Open Access

Structural Performance Analysis of High-Rise Building Foundations Under Variable Soil and Loading Conditions

https://doi.org/10.55640/irjaet-v03i09-03

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Hiroshi Nakamura ¹ , Yuki Tanaka ¹ ,

⁴ Department of Engineering and Technology, Fictional Japan Institute of Engineering, Tokyo, Japan

Abstract

The performance of foundations supporting high-rise buildings is strongly influenced by the interaction between structural loading and spatially and temporally variable ground conditions. Variations in soil stiffness, strength, groundwater level, stratification, and applied loading can produce differential settlement, changes in pile response, lateral deformation, and nonuniform load transfer. This study develops an analytical framework for assessing the structural performance of high-rise building foundations subjected to variable soil and loading conditions. The methodology synthesizes classical foundation engineering principles with soil–structure interaction, heterogeneous-soil assessment, pile response analysis, groundwater considerations, and finite-element-based evaluation. Particular emphasis is placed on identifying how variations in soil parameters and loading scenarios influence foundation response and structural reliability. The framework considers vertical load, lateral load, soil stiffness, groundwater fluctuations, and spatial heterogeneity as interconnected variables rather than isolated design parameters. The analytical findings indicate that foundation performance cannot be reliably characterized using uniform soil assumptions when substantial ground variability exists. Differential stiffness and strength conditions may produce uneven settlement and redistribution of structural loads, while groundwater fluctuations can alter effective stress and consequently affect soil stiffness and bearing behavior. Pile foundations provide an effective mechanism for transferring high structural loads through weaker near-surface strata, but their performance remains sensitive to soil layering and interaction effects. The study establishes a systematic basis for performance-oriented foundation assessment and highlights the importance of integrating geotechnical variability with structural loading during design and evaluation.

Keywords

High-rise foundations, soil–structure interaction, variable soil conditions

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