Numerical analysis of a piled raft foundation for super tall buildings - case study

Abstract

Piled raft foundations are increasingly being recognised as an economical and effective foundation system for tall buildings. Within a conventional piled raft foundation, it is possible to optimise the number of piles, by considering the contribution of the raft to the overall foundation capacity. In the practical aspect, reducing number of piles is a significant cost saving to a construction project. This paper investigates the significance of the raft on the overall load carrying capacity of a piled raft foundation of the Incheon Tower in South Korea. The study is carried out using three-dimensional numerical models developed using a commercially available finite element analysis software; midas GTS NX and compared with other analysed results- based on case study of Incheon tower. Moreover, lateral deflections and moments in piles are small as the lateral stiffness of the 172 piles is higher in value compared with that of the raft.