Abstract:
Abstract: Today shallow foundation construction in soft soils faces many problems due to low bearing capacity of
soft soil. Although deep foundations can be used as an alternative, considering the costs and the time involved, the
approach is proven to be uneconomical. This has led many researchers to design innovative shallow foundation
systems for construction on soft soils, with adequate bearing capacity, while minimizing the settlement. Two such
foundations are the “Cakar Ayam foundation” and “Akar foundation”, which are currently used in construction
industry in countries like Malaysia.
Two vertical flexible flaps attached to the underneath of a raft were used as a modified foundation model in this
project to see it the foundation is capable of reducing the settlement when built on soft soil. The physical models of
the modified foundation were built by varying the flap length and tested under different loads. Further, the models
were analysed using finite element package, PLAXIS. The results obtained from physical modelling and finite
element analysis showed that the foundation can be used to reduce excessive settlement on soft soil. The settlement
reduces with the increase of flap length. Finally, the results verified that the modified foundation can be used as a
temporary foundation to build a working platform for construction vehicles to pass through the working site.
