Non-linear soil–structure interaction in disconnected piled raft foundations

Disconnected piled raft foundations are characterised by no structural connection between the upper raft and the underlying piles, mostly playing the role of settlement-reducers. The resulting raft–pile gap is usually filled with a granular interlayer, through which the loads from the superstructure are transferred to the piles.In this paper, the complex interaction mechanisms involving the foundational components (raft, piles and soil) are numerically investigated by means of 3D finite elements analyses, accounting for soil non-linearity. The main features of the soil–structure interaction mechanisms under purely vertical external loads are explored over a realistic range of raft–soil gaps for different pile configurations, in which the number of piles – i.e. their spacing – is varied. Special attention is also devoted to the structural response of the piles in terms of axial and bending internal stress resultants. In particular, while disconnection beneficially affects the structural pile response, increasing the raft–pile gap tends to reduce the overall settlement/stiffness efficiencies.The numerical results being presented are in substantial agreement with the outcomes from literature small-scale experiments and suggest a number of relevant theoretical inferences.