Soil-Foundation-Structure Interaction analysis using Finite Elements

The design of foundation of the building structure should be given prime attention because building foundation is in contact with the material i.e. soil which is highly complex, particulate, poly-phase, heterogeneous, and stress and strain level dependent. The real behavior of structure in contact with soil involves an interactive process beginning with the construction phase and ending with a state of balance within the structure and within the ground influenced by the structure. The analysis of such combined piled-raft foundation is very challenging because of complexities involved in the interaction between soil, pile, raft slab and structure. The interaction between the soil, foundation and the structure affects the demands (loads and displacements) imposed on structure, and the analysis of interaction between the pile, the raft and the soil of combined piled-raft foundation and upper structure can only be possible effectively by means of an advanced three-dimensional non-linear finite element technique or using a computer code based on advanced computational techniques in which proper models are incorporated to simulate soil behavior and soil-structure interaction.