN/m3. Shallow foundations would have been safe against a bearing capacity failure, while the predicted settlement was beyond the allowed limit. Accordingly piles were designed to reduce the settlement and improve the overall performance of the foundations. While conventional capacity based design approach led to a total of 160 piles to support the five tanks the settlement based design approach led to a total of 65 piles achieving significant savings on the cost of the project. The settlements of four out of the five tanks were measured and for two out of the five tanks the load sharing among the raft and the piles was also observed. Both the analyses carried out at the design stage and the back-analyses of the observed behavior were based on the interaction factors method as implemented in the computer code NAPRA [Russo (1998), Int. J. Numer. Anal. Methods Geomech., 22(6), 477–493].     

Effects of Tip Location and Shielding on Piles in Consolidating Ground

Pile foundations located within consolidating ground are commonly subjected to negative skin friction (NSF) and failures of pile foundations related to dragload (compressive force) and downdrag (pile settlement) have been reported in the literature. This paper reports the results of four centrifuge model tests, which were undertaken to achieve two objectives: first, to investigate the response of a single pile subjected to NSF with different pile tip location with respect to the end-bearing stratum layer; and second, to study the behavior of floating piles subjected to NSF with and without shielding by sacrificing piles. In addition, three-dimensional numerical analyses of the centrifuge model tests were carried out with elastoplastic slip considered at the pile-soil interface. The measured maximum β value at unprotected single end-bearing and floating pile was similar and slightly smaller than 0.3. On the contrary, smaller β values of 0.1 and 0.2 were mobilized at the shielded center piles for pile spacings of 5.0 d and 6.0 d, respectively. The measured maximum dragload of the center pile in the group at 5.0 d and 6.0 d spacing was only 53% and 75% of the measured maximum dragload of an isolated single pile, respectively. Correspondingly, the measured downdrag of the center pile was reduced to about 57% and 80% of the isolated single pile. Based on the numerical analyses, it is revealed that sacrificing piles “hang up” the soil between the piles in the group and, thus, the vertical effective stress in the soil so reduced, as is the horizontal effective stress acting on the center pile. This “hang-up” effect reduces with an increase in pile spacing. For a given pile spacing, shielding effect on dragload is larger than that on downdrag.     

Investigation of Load-Transfer Mechanisms in Geotechnical Earth Structures with Thin Fill Platforms Reinforced by Rigid Inclusions

The reinforcement of soft soils by rigid inclusions is a practical and economical technique for wide-span buildings and the foundations of embankments. This method consists of placing a granular layer at the top of the network of piles to reduce vertical load on the supporting soil and vertical settlement of the upper structure. The study focuses on the modeling of load-transfer mechanisms occurring in the reinforced structure located over the network of piles with a coupling between the finite-element method (geosynthetic sheets) and discrete element method (granular layer; concrete slab in some cases). The importance of granular layer thickness to increase load-transfer intensity and to reduce vertical settlement was observed. However, without a basal geosynthetic sheet, the compressibility of soft soil has a great influence on the mechanisms. A method predicting the intensity of load transfers was proposed, based on Carlsson’s solution. The main parameters concerned are the geometry of the work and the peak and residual friction angles of the granular layer.     

Liquefaction-Induced Settlement of Pile Groups in Liquefiable and Laterally Spreading Soils

The results of a series of dynamic centrifuge tests on model pile groups in (level) liquefied and laterally spreading soil profiles are presented. The piles are axially loaded at typical working loads, which has enabled liquefaction-induced settlements of the foundations to be studied. The development of excess pore pressures within the bearing layer (dense sand) was found to lead to a reduction in pile capacity and potentially damagingly large coseismic settlements. As the excess pore pressure increased, these settlements were observed to exceed postshaking downdrag-induced settlements, which occur due to the reconsolidation of liquefied sand around the pile shaft. In resisting settlement, the pile cap was found to play an important role by compensating for the capacity lost by the piles. This was shown to be achieved by the development of dilative excess pore pressures beneath the pile cap within the underlying loose liquefied sand which provide increasing bearing capacity with settlement. The centrifuge test data show good qualitative and quantitative agreement with the limited amount of model and full-scale data currently available in the literature. The implications of settlement for the design of piled foundations to serviceability conditions in both level and sloping ground are discussed, with settlement becoming an increasingly important consideration for laterally stiffer piles. Finally, empirical relationships have been derived from the test data to relate suitable static safety factors to given increases in excess pore pressure in the bearing layer within a performance-based design framework (i.e., based on limiting displacements).     

