3D analytical method for mat foundations considering coupled soil springs

The 3D numerical analysis is carried out to investigate the settlement behavior of flexible mat foundations subjected to vertical loads. Special attention is given to the improved analytical method (YS-MAT) that reflects the mat flexibility and soil spring coupling effect. The soil model captures the stiffness of the soil springs as well as the shear interaction between the soil springs. The proposed method has been validated by comparing the results with other numerical approaches and field measurements on mat foundation. Through comparative studies, the proposed analytical method was in relatively good agreement with them and capable of predicting the behavior of the mat foundations.