Validation and Parametric Optimization of CPRF Systems

Increased urbanization and reduced availability of land have increased the demand for safe, cost-effective, and efficient foundation systems, especially in soft cohesive soils where differential settlement may be significant. The Connected Piled Raft Foundation (CPRF) system has emerged as an effective solution due to its ability to combine the both foundations, but there is a lack of real-case–calibrated PLAXIS 3D models incorporating the Hardening Soil model to accurately capture their behavior in soft cohesive soils. A finite element model was developed in Plaxis 3D to realistically simulate soil-structure interaction and validated against Messe- Torhaus piled raft foundation. A comprehensive parametric study was then conducted where different parameters like pile configuration, raft thickness, pile length, and diameter are varied and an improved configuration with better economy higher efficiency in load sharing was found. The optimized configuration of CPRF showed performance comparable to the original design with a 10% reduction in construction cost.