Ultimate bearing capacity of two interfering strip footings on sand overlying clay

Acta Geotechnica (2021)Cite this article

Abstract

Foundations may be constructed at close spacings. Prior investigations have presented insights into the interference effect of two nearby shallow foundations on homogenous soils. However, soils are often deposited in layers, such as a sand layer overlying clay. Hence, the interference effect of two adjacent foundations on their ultimate bearing capacity for sand overlying clay has been a relevant topic, which is complex because it is tied to a coupling effect of the geometric configurations and the soil properties. In this paper, the ultimate bearing capacity of two interfering strip footings on sand overlying clay is determined using an upper-bound limit state plasticity method known as discontinuity layout optimization (DLO). The solution is illustrated as design charts constructed through the use of dimensionless parameters. Parametric studies are performed to explore the influence of geometric and strength parameters on the bearing capacity and the failure mechanism. A simplified model is developed based on the data obtained from DLO. Validations are carried out to demonstrate the accuracy of the developed model using various statistical criteria, including coefficient of determination (R2), arithmetic mean and coefficient of variation.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 52078337, 51708405 and 41630641). The authors appreciate the financial support.

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Affiliations

  1. School of Civil Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China

    Gang Zheng, Jiapeng Zhao & Haizuo Zhou

  2. Key Laboratory of Coast Civil Structure Safety, Tianjin University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin, 300072, China

    Gang Zheng, Jiapeng Zhao & Haizuo Zhou

  3. Key Laboratory of Earthquake Engineering Simulation and Seismic Resilience of China Earthquake Administration, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300350, China

    Haizuo Zhou

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  1. Gang Zheng
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  2. Jiapeng Zhao
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  3. Haizuo Zhou
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Correspondence to Haizuo Zhou.

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Cite this article

Zheng, G., Zhao, J. & Zhou, H. Ultimate bearing capacity of two interfering strip footings on sand overlying clay. Acta Geotech. (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-021-01153-5

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Keywords

  • Bearing capacity
  • Clay
  • Interfering footings
  • Limit analysis
  • Sand
  • Simplified model