Effect of Over Consolidated Clay on the Behavior of Raft Foundation by using PLAXIS 3D Software

Footings are structural elements that transmit column or wall loads to the underlying soil below the structure. Most of the buildings in Libya suffer from many problems, which are cracks in the buildings due to foundation settlement. The most common causes of foundation settlement are weak bearing soils and poor compaction. So, the purpose of this paper is to present the study on the effect of over consolidated clay on the behavior of raft foundation. PLAXIS 3D, finite element software package was used to perform numerical modeling and analyses to evaluate the structural response and behavior of the raft foundation. The results show that the soil and bedrock conditions below the raft foundation may have a significant effect on the footing behavior such as vertical displacement (Uy), stresses, and shear strains and should be considered during the design of footing.