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Load and Settlement Behaviors of Pile-Raft Foundation in Soft Soil of Post-

Consolidation

Conference Paper · January 2015

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LOAD AND SETTLEMENT BEHAVIORS OF PILE-RAFT FOUNDATION IN
SOFT SOIL OF POST-CONSOLIDATION

D.W. Chang
W.C. Lin
C.H. Liu
Department of Civil Engineering, Tamkang University, Tamsui, Taiwan 251
[email protected]

C.W. Lu
Department of National Kaohsiung First University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 824
[email protected]

ABSTRACT: Load and settlement behaviors of a numerical pile-raft foundation in soft soils after the consolidation are
presented in this paper. Modified Cam Clay (MCC) model was adopted to model the soil behaviors. Three dimensional
FEM analysis based on MIDAS-GTS program was conducted in the study. The influences of pile-to pile spacing
distance and pile length as well as soil model parameters were monitored. It generally finds that the trend of the load
distribution and settlements of piles and raft are dependent of these effects. A post consolidation analysis for a pile-raft
foundation under the loads could be suggested for the long-term condition of the foundation.

1. INTRODUCTION
2. NUMERICAL MODELING
Seismic performance of the pile-raft foundation is
receiving considerable attentions from geotechnical The stability and convergence of the numerical
engineers in Taiwan. In order to know static foundation solution were verified changing the size of the finite
behaviors better prior to the dynamic ones. A pilot study element core. As the result, an area of 100m×100m FE
was carried by 3D finite element analysis on numerical core was decided. The thickness of homogeneous soft
models of the foundation. General design guideline of the clayey layer was kept as 40m to reduce the required
pile-raft foundation can be found in Katzenbach and computational time. Essential boundary conditions were
Choudhury (2013), it is interesting to conduct further adopted. Dimensions of the structure and material
studies in this regard. This paper intends to discuss the parameters of the foundation and soil are shown in Table
load-deformational behaviors of pile-raft foundations in 1. Ground water table is kept at 6m below the ground
soft clays using three-dimensional finite element analyses surface. Since the long-term load-settlement relation of
based on Midas-GTS program (MIDAS, 2009). A simple the foundation is preferred, the analysis was carried out
numerical model of a presumed pile-raft foundation assuming that the soils had been fully consolidated. Thus
consisting of a 27m×23m×1.5m (L×B×H) raft underlain normally consolidated soil was considered. Total loads
by a number of piles with diameter of one meter was were applied simultaneously onto the foundation located
considered. The foundation is made of concrete. in such ground. This could be called as a post-
Homogeneous soil layer of clay was assumed on top of consolidation analysis. Uniform vertical loads of 100 kPa
the rigid rock. Solid elements were used to model both (similar to 10-fl building load) and 15% of them for the
foundation and soil. With the use of Modified Cam Clay horizontal loads were applied on top of the foundation,
(MCC) model for the soils, the foundation behaviors were respectively. A bending moment of 186.3 MN-m was
examined. For simplicity, post-consolidation type of calculated with total horizontal load acting at 20 m height
analysis was employed. Therefore, this study only reveals from top of the raft foundation. Three dimensional
the results for pile-raft foundations at the final stage of elements with wedge or hexahedron shapes were utilized
long-term condition. The influences of pile-to-pile spacing to form the foundation and soil. A 3D FE model is
distance (S), pile length (l), and soil model parameters illustrated in Fig. 1. It is important to point out that the
were investigated. Friction piles and end bearing piles interface (contact) elements were not adopted. Such
were also simulated to see their differences. Uniform decision indeed will cause a defect to the solutions
vertical and horizontal loads as well as bending moment especially for the stresses affected by the material
were applied respectively onto the foundation for the interfaces.
investigations.
 Table-1 Structural dimensions and model parameters of modified Cam the elastic deformations of the pile-raft foundation. It was
Clay model
also observed that depth of ground water table, pre-
Structural dimensions consolidation pressure (Pc), compression index (Cc),
Pile diameter 1m recompression index (Cs) and drained friction angle (φ') of
Pile length 10, 20, 30m the soil will also affect the settlements. Detailed
Length×Width×thickness of foundation 27×23×1.5m discussions can be found in Lin (2014).
MCC soil model parameters
Soil unit weight γ 18 kN/m3
Soil unit weight (saturated) γsat 20 kN/m3
Poisson's ratio υ 0.3
Over Consolidation Ratio OCR 1
Slope of Normal Consol. Line 𝜆 0.152
Slope of Over Consol. Line 𝜅 0.0152
Critical State Specific Vol. Γ 3.8
Initial Void Ratio 𝑒0 1
Slope of Critical State Line M 1.157
Lateral earth pressure 𝑘0 0.52
Pre-consolidation effective
𝑝𝑐 270 kN/m2
pressure

Fig. 2 Raft settlements affected by S/D

Fig. 1 3D FEM model used in the analysis Fig. 3 Settlements affected by pile length

