Assessment of the Mutual Influence of Prefabricated Steel Silo Foundations Under Staged Loading

Abstract

A three-dimensional numerical model of a cast-in-situ raft foundation interacting with elastic subsoil was developed using the Finite Element Method (FEM) in the LIRA-FEM software environment, incorporating the GRUNT module for subsoil modelling. The analysis considered both isolated and two-row grouped configurations under three sequential loading stages. Key parameters, including vertical displacements and tilt, were assessed to determine the impact of mutual interaction. The results indicate that adjacent structures significantly intensify subsoil deformations. In particular, the maximum settlement increased from 115.2 mm for an isolated structure to 177.25 mm under grouped conditions, representing a 1.54-fold increase. The corresponding structural tilt reached 0.0024, exceeding the allowable limit of 0.002, while the settlement surpassed the normative maximum permissible of 150 mm. The findings demonstrate that neglecting the mutual geotechnical influence of closely spaced storage facilities may lead to exceeding ultimate limit states. Therefore, comprehensive spatial numerical modelling is essential for the safe and reliable design of modern agricultural infrastructure.