Behavior of Piled Raft Foundations Under Lateral and Vertical Loading

Abstract

This article presents a new method of analysis of piled raft foundations in contact with the soil surface. The soil is divided into multiple horizontal layers depending on the accuracy of solution required and each layer may have different material properties. The raft is modeled as a thin plate and the piles as elastic beams. Finite layer theory is employed to analyze the layered soil while finite element theory is used to analyze the raft and piles. The piled raft can be subjected to both loads and moments in any direction. Comparisons show that the results from the present method agree closely with those from the finite element method. A parametric study for piled raft foundations subjected to either vertical or horizontal loading is also presented.