🎥 PLAXIS 3D 2025 Tutorial 1C – Foundation in Overconsolidated Clay - Pile-Raft (Step-by-Step)

🎥 PLAXIS 3D 2025 Tutorial 1C – Foundation in Overconsolidated Clay - Pile-Raft Foundation (Step-by-Step)
In this tutorial, we extend Tutorial 1 from the official PLAXIS 3D Tutorial Manual: “Foundation in overconsolidated clay”, focusing on Case C: Pile-Raft Foundation.
This example investigates how embedded beams (piles) can be used to reduce the settlement of a raft foundation constructed on lightly overconsolidated lacustrine clay.

⚠️ Disclaimer: This video is not an official tutorial by PLAXIS or Bentley Systems. It is an independently created educational walkthrough. All copyrights and trademarks belong to their respective owners.

📌 Why this tutorial is useful:
✅ Demonstrates how to model pile-raft foundations in PLAXIS 3D
✅ Shows how to define embedded beams to represent bored piles
✅ Explains how to copy and arrange multiple piles efficiently
✅ Perfect for geotechnical engineers studying foundation–soil interaction and settlement control

📚 Tutorial Overview:
The model represents the settlement behavior of a building foundation on overconsolidated clay. In this case, embedded beams are added to the raft foundation to represent bored piles that help reduce displacements.

🧠 You’ll learn how to:
Use embedded beam elements to simulate piles in PLAXIS 3D
Define material datasets for embedded beams
Create multiple copies of entities to build the pile group efficiently
Analyze load-settlement behavior of the pile-raft foundation
Compare results with the plain raft foundation (Case B)

📐 Model Description:
Foundation type: Pile-Raft Foundation
Pile type: Bored piles modeled as embedded beams
Pile length: 20 m
Pile diameter: 1.5 m
Soil: Lightly overconsolidated lacustrine clay overlying stiff rock
Model width: 75 m (only one-quarter modeled using symmetry)
Building: Basement + 5 floors
🧪 Validation:
✅ Consistent with the PLAXIS 3D Tutorial Manual
✅ Demonstrates the efficiency of embedded beams in reducing settlements
✅ Excellent case study for understanding pile–raft interaction in clay
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