Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Combined Batter Pile–Raft Foundation Embedded in Sand

Abstract

A geotechnical composite foundation system named combined pile–raft foundation (CPRF) is widely used in buildings experiencing colossal loads. Even though raft foundation reduces differential settlement, it tends to cause excessive settlement which can be subsided by using piles. Batter piles are deliberately known for their lateral resistance compared to plumb. The response of CPRF with batter pile under horizontal loading needs enhanced studies. This research focusses on the parametric configuration of combined batter pile–raft foundation embedded in sand. The effect of direction of batter and the angle of batter is studied experimentally under constant relative density. For experimental investigation, model test tank was used and 2 × 1 solid steel piled raft model was fabricated and used. The basic parametric configuration chosen for the combined batter pile–raft foundation is L/D—20, S/D—3 and diameter of pile and thickness of the raft was taken as 10 mm. The model is numerically simulated in a comprehensive three-dimensional finite element software ANSYS. The results of the experimental investigation and the numerical simulation are compared. The efficient direction of batter was found to be negative and was carried over for the further studies. The angle of batter taken for the study was 10°, 15°, 20°, 25° and 30° in-battered. The optimum batter angle was found to be in the range from 15° to 20° in-battered. The results from the numerical investigations were found to be in accordance with the experimental results.