Comparison of Numerical Methods for Piled Raft Foundations

Abstract

The methodologies used to calculate piled raft foundations are normally more complex than conventional foundations due to the large number of variables involved in the problem. In the conventional block, the interaction variables considered are only between the pile and the soil. In the piled raft, all the interaction effects must be considered, as follows: plate-soil, plate-piles and piles-soil, simultaneously. The Finite Element Method (FEM) has proven to be a useful tool in analyzing these types of problems. This study aims at assessing the behavior of piled rafts using the Cesar-LCPC numerical tool, version 4.0, which is based on the finite element method. Literature cases of rafts supported by 9, 15 and 16 piles were analyzed. The results obtained were compared with analysis methods presented in the bibliography. The following parameters were assessed: relative spacing (S/D), relative length (L/D), relative stiffness between piles and the soil (KPS), and settlement of piles and the raft. The spacing between piles has a significant influence on load distribution between piles and the raft. Very small spacing provides stiffness to the foundation, which then functions as a conventional pile foundation, in which only the piles absorb the load from the superstructure. The larger the L/D ratio, the lower the settlement and for a given modulus of elasticity of the pile, the increase in relative stiffness (KPS) causes an increase in settlement. In all analyses, the data obtained corroborated the results presented by other methods published in the literature.