Estimation of the contributions of pile group cap into saturated clay soil

Abstract

Due to the importance of the hydraulic structures, sub-surface storage and the building on the problematic soil in Iraq, this work presents the methods for choosing the suitable footing (the behavior of a pile cap embedded into saturated cohesive soil), in other words, the comparison between pile cap when it contact with ground surface (pile cap as a raft footing) and it not contact with ground surface ( the resistance of the pile cap is negligible in calculation) such as pile group. The comparisons between two type footings are performed when the soil is very soft (low shear strength) and also when the soil is stiff (high strength).The stability of two types of footing is analyzed in terms vertical load and the generated displacement by using Plaxis program. The computer program uses a finite element technique to solve the three dimensional problems of variations in the ratio between pile length and cap width (L/B= 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 ) and to simulate the effects of the different types of cohesive soil which has shear strength equal to (Su=20,30,57.5,112.5 and 150 kPa). The analysis of the results of the very soft clay soil indicates when the model tests at ratios from (L/B=0.25) to (L/B=2.0), the load – displacement curve for pile group footing is steeper than the curve of the pile raft, this leads to high value of the resistance of the soil for pile group. In other words, the case of pile raft into very soft clay is more dangerous than the pile group. For model tests with (L/B= 3.0), the curves for pile group and pile raft footing are coincided with themselves at any load. The stability of pile raft in soil with ratios from (L/B=0.25) to (L/B=3.0) is high than for pile group embedded into very stiff clay soil.