Analysis and Geotechnical Design of Hybrid Foundation for Tall Wind Turbine

The significance of wind turbines in meeting the expanding energy demand is critical. Taller towers should be employed to boost the power producing capability. The foundation must be efficient in order to securely carry the heavier loads of taller towers. When sustaining loads from superstructure are considered then bearing capacity of raft is taken into account for pile raft foundation. Piles help to strengthen the raft's bearing capacity while also regulating settlement in this arrangement, particularly differential settlement. A hybrid foundation, i.e. a pile raft foundation, is investigated and geotechnically designed here. The effectiveness of this system is demonstrated using the measures total settlement, differential settlement, and rotation. Keywords: Pile raft foundation, differential settlement, total settlement, wind turbin, bearing capacity

Parametric Study on Behaviour of Retrofitted Piled Raft Foundation

Mat supported on piles is being increasingly used for high-rise buildings with basements in poor soils. Very little is known about the exact behaviour of piled raft foundations in service. However behaviour of retrofitted piled rafts, which are a hybrid foundation of mat provided as retrofitting solution and failed pile foundations, is non-identical. In order to model the mat for retrofitting, engineer needs to analyze the sensitivity of different parameters to their behaviour. In this paper, a numerical analysis has been carried out to investigate the influence of mat thickness and soil subgrade modulus of uniform and varying values to the behaviour of mat foundation rendered to retrofit a short felled pile foundation executed for a high-raised building in Kerala, by using finite element software SAFE v 16. The soil and the piles are modeled as spring element at discrete position below the mat and the mat foundation is modeled using elastic plate element. The results of the study show that mat thickness and soil subgrade modulus are found to be the governing parameters in designing a safe and economical retrofitting mat foundation. Furthermore, it is recommended to provide exact soil subgrade properties under the mat to perceive actual behaviour of foundation.

The Appraisal of Hybrid Foundations on Loose Granular Soil of Western Saudi Arabia

Western Saudi Arabia is the most important geographic location for the Islamic world. Millions of pilgrims annually visit the region. To accommodate this huge number of pilgrims, various tall buildings are constructed, yet there is a need for many more. The demolition of old buildings is also in progress. The soil supporting of the foundations mostly comprises sand with varying relative density. Most of the buildings are supported by conventional foundations, which require deep excavation for low relative densities. The combinations of pile and raft or hybrid foundations have been effectively used in tall buildings around the globe. In this research, COMSOL Multiphysics FEM analysis has been adopted to investigate the performance of a hybrid foundations with different pile combinations supported on loose granular soil. The results reflect the effective utilization of the hybrid foundation on loose sand. The arrangement of piles in the foundation system can affect the economy and safety of the structure.