Disconnected piled raft foundation using polystyrene cushion with hybrid geogrid and geotextile base

A pile raft foundation is a shallow foundation that spreads the load of a building or structure over a large area of soil to provide stability and distribute the weight effectively. This study introduces a disconnected piled raft (DPR) foundation system incorporating a polystyrene cushion platform reinforced with geogrid and geotextile layers to enhance load distribution, minimize differential settlement, and improve overall performance. A unique polystyrene cushion platform with geogrid and geotextile as layers at various levels is proposed to increase flexibility and minimize the rigidity of a connection between the raft and the piles. This cushion platform reduces issues produced by interactions between the raft and piles and the settlement brought on by load distribution. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed disconnected pile raft system achieves a 32 % improvement in settlement efficiency ratio, supports a maximum load of 18.2 kN with 10 mm settlement, and achieves an axial load reduction of 275 N at 1 m pile depth, outperforming all other connected and disconnected pile raft systems. Additionally, the DPR system exhibited optimized stiffness, achieving equivalent stiffness at 1 kN compared to 17 kN for connected systems, and reduced unit skin friction to −2 kPa, ensuring effective load diffusion. The study concludes that the DPR foundation system offers an innovative solution for modern foundation engineering, providing superior load-bearing capacity, enhanced settlement control, and improved structural efficiency through the integration of advanced geosynthetic materials.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trgeo.2025.101565
• Record URL:
  • http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214391225000844
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/22143912
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2025 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Aaqib, Mohammed
  • Shah, M Y
• Publication Date: 2025-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: References;
• Pagination: 101565
• Serial:
  • Transportation Geotechnics
  • Volume: 52
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 2214-3912
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/22143912

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cushioning materials; Geogrids; Geotextiles; Mat foundations; Pile foundations; Polystyrene
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Geotechnology; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01955971
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 27 2025 9:30AM