Abstract: When industrial plants are constructed in soft soils and subjected to adjacent surcharge loads, the piled foundation of these plants will experience lateral loads, which leads to lateral displacements that can affect the deformation of the superstructures above. This study presents an engineering case history of the Baosteel Desheng lateritic nickel ore raw material plant. By combining theoretical analysis, numerical simulation, and field monitoring, the variation patterns of lateral deformation of pile foundations under different surcharge heights and different thicknesses of soft silt layers are analyzed. The impact of surcharge on soft soils on the deformation of adjacent plant piled foundations are investigated. The results show that as the surcharge height and soft silt layer thickness increase, the lateral displacement of the piled foundations gradually increases. Further, the point of maximum lateral displacement tends to shift downward, therefore, the pile foundations and columns of the plant experience in a more unfavorable condition. Based on these findings, improvement recommendations are proposed. The research results can provide theoretical basis and engineering references for the impact of similar surcharge loads on the deformation of piled foundations in soft soils.

Key words: Soft Soil Foundation, Surcharge, Pile Deformation, Numerical Simulation