ABSTRACT
Disconnected piled rafts (DPRs) reduce pile stress while maintaining load-bearing capacity. This PLAXIS 3D study analyzes DPRs in sandy soil, evaluating cushion thickness (0.5–2.5 m), stiffness (10–60 MPa), and pile spacing (2d–4d). Cushion thickness improves settlement efficiency by 14% and reduces pile load by 17%. A stiffer cushion improves settlement efficiency from 23.5% to 50.21%, while increased pile spacing enhances load distribution. Optimizing these parameters significantly improves DPR performance in sandy soil foundations.
