Soil-Structure Interaction of a Piled Raft Foundation in Clay – a 3D Numerical Study

Piled raft foundation designs consider the contribution of the pile cap in transferring load to the ground and distributing load over the piles. The concept of a piled raft foundation requires a comprehensive evaluation of a number of factors that affect the performance of the foundation system. In this research the interaction among piles, pile cap and soil of a piled raft system on medium and stiff clays was studied. The effects of various distances between piles (s/d) in affecting load transfer mechanisms and deformation were considered. The study was performed by utilizing the 3D finite element method with a professional software package called Plaxis3D Foundation. A case study of the piled raft foundation performances of a foundation design for a high-rise building based on the soil stratification in Jakarta was also performed and is presented in this paper.