Some Contribution to Rational Design of Piled Raft Foundation for Oil Storage Tanks on Non-Liquefiable Ground: Application of Dynamic Centrifuge Modeling

Some level of settlement is allowed in the design of oil tanks if uneven settlement iscontrolled within allowable values. Considering the critical condition of Piled RaftFoundation (PRF), that is, secure contact of raft base to the ground surface, PRF isconsidered as one of the rational foundations for the oil tanks. However, PRF has acomplicated interaction with soil under horizontal seismic loading. Regarding thiscomplexity, the main concern in use of PRF for oil tanks is proper design ofthis foundation system. In this study, a series of centrifuge tests were performed toinvestigate the mechanical behavior of oil tanks supported by PRF on non-liquefiablesand. Using the observed results, such as accelerations of the tank and groundand displacements of the foundation, some practical hints for reasonable design ofpiled raft foundation for oil tanks on non-liquefiable sand are discussed. Accordingto the results of this study, the main concern in the rational design of the foundationis piles' design and their punching effect on the raft, in case of PRF of oil tank onnon-liquefiable sand.