Piled raft applications

The choice of the foundation type depends on some factors such as intended use of the structure, structural loads, geotechnical and environmental circumstances of the construction site and some other factors. In most case shallow or raft foundations may provide enough safety factors under service loads. Piles are used when design criteria?s of shallow or raft foundations are over passed. The conventional design of piled foundations neglects the contribution of the raft, although the raft contributes more or less to the bearing capacity and the settlement. The foundation system of assuming that piles and the raft both carrying the structural loads together is called Piled Raft Foundations.In this study it is aimed to give a general knowledge about piled raft foundations, and their design criteria?s. The hand calculation method and a worked example given by Poulos (2000) are studied here. The same foundation model was analyzed with a finite element program (PLAXIS 3D 1.1) and the results were compared. In the second part of the thesis, the idea of using piled raft foundations in İzmir is assessed. Through this aim, a well known area in Mavişehir region for a 16 stories building model is handled. The raft foundation, the conventional piled foundation and piled raft foundation analyses are performed and results are compared.