Effect of Relative Density on the Lateral Response of Piled Raft Foundation: An Experimental Study

The population surge has led to a corresponding increase in the demand for high-rise buildings, bridges, and other heavy structures. In addition to gravity loads, these structures must withstand lateral loads from earthquakes, wind, ships, vehicles, etc. A piled raft foundation (PRF) has emerged as the most favored system for high-rise buildings due to its ability to resist lateral loads. An experimental study was conducted on three different piled raft model configurations with three different relative densities (Dr) to determine the effect of Dr on the lateral response of a PRF. A model raft was constructed using a 25 mm thick aluminum plate with dimensions of 304.8 mm × 304.8 mm, and galvanized iron (GI) pipes, each 457.2 mm in length, were used to represent the piles. The lateral and vertical load cells were connected to measure the applied loads. It was found that an increase in Dr increased the soil stiffness and led to a decrease in the lateral displacement for all three PRF models. Additionally, the contribution of the piles in resisting the lateral load decreased, whereas the contribution of the raft portion in resisting the lateral load increased. With an increase in Dr from 30% to 90%, the percentage contribution of the raft increased from 42% to 66% for 2PRF, 38% to 61% for 4PRF, and 46% to 70% for 6PRF.