3. OBSERVATIONS ON SETTLEMENTS 4. OBSERVATIONS ON LOADS

The displacements of the raft under the vertical loads Corresponding load distributions of the raft and the
are in a range of 3~4 cm as shown in Fig. 2. It can be piles is shown in Fig. 4. Note that the loads need to be
clearly seen that the maximum displacement occurred at computed by examining the corresponding stresses of the
the center of raft and they are dependent of the ratio of elements. It can be seen that the loads carried by the
pile-to-pile spacing distance and pile diameter (S/D). For corner piles are larger than those of other piles. The load
less number of piles involved (S/D=5), the maximum applied to the center pile(s) is the smallest. Similarly, the
settlement will be increased. Of course, the settlements are load distribution is also dependent of S/D and pile length.
strongly dependent of pile length. Fig. 3 shows the The associated ratios of the pile load and the total load, αv
maximum settlements varying the pile length and are plotted in Fig. 5. In this study, they are between 0.6
compared to single raft foundation. The pile length is and 0.8. As the pile length increases, the piles tend to
obviously very important in reducing the foundation carry more load acting on the foundation. However, the
settlements. Without the piles, the settlements of the raft pile load will drop if the number of pile decreases. The
could reach 10 cm. Note that these settlements will frictional force along the pile is shown in Fig. 6. It is
increase with the thickness of the soil layer. For end generally decreasing with the depth as it is expected for
bearing piles rest upon a rigid firm layer, the settlements friction piles. However, at the bottom of the pile, the
were found only about 0.1~0.4cm, which is believed to be frictional force seems to increase again. Note that the piles
are neither fixed at the bottom. This phenomenon is A case study (see Fig. 7) presented by Katzenbach et
because that the compatibilities between soil and pile al. (2007) was simulated using 3D MIDAS-GTS program.
elements were used in the analysis. For better solution Soil model was kept the same as the Drucker-Prager
where friction would vanish at the bottom of the pile, model used originally. Comparable result of load-
contact element must be used. In that case, detach displacement curve can be shown in Fig. 8.
between soil and pile would not over-predict the frictions
at bottom of the pile.

Fig. 7 Layout of the case study for comparative results (after Kazenbach
et al., 2007)

0
Fig. 4 Pile loads affected by S/D Settlement in the middle of the Raft (m) Pileraft Case
Case
Research result
Katzenbach result

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4
0 100 200 300 400 500
Uniform Force (MN)

Fig. 8 Comparative load-settlement curves

Fig. 5 Pile load ratios affected by S/D With the design charts suggested by Katzenbach et al.
(1998) and Katzenbach and Choudhury (2013) in hand,
the predictions for the load ratio, α and the settlement
ratio of pile-raft foundation and single raft foundation,
Spf/Ssf of the analysis on numerical pile-raft foundation in
this study were plotted in Fig. 9 and Fig. 10. The results of
this study are found compatible in Fig. 9. However, the
corresponding values of L/D suggested by this study, in
which the settlement ratios and number of piles were
determined and plotted in Fig. 10, are found much higher
than the values suggested by Katzenbach (1998). This is
believed to be caused by the soil model in use. The soil
seems to be rather soft in this study than those used by
Katzenbach.
It should be noted that the post-consolidation
Fig. 6 Skin frictions along the piles analysis can not reflect the long-term process of the load-
settlement relationship with the time dependence. For
time-dependent load-settlement curves such as those
5. COMOARISONS OF THE MODELING
reported by Yamashita (2012) (see Fig. 11), one should
 consider more rigorous modeling including the rheology corner will exert smallest displacements. The loads
of soil and its effects to the foundation behaviors. transmitted to the corner piles are found larger than the
edge piles and much larger than the center pile(s). Vertical
loads carried by the numerical piles are found
approximately 60%~80% of the total load varying the
ratios of S/D in between 3-5 and l/B (where D is kept as
1meter) on the order of 0.43-1.3. Frictions distributed
along the piles will gradually decrease with the depth, and
they are found much larger at the friction piles rather than
those of the end bearing piles. The value of initial
modulus of the soil is very sensitive to the results. For
example, the foundation displacements resulted by using
static material modulus suggested in many textbooks
and/or correlated from undrained shear strength will be
Fig. 9 Predictions of this study on load and settlement ratios (After
much higher than those obtained from dynamic modulus
Katzenbach and Choudhury, 2013) via wave velocity of the soil. For pile-raft foundations
located in soft clay ground sites, the effects of soil
consolidation should be carefully monitored. However, if
the final long-term load-displacement behavior of the
foundation is desired, one could use the post consolidation
analysis to estimate the foundation behaviors, in which
fully consolidated soils could be assumed.

7. ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This study presents the partial results of research

funding from grant NSC102-2221-E-032-024-MY3
Fig. 10 Predictions of this study on load and settlement ratios (after (original National Science Council) of Ministry of Science
Katzenbach, 1998) and Technology, Republic of China (Taiwan). The authors
express their sincere gratitude towards the supports.

REFERENCES

Katzenbach, R., Arslan, U., Moormann, C. and Reul, O.

(1998) Pile Raft Foundation – Interaction Between Piles
and Raft, Darmstadt Geotechnics, Darmstadt U. of
Technology, no. 4, 279-296.
Katzenbach, R., Gutberlet., C. and Bachmann, G. (2007)
Soil-Structure Interaction Aspects for Ultimate Limit
State Design of Complex Foundations, ISGSR 2007,
Proceedings, 1st Int. Symposium on Geotechnical
Safety and Risk,Shanghai, Tongji U., China, 585-596.
Kazenbach, R. and Choudhury, D. (2013) ISSMGE
Combined Pile-Raft Foundation Guideline, Technical U.
Darmstadt, Institute and laboratory of Geotechnics.
Fig. 11 Time-dependent load and settlement relationships of pile-raft
foundation (after Yamashita, 2012) Lin, W.C. (2014) Load and Deformation Behaviors of
Pile-Raft Foundations from FEM Analysis, Master
Thesis, Dept. of Civil Engr., Tamkang U., Taiwan.
6. CONCLUDING REMARKS
MIDAS GTS (2009) Modeling, Integrated Design and
Under the uniform vertical loads, it is found that the Analysis Software User’s Manual.
largest foundation displacements of the numerical Yamashita, K. (2012) Field Measurement on Piled Raft
foundation model are on the order of 2~6 cm, which Foundation in Japan, IS-Kanazawa, 79-96.
occurred at the center of foundation. The foundation

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