PILE-RAFT FOUNDATIONS: A REVIEW OF SOIL-STRUCTURE INTERACTION AND BEARING CAPACITY ANALYSIS FOR CLAYEY SOILS IN AL-NASIRIYA, IRAQ"

The research reviews the behavior of pile-raft foundations and the impact of pile driving in clayey soil, focusing on the resulting soil movement, pore water pressures, and their effects on slope stability, especially in the city of Nasiriyah, southern Iraq, where clayey soil prevails. Previous studies reviewed include load-bearing capacity using experimental and numerical models to determine the maximum load and the relationship between load and settlement, with observations on changes in pore pressures after pile driving , pile-raft foundations through numerical and experimental research studying the distribution of loads between the piles and the raft and the impact of pile configuration, raft thickness, and soil type on performance . Local studies have shown that the soil in nasiriyah is predominantly composed of high or low plasticity clay (CL–CH), with a small percentage of sand, and there is a lack of realistic studies on the local soil. The main findings included advancement in modeling methods, but a deficiency in real field studies of clayey soil in nasiriyah, absence of standardized criteria for assessing the risks of pile driving in clay and need for comprehensive models that consider the interaction between the soil and the structure during execution