Drag Force on Single Piles in Clay Subjected to Surcharge Loading

Piles driven into clay are often subjected to indirect loading as a result of the surcharge applied on the surrounding area. During the drained period, both the piles and the soil undergo downward movements caused by the axial and the surcharge loading, respectively. Depending on the relative movement of the pile–soil system, positive and negative skin friction develop on the pile’s shaft. Negative skin friction is the drag force that may be large enough to reduce the pile capacity and/or to overstress the pile’s material causing fractures or perhaps structural failure of the pile, and/or possibly pulling out the pile from the cap. A numerical model that uses the finite element technique combined with the soil responses according to Mohr–Coulomb criteria was developed for case simulation. The computer program CRISP (developed by Cambridge University) was used in this study. The numerical model was first tested against the results predicted by the bearing capacity theories for pile foundations in clay subjected to axial loading. Upon achieving satisfactory results, the numerical model was then used to generate data for piles subjected to surcharge loading. The predicted values were compared well with the field data and the empirical formulae available in the literature. Based on the results of the present investigation, design charts and procedures are presented to predict the location of the neutral plane and to estimate the drag force acting on the pile’s shaft for a given pile–soil–loading conditions. In the case of excessive drag force, coating the pile’s shaft with a thin layer of bitumen is advisable to eliminate or minimize the drag force. The design procedure presented herein would provide the means to establish the need and the extent of the pile coating. Furthermore, it demonstrates the role of the factor of safety on both pile capacity and the depth of the neutral plane.     

Three-Dimensional Nonlinear Seismic Analysis of Single Piles Using Finite Element Model: Effects of Plasticity of Soil

Much of the reported research on the dynamic analysis of pile foundations assumes linear behavior of soil that may not be valid for strong excitations. In this paper, material nonlinearity of the soil caused by plasticity and work hardening is considered in the dynamic analysis of pile foundations. An advanced plasticity based soil model, HiSS, is incorporated in a finite element technique. To simulate radiation effects, proper boundary conditions are used. The model and algorithm are verified with analytical results that are available for elastic and elastoplastic soil models. Analyses are carried out for free-field response and pile head response of end-bearing single piles. Both harmonic and transient excitations are considered in the analyses. Effects of frequency of excitation and stiffness of soil are investigated. It was found that the nonlinearity of soil has significant effects on the pile response for lower and moderate frequencies of excitations (a0<0.6) while at higher frequencies its effects are not as significant.     

Interface Characteristics and Laboratory Constructability Tests of Novel Fiber-Reinforced Polymer/Concrete Piles

Conventional pile materials such as steel, concrete, and timber are prone to deterioration for many reasons. Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) concrete composites represent an alternative construction material for deep foundations that can eliminate many of the performance disadvantages of traditional piling materials. However, FRP composites present several difficulties related to constructability, and the lack of design tools for their implementation as a foundation element. This paper describes the results of an experimental study on frictional FRP/dense sand interface characteristics and the constructability of FRP–concrete composite piles. An innovative toe driving technique is developed to install the empty FRP shells in the soil and self-consolidating concrete is subsequently cast in them. The experimental program involves interface shear tests on small FRP samples and uplift load tests on large-scale model piles. Two different FRP pile materials with different roughness and a reference steel pile are examined. Static uplift load tests are conducted on different piles installed in soil samples subjected to different confining pressures in the pressure chamber. The results showed that the interface friction for FRP materials compared favorably with conventional steel material. It was shown that toe driving is suitable for installation of FRP piles in dense soils.     

