This work presents the mechanical behavior of a piled-groups and piled-rafts constructed with self-drilling piles and founded in the “porous” clayey soil of the Federal District in Brazil. At a first moment, characterization test, field tests (Standard Penetration Test and Flat Dilatometer Test) and triaxial tests were applied to the soil deposit to obtain its mechanical behavior. The hypoplastic constitutive model that considers soil structure was tested to assess if the model can describe the clay behavior. Moreover, the mechanical behavior of the piled group and of the piled-raft foundation was validated by means of static load tests performed in the experimental field of a private foundation company in the region. By using the collected data, finite element simulations (FEM) were performed using the Abaqus software. The chosen model was implemented to describe the behavior of the soil in the Federal District. Simulated results allowed the establishment of the ultimate load of the foundation systems; the stresses generated and settlement mechanisms; and the contribution of the raft in the piled-raft systems. The results and their direct comparison allowed the generation of knowledge of academic and practical interest to those involved with the practical design, the construction or the investigation of such foundation systems.
