MODULE – 4

Part I – Piled Raft Foundation

syllabus
• Piled raft foundations- types- transfer of loads to piles in a piled raft-
Design Aspects
PILED RAFT FOUNDATION

• Foundation system where load from

superstructure is shared by piles and rafts

• More effective when the raft is quite adequate

w.r.t bearing capacity and relatively few piles
may be required to reduce settlements within
acceptable limits.

• Technically competent system and offers significant savings as the bearing

capacity of both piles and raft are fully used with rather low settlements.
Interaction between Raft and Pile

Interaction is complex and it depends on

• Rigidity of raft

• Nature of soil below

• Type of Pile

• Number of piles
Interaction between Raft and Pile

Tomlinson (1995) considered the action of following 5 cases of piled rafts

• Case A : Pile fully in compressible clay (Most cases fall under this category)

• Case B : Piles driven into loose sand, which otherwise would have resulted in excessive settlement

• Case C : Piles installed through compressible soils into hard rock

• Case D : Piles installed in alternate layers of soft clay and stiff clay

• Case E : Piles installed in alternate layers of soft clay and sand

In Case A
• load is shared between piles and raft

In all other cases

• load is completely taken by piles

• raft acts as a medium of load transfer and withstand any upward hydraulic pressure from bottom
Transfer of Load to Pile in Piled Raft (Mechanism)

• When a single pile is loaded from top, the bearing resistance comes into play only
after the full skin friction is mobilized.

• If a slab in contact with ground is attached to top of this pile, more load will be
transferred to tip of the pile than in the case of a pile alone.

• Due to this type of load transfer many designers assume that raft action comes into
effect only after the ultimate load carrying capacity of the piles is exhausted.

• The method is an important consideration in piled raft design.

Types of Piled Raft

Classified to 2 types

1. Piled Raft for Settlement Reduction

2. Piled Raft for Load Transfer

1. Piled Raft for Settlement Reduction

• If the raft foundation provided is safe from bearing capacity considerations but the
settlement is excessive, it can be brought within allowable limits by providing few piles
under the raft.

• Thus the raft will be relieved of a part of the total load thereby reducing the settlement.

• To arrive at dimensions and number of piles required we have the following methods:
1) Theoretical method

2) Simplified method

3) Strip method

4) Assuming arbitrary sharing of loads

1) Theoretical method

• Uses elastic solution

• From field tests on single piles, load-settlement characteristics of

group of given size and spacing attached to a raft resting on the soil
can be obtained using computer programs
2) Simplified method

• By obtaining load-settlement curves to failure of piles.

• Applicable only when few piles are used under the raft.

• It assumes that loading (under undrained conditions) can be considered as purely

elastic, up to the load at which the pile would fail if no pile cap was present.

• Further loading will be taken by the raft and hence the additional settlement will be
that due to load on the raft only i.e. the load-settlement curve will have 2 linear
sections.

• Calculations are made on elastic basis and the no. of piles required is determined.
3) Strip method

• Raft is divided into strips and are analysed by considering them as supported on
elastic springs (piles) of different stiffness.

• The pile parameters are derived from load tests on piles or assumed load-settlement
curves.

• The no. of piles required is then determined by trial and error method.
4) Assuming arbitrary sharing of loads

• The piles and rafts are allowed arbitrary amount of loads and settlements due to
these loads are worked out and added together to get the resultant of the piled raft
system.

• Very approximate method as the real behavior may be different from what is
assumed.

• If the failure is likely to be block failure, the system is checked for such failure
and settlements.

• The method is empirical and should be based on field experience.

2. Piled Raft for Load Transfer
• Convenient type and used in situations where subsoil is very weak with very high
water table and rafts have to be adopted.

• Raft should resist the buoyancy forces from the groundwater and must transmit all
the net loads from the structure to the piles to be carried to deeper stronger layers.

• The no. of piles required here will be much more than that required for Type 1.

• Exact analysis can be made using FEA.

• Approximate methods used are same as for ordinary raft analysis and they are:
1) Convenient Rigid Beam method

2) Continuous Beam method

3) Continuous Beam on Elastic Foundation method

1) Convenient Rigid Beam method

• Raft is considered as a rigid beam both in x and y directions with all the loads
on it.

• The spacing of the piles should be close and approximately equal to the raft
thickness.

• This approach gives over safe values of raft thickness and steel required.
2) Continuous Beam method

• Raft is considered as an inverted floor with uniform pressure below and the
column points as rigid supports of the inverted floor.

• The raft is cut into small strips in x and y directions and these continuous
beams are analysed.

• The maximum positive and negative possible moments are limited to

WL2/10
3) Continuous Beam on Elastic Foundation method

• Raft is analyzed as beam beams on elastic foundation

• Piles are assumed to be of uniform strength and are closely spaced.

• Raft is assumed to be supported on an equivalent soil with uniform

pressure from below