The Influence of Pile Length on the Settlement and Internal Forces of a Piled Raft Foundation

Abstract

This study primarily investigates the effect of pile length on the settlement and internal forces of a piled raft foundation, as well as the influence of raft-to-soil contact. The analysis was performed under both static and dynamic loading conditions. The modeling parameters included a fixed pile diameter (D = 0.5 m) and a constant pile spacing (S_p = 4.5D). The pile length was varied (Lp = 28D, 32D, 36D, and 40D). The raft dimensions were 10x10 m with a thickness of 1.00 m. The subsurface conditions were modeled based on a soil profile consisting of six layers: silty sand with traces of clay, silty sand, medium stiff clay, and dense sand. The soil mass was simulated using a semi-infinite element. The analysis was conducted using the finite element software package PLAXIS 3D version 2013, a code for soil and rock analysis. The software was used to determine the bending moment, shear force in the raft, and the settlement magnitude.