3D NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF COMPOSITE PILED RAFT FOUNDATION ON SOFT CLAY

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Civil Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Menoufia University, Menoufia, Egypt.

2 Civil Engineering Department, Higher Institute of Engineering and Technology in Kafr El sheikh, Egypt.

3 Civil Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Menoufia University, Menoufia, Egypt

10.21608/jctae.2025.371901.1048

Abstract

Building on soft clay, commonly found in many regions of Egypt, often encounters challenges such as excessive settlement and bearing capacity failures. The composite piled raft foundation (CPRF) is a recently developed foundation system that offers an economical substitute for traditional piled rafts for medium-rise buildings on soft clay. In the CPRF, two types of disconnected piles, differing in stiffness and length, are used to strengthen the soft clay and reduce foundation settlement. A deformable cushion separates the piles from the raft to adjust the load sharing between the piles and the subsoil. This study investigates the performance of uniformly loaded CPRF on soft clay in drained conditions. Three-dimensional finite element analyses are performed to evaluate the influence of various factors, including the area replacement ratio, the length and stiffness of short piles, and the thickness and stiffness of the cushion on the performance of the CPRF. The impact of these parameters is evaluated based on the settlement behavior of the CPRF, the load shared by the long piles, short piles, and the subsoil, as well as the axial loads experienced by the long piles. The numerical results reveal the presence of optimal values among the studied factors. The outcomes of this study could be used as a basis for achieving economical design of the CPRF resting on soft clay.

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