Hybrid numerical tool for nonlinear analysis of piled rafts

Abstract This paper presents a hybrid numerical tool for nonlinear piled rafts analysis. The nonlinear pile behavior is represented by a hyperbolic function, which intends to simulate the variation in pile stiffness during loading. As the nonlinear behavior of piles is restricted to a very thin zone next to the pile interface, only the linear elastic effects are considered in the interaction factors between foundation elements. The influence of using Kirchhoff or Mindlin plate finite elements to model the raft is discussed. The code was compared to other well tested numerical tools, three model tests on piled raft foundation carried out at the Nagoya Institute of Technology (NIT) and also a well-known case of piled raft foundation (Hyde Park Cavalry Barracks in London). The code showed a very good agreement, proving its consistency and potential for use in piled raft analysis and design.