Analyzing load response and load sharing behavior of piled rafts installed with driven piles in sands

In this study, the load carrying behavior of piled rafts embedded in sand were investigated using the 3-D finite element analysis. Focus was given on piled rafts installed with driven piles. Various foundation and soil conditions were considered in the analyses. To simulate driven piles, the soil influence zone around driven pile was set where the relative density and lateral stress were increased to reflect the changes in soil condition and stress state due to pile driving. For both bored- and driven-pile cases, the values of load sharing ratio showed non-linear variation with settlement. The load sharing ratios for driven piles were higher than for bored piles within a certain settlement range. With further increasing settlement, however, the values of load sharing ratio for driven piles became similar to those of bored piles with limited variation. This indicates that load-sharing model can be applied for both cases to estimate the load capacity of piled rafts. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.