Geomechanics and Engineering

  • 제44권4호
  • /
  • Pages.479-512
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  • 2026
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  • 2005-307X(pISSN)
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  • 2092-6219(eISSN)
테크노프레스 (Techno-Press)
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DOI QR Code

A weak-unsupervised learning approach for assessing approximate solutions in combined piled-raft foundation analysis

  • David Sharvit (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev) ;
  • Ty Phuor (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev) ;
  • Avshalom Ganz (YY Security Engineering) ;
  • Pavel A. Trapper (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev)
  • 투고 : 2025.12.01
  • 심사 : 2026.02.20
  • 발행 : 2026.02.25
⟨ 이전 논문 다음 논문 ⟩

초록

The combined piled-raft foundation (CPRF) is a cost-effective system for tall buildings, but its design remains computationally demanding. Although several closed-form approximate methods have been proposed, their reliability-especially for pre-design-has not been fully established. This study develops an analytical equation to delineate the validity ranges of common approximate CPRF methods by integrating three-dimensional finite element simulations (Abaqus) with principal component analysis (PCA) and weakly unsupervised learning to reduce the high-dimensional input space to a three-dimensional principal component domain. A total of 700 CPRF models were examined for each method-including the Poulos-David-Randolph (PDR) method, equivalent pier (EP) method, equivalent raft (ER) method, and full 3D FEM-covering 20 geometric variables such as pile length, diameter, spacing, and raft dimensions. The comparative results enable a quantitative evaluation of the accuracy of each approximate solution and support the formulation of a practical CPRF assessment tool. The primary contribution of this study is the development of a PCA-based validity-domain framework that quantitatively identifies the reliable application ranges of commonly used approximate methods for combined piled raft foundations. Rather than proposing a new predictive model, the proposed framework provides a practical pre-design assessment tool that enables engineers to evaluate whether simplified analytical or data-driven approaches can be trusted for a given foundation configuration.

키워드

과제정보

Valued discussions with Eli Mor are highly appreciated.

참고문헌

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