Three-Dimensional Analyses of Wave Barriers for Reduction of Train-Induced Vibrations

This paper explores the use of a three-dimensional finite-element analysis to model soil vibrations due to high-speed trains on bridges. Finite-element meshes include the bridge superstructure, bridge foundations, nearby building foundations, and piles. Wheel elements represented by appropriate mass, damping and stiffness factors were used to simulate a moving high-speed train. Along the mesh boundaries, absorbing boundary conditions were employed to avoid fictitious wave reflections. Isolation methods to reduce soil vibrations were investigated including construction of open and infilled trenches and soil improvement. Vibration isolation effects due to building foundations and piles were also studied. The finite-element results indicate that suitable axial stiffness between two simple beams can reduce vibration significantly, especially at a near-resonance condition. Operating with an appropriate train velocity to avoid resonance can be another way to reduce vibrations. Suitable mat foundations can significantly reduce soil horizontal vibration, but cannot isolate vertical vibration. Soil improvements near the bridge do not effectively attenuate low-frequency vibrations. Infilled and open trenches can isolate soil vertical vibration; however, their efficiency seems disproportionate to their cost.     

Lateral Resistance of Short Single Piles and Pile Groups Located Near Slopes

Many transmission towers, high-rise buildings, and bridges are constructed near steep slopes and are supported by large-diameter piles. These structures may be subjected to large lateral loads, such as violent winds and earthquakes. Widely used types of foundations for these structures are pier foundations, which have large diameter with high stiffness. The behavior of a pier foundation subjected to lateral loads is similar to that of a short rigid pile, because both elements seem to fail by rotation developing passive resistance on opposite faces above and below the rotation point, unlike the behavior of a long flexible pile. This paper describes the results of several numerical studies performed with a three-dimensional finite-element method (FEM) of model tests and a prototype test of a laterally loaded short pile and pier foundation located near slopes, respectively. Initially, in this paper, the results of model tests of single piles and pile groups subjected to lateral loading, in homogeneous sand with 30° slopes and horizontal ground were analyzed by the three- dimensional (3D) finite-element (FE) analyses. Furthermore, field tests of a prototype pier foundation subjected to lateral loading on a 30° slope was reported. The FE analyses were conducted to simulate these results. The main purpose of this paper is the validation of the 3D elasto–plastic FEM by comparisons with the experimental data.     

Effect of Soil Permeability on Centrifuge Modeling of Pile Response to Lateral Spreading

This paper presents experimental results and analysis of six model centrifuge experiments conducted on the 150?g-ton Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute centrifuge to investigate the effect of soil permeability on the response of end-bearing single piles and pile groups subjected to lateral spreading. The models were tested in a laminar box and simulate a mild infinite slope with a liquefiable sand layer on top of a nonliquefiable layer. Three fine sand models consisting of a single pile, a 3×1 pile group, and a 2×2 pile group were tested, first using water as pore fluid, and then repeated using a viscous pore fluid, hence simulating two sands of different permeability in the field. The results were dramatically different, with the three tests simulating a low permeability soil developing 3–6 times larger pile head displacements and bending moments at the end of shaking. Deformation observations of colored sand strips, as well as measurements of sustained negative excess pore pressures near the foundations in the “viscous fluid” experiments, indicated that an approximately inverted conical zone of nonliquefied soil had formed in these tests at shallow depths around the foundation, which forced the liquefied soil in the free field to apply its lateral pressure against a much larger effective foundation area. Additional p-y and limit equilibrium back-analyses support the hypothesis that the greatly increased foundation bending response observed when the soil is less pervious is due to the formation of such inverted conical volume of nonliquefied sand. This study provides evidence of the importance of soil permeability on pile foundations response during lateral spreading for cases when the liquefied deposit reaches the ground surface, and suggests that bending response may be greater in silty sands than in clean sands in the field. Moreover, the observations in this study may serve as basis for realistic practical engineering methods to evaluate pile foundations subjected to lateral spreading and pressure of liquefied soil.     

