Technical Notes
Aug 25, 2022

Vertical Bearing Capacity of Foundations with Large Embedment Depth in Normally Consolidated Clay

Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 148, Issue 11

Abstract

Foundation bearing capacity has been well studied in homogeneous soil under a condition of embedment depth within five times the foundation effective characteristic length. However, the penetration depth of deep-sea anchoring foundations can be far more than five times the effective characteristic length. This study aims to investigate the vertical bearing capacity of the strip, circular, and conical foundations within a large embedment depth range in normally consolidated clay. Parametric studies were conducted to analyze the effect of soil nonhomogeneity and foundation–soil interface roughness with the aid of the finite-element method combined with a developed subroutine. Results show that no critical value was found for the vertical bearing capacity even at a large embedment depth. The embedment depth also influences the relationship between the soil nonhomogeneity and the foundation bearing capacity factor, Nc. Friction coefficient has a great influence on Nc of the conical foundation. Comprehensive formulas for calculating Nc of the three common foundations are proposed based on parametric studies. The simple formulas will provide a reference for geotechnical engineers.

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Data Availability Statement

Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Acknowledgments

The research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51979035, 51890915), the Science and Technology Innovation Foundation of Dalian (2020JJ26GX021), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (DUT21ZD210). The supports are gratefully acknowledged. The first author appreciates the China Scholarship Council and University of Ottawa, Canada for the Ph.D. research program.

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Go to Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 148Issue 11November 2022

History

Received: Apr 2, 2021
Accepted: May 24, 2022
Published online: Aug 25, 2022
Published in print: Nov 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Jan 25, 2023

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Authors

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Ph.D. Candidate, State Key Laboratory of Coastal and Offshore Engineering, Dalian Univ. of Technology, Dalian 116024, China; Ph.D. Candidate, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Univ. of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N5. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1925-1323
Yunfei Li
Engineer, Changjiang Survey, Planning, Design and Research Co., Ltd., Wuhan 430014, China.
Professor, State Key Laboratory of Coastal and Offshore Engineering, Dalian Univ. of Technology, Dalian 116024, China. Email: [email protected]
Professor, State Key Laboratory of Coastal and Offshore Engineering, Dalian Univ. of Technology, Dalian 116024, China (corresponding author). Email: [email protected]

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