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Shape Effects on Bearing Capacity of Footings on Two-Layered Clay

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Abstract

The undrained vertical bearing capacity on a two-layered clay of centrally loaded rigid strip, rectangular and ring footings is studied parametrically with 2D, 3D and axisymmetric finite-element analyses. The shear strength ratio of the two layers and the relative thickness of the uppermost layer with respect to pertinent foundation dimension are the key parameters investigated. In addition, for rectangles and rings the length-to-width (“aspect”) ratio and the ring width to external radius ratio are reported. The results are portrayed in diagrams of bearing capacity and shape modification factors, in the familiar soil mechanics form, along with fitted algebraic expressions to facilitate their numerical use. The failure mechanisms are presented for a number of characteristic cases and are being contrasted with the classical Prandtl failure mechanism, giving additional insight into the mechanics of the problem. The results of the paper can be directly used in practical applications.

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Abbreviations

A:

Contact area of the footing

B:

Width of rectangular footing

b:

Width of ring foundation

E:

Modulus of elasticity

H1 :

Thickness of top clay layer

L:

Length of rectangular footing

NC, \({\text{N}}_{\rm {C}}^{*}\) :

Bearing capacity (B.C.) factors for strip or other footing’s shape, resting on homogeneous soil

NC,1, \({\text{N}}_{\rm {C,1}}^{*}\) :

B.C. factors for strip or other footing’s shape, resting on two-layered clay

qo :

Initial step loading on foundation

qu :

Ultimate bearing pressure

Rint :

Strength reduction factor of interfaces

R1, R2 :

Radii of ring foundation (external and internal)

sc :

Shape factor

SR:

Strength ratio (su,2/su,1)

su :

Undrained shear strength of homogeneous clay

su,1, su,2 :

Undrained shear strength of the crust and the lower clay layer

Vu :

Ultimate vertical load

γ:

Unit weight

λΗ, λΒ :

Correction factors for the contribution of upper and lower clay to the B.C.

λN, \(\uplambda_{\rm {N}}^{*}\) :

Modification coefficients (NC,1/NC, \({\text{N}}_{\rm {C,1}}^{*}\)/\({\text{N}}_{\rm {C}}^{*}\))

ν:

Poisson’s ratio

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  1. National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Konstantina Papadopoulou & George Gazetas

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  1. Konstantina Papadopoulou
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  2. George Gazetas
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Correspondence to Konstantina Papadopoulou.

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Papadopoulou, K., Gazetas, G. Shape Effects on Bearing Capacity of Footings on Two-Layered Clay. Geotech Geol Eng 38, 1347–1370 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-019-01095-6

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