Soil–Pile Response to Blast-Induced Lateral Spreading. I: Field Test

Two full-scale experiments using controlled blasting were conducted in the Port of Tokachi on Hokkaido Island, Japan, to assess the behavior of a single pile, a four-pile group, and a nine-pile group subjected to lateral spreading. The test piles were extensively instrumented with strain gauges to measure the distribution of bending moment during lateral spreading which allowed the backcalculation of the loading conditions, as well as the assessment of damage and performance of the piles. Based on the test results, it was concluded that using controlled blasting successfully liquefied the soil, and subsequently induced lateral spreading in the 4–6% surface slope test beds. The free-field soil displacements in the vicinity of the test piles were over 40 cm for both tests. When compared with the results from the single pile case, the effect of pile head restraint from the pile cap improved overall pile performance by decreasing the displacement of the pile groups and lowering the maximum moments in individual piles within each group. Finally, backcalculated soil reactions indicated that the liquefied soil layer imparted insignificant force to the piles. In the companion to this paper (Part II), an assessment of the potential of using the p–y analysis method for single piles and pile groups subjected to lateral spreading is presented.     

Behavior of Pile Groups Subject to Excavation-Induced Soil Movement in Very Soft Clay

A series of centrifuge model tests was conducted to investigate the behavior of pile groups of various sizes and configurations behind a retaining wall in very soft clay. With a 1.2-m excavation in front of the wall, which may simulate the initial stage of an excavation prior to strutting, the test results reveal that the induced bending moment on an individual pile in a free-head pile group is always smaller than that on a corresponding single pile located at the same distance behind the wall. This is attributed to the shadowing and reinforcing effects of other piles within the group. The degree of shadowing experienced by a pile depends on its relative position in the pile group. With a capped-head pile group, the individual piles are forced to interact in unison though subjected to different magnitudes of soil movement. Thus, despite being subjected to a larger soil movement, the induced bending moment on the front piles is moderated by the rear piles through the pile cap. A finite element program developed at the National University of Singapore is employed to back-analyze the centrifuge test data. The program gives a reasonably good prediction of the induced pile bending moments provided an appropriate modification factor is applied for the free-field soil movement and the amount of restraint provided by the pile cap is properly accounted for. The modification factor applied to the free-field soil movement accounts the reinforcing effect of the piles on the soil movement.     

不同桩体材料复合地基承载及变形性状对比试验研究

通过室内模型试验,实测得到碎石桩、夯实水泥土桩和CFG桩复合地基桩土荷载分担比、桩土应力比和桩间土深层变形,并对三类不同桩体材料复合地基的承载及变形性状进行了对比分析.认为碎石桩复合地基和夯实水泥土桩复合地基均存在有效桩长或有效复合土层厚度;碎石桩桩长超过有效桩长,对提高复合地基承载力和压缩模量、减小变形效果不明显,除一些特别情况如为处理可液化地基外,设计桩长可适当超过有效桩长,但不宜过长;夯实水泥土桩复合地基的有效桩长与桩身强度相关性显著,应以桩身强度控制进行夯实水泥土桩桩体设计,使按桩身强度确定的单桩承载力大于或等于由桩周土及桩端土的抗力所提供的单桩承载力;CFG桩复合地基桩身强度高,桩体自身压缩性小,可全桩长发挥侧阻作用,当桩端落在好的持力层时,能很好地发挥端阻,提高承载力,减小变形,设计时应优先选择好的桩端持力层进行设计.      

Behavior of Model Rafts Resting on Pile-Reinforced Sand

Piles in a pile raft are sometimes considered as settlement reducers, not load-carrying members. In design, one often tries to minimize the number of piles. This often results in a high axial stress in the piles that may deter their use due to the limits on pile stress in practice. An alternative is to consider the pile as reinforcement in the base soil, and not as a structural member. Serving as a soil stiffener, the pile can tolerate a lower safety margin against structural failure without violating building codes. Previous numerical studies on the use of disconnected piles as settlement reducers have shown the effectiveness of such piles. This study aims to verify experimentally the effectiveness of such piles through load tests of model rafts resting on pile-reinforced sand. By varying factors such as raft stiffness, pile length, pile arrangement, and pile number, results of the investigation indicate that structurally disconnected piles are effective in reducing the settlement and bending moments in the model rafts.