The bearing capacity of footings on sand with a weak layer
Journal Title: Geotechnical Research - Year 2017, Vol 4, Issue 1
Abstract
Minor details of the ground, such as thin weak layers, shear bands and slickensided surfaces, can substantially affect the behaviour of soil–footing and other geotechnical systems, despite their seeming insignificance. In this paper, the influence of the presence of a thin horizontal weak layer on the ultimate bearing capacity of a strip footing on dense sand is investigated by single-gravity tests on small-scale physical models of the soil–footing system. The test results show that the weak layer strongly influences both the failure mechanism and the ultimate bearing capacity if its depth is lower than about four times the footing width. It is found that the presence of a thin weak layer can cause decreases of the ultimate bearing capacity of up to 80%. Numerical simulations, by finite-element analysis, of the behaviour of the reduced-scale models are able to capture the failure mechanism and the ultimate bearing capacity correctly, only if the mean equivalent constant value of the secant angle of shearing resistance used in calculations is selected, taking into account the curvature of the shear strength envelope of the sand within the very low normal stress range existing in the tested models.
Authors and Affiliations
Maurizio Ziccarelli
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP292341
- DOI 10.1680/jgere.16.00020
- Views 45
- Downloads 0
Research-oriented ground investigation projects at Changi, Singapore
The Changi East Reclamation projects in Singapore were implemented in five phases starting from 1991 and completed in 2005. Due to the excessive magnitude of settlement likely to occur over a long period of duration caus...
Benefits of pre-loading temporary props for braced excavations
Using soil profiles typical of excavations in London, UK and Dubai, UAE calculations have been carried out to compare the performance of temporary steel and proprietary hydraulic propping. Numerical modelling indicates t...
Resistivity profiles of Perth soil in Australia in leak-detection test
The use of a suitable leak-detection system for the prevention and mitigation of pollution due to lining system failures is integral to the proper management of landfill facilities. This paper briefly summarises various...
Rapid remediation using polyurethane foam/resin grout in Malaysia
Rapid remediation using polyurethane foam/ resin grout in Malaysia
Behaviour of MH silts with varying plasticity indices
It is important for geotechnical engineers to understand the intrinsic and mechanical behaviour of silt as it is presently recognised that there exist gaps in understanding its fundamental behaviour. The behaviour of kao...