A Review on Piled- Raft Foundation analysis methods and Recommendations in Research

Piled raft foundations have gained significant popularity in recent years due to their ability to enhance bearing capacity, minimize settlement, and mitigate differential deflection. This foundation system efficiently distributes structural loads, with the raft directly transferring part of the load to the soil while the piles contribute through skin friction. Compared to conventional pile foundations, piled raft foundations offer economic advantages by allowing pile termination at higher elevations without penetrating the full depth of weak soil layers. However, they exhibit more settlement than pile foundations but less than raft foundations, making them a balanced alternative in geotechnical engineering. This review paper analyses key parameters influencing the behaviour of piled raft foundations, including raft size and thickness, pile diameter and length, pile configuration, and the stiffness of both raft and piles. The study provides insights into optimizing design parameters for enhanced performance and efficiency. Based on existing research, recommendations are proposed for selecting the most suitable piled raft configurations, ensuring an optimal balance between cost-effectiveness, settlement control, and load distribution.