Effect of groundwater level change on piled raft foundation in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam using 3D-FEM

Ground subsidence, which is a current concern that affects piled raft foundations, has occurred at a high rate in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam, due primarily to groundwater pumping for water supply. In this study, the groundwater level (GWL) change affect on a piled raft foundation was investigated based on the three-dimensional finite element method (3D-FEM) using the PLAXIS 3D software. The GWL change due to global groundwater pumping and dewatering were simulated in PLAXIS 3D based on the GWL reduction and consolidation. Settlement and the pile axial force of the piled raft foundation in Ho Chi Minh subsoil were investigated based on the actual design and the proposed optimal case. The actual design used the piled foundation concept, while the optimal case applied a pile spacing of 6D using a piled raft concept to reduce the number of piles, with little increased settlement. The results indicated that the settlement increased with the GWL reduction, caused by groundwater pumping and dewatering. The subsidence started to affect the piled raft foundation 2.5 years after construction for the actual design and after 3.4 years for the optimal case due to global groundwater pumping. The pile's axial force, which was affected by negative skin friction, increased during that time.