The potential damages of low-rise building foundations on liquefiable sites were studied using the Midas GTS-NX analysis. Both free-field and foundation responses for single raft and piled raft foundations were monitored on layered sands using the UBCSand model. It was found that a single raft can be easily uplifted by surrounding groundwater and soil liquefaction occurred. The piled raft foundation has better seismic resistance compared to the single raft. The foundation load will enlarge the ground settlements but reduce the horizontal ground displacements underneath the foundation. The 2D analysis can provide rational predictions of the piled raft responses despite the foundation geometry not being fully simulated. Using a thicker raft can eliminate the angle variable of the foundation. Considerable amounts of foundation settlements were found for single rafts and piled rafts according to the design specification. Longer piles will help to reduce the foundation settlement.
Chang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.