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, . Friction coefficient has a great influence on of the conical foundation. Comprehensive formulas for calculating of the three common foundations are proposed based on parametric studies. The simple formulas will provide a reference for geotechnical engineers.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
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.
References
Araujo, J. B., R. D. Machado, and C. J. Medeiros Jr. 2004. “High holding power torpedo pile: Results for the first long term application.” In Proc., ASME 2004: 23rd Int. Conf. on Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering, 417–421. New York: ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/omae2004-51201.
ASTM. 2007. Standard test method for electronic friction cone and piezocone penetration testing of soils. ASTM D5778. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
Benmebarek, S., I. Saifi, and N. Benmebarek. 2017. “Depth factors for undrained bearing capacity of circular footing by numerical approach.” J. Rock Mech. Geotech. Eng. 9 (4): 761–766. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrmge.2017.01.003.
Birid, K., and D. Choudhury. 2021. “Undrained bearing capacity factor for ring foundations in cohesive soil.” Int. J. Geomech. 21 (2): 06020038. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0001900.
Davis, E. H., and J. R. Booker. 1973. “The effect of increasing strength with depth on the bearing capacity of clays.” Géotechnique 23 (4): 551–563. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.1973.23.4.551.
Edwards, D. H., L. Zdravkovic, and D. M. Potts. 2005. “Depth factors for undrained bearing capacity.” Géotechnique 55 (10): 755–758. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.2005.55.10.755.
Gourvenec, S., and M. Randolph. 2003. “Effect of strength non-homogeneity on the shape of failure envelopes for combined loading of strip and circular foundations on clay.” Géotechnique 53 (6): 575–586. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.2003.53.6.575.
Gourvenec, S. M., and D. S. K. Mana. 2011. “Undrained vertical bearing capacity factors for shallow foundations.” Géotechnique Lett. 1 (4): 101–108. https://doi.org/10.1680/geolett.11.00026.
Han, C., and J. Liu. 2020. “A review on the entire installation process of dynamically installed anchors.” Ocean Eng. 202 (Apr): 107173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2020.107173.
Hossain M. S., Y. Hu, and M. F. Randolph. 2003. “Spudcan foundation penetration into uniform clay.” In Proc., Int. Offshore and Polar Engineering Conf., 647–652. Honolulu: The International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers.
Houlsby, G. T., and C. M. Martin. 2003. “Undrained bearing capacity factors for conical footings on clay.” Géotechnique 53 (5): 513–520. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.2003.53.5.513.
Houlsby, G. T., and C. P. Wroth. 1983. “Calculation of stresses on shallow penetrometers and footings.” In Proc., Int. Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics/Int. Union of Geodesy and Geophysics Symp. on Seabed Mechanics, 107–112. Rotterdam, Netherlands: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4958-4-12.
Hu, Y., M. F. Randolph, and P. G. Watson. 1999. “Bearing response of skirted foundation on nonhomogeneous soil.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 125 (11): 924–935. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(1999)125:11(924).
Kim, Y. H., M. S. Hossain, and D. Wang. 2015a. “Effect of strain rate and strain softening on embedment depth of a torpedo anchor in clay.” Ocean Eng. 108 (Nov): 704–715. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2015.07.067.
Kim, Y. H., M. S. Hossain, D. Wang, and M. F. Randolph. 2015b. “Numerical investigation of dynamic installation of torpedo anchors in clay.” Ocean Eng. 108 (Nov): 820–832. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2015.08.033.
Lieng, J. T., T. I. Tjelta, and K. Skaugset. 2010. “Installation of two prototype deep penetrating anchors at the Gjoa field in the North Sea.” In Proc., Offshore Technology Conf. Richardson, TX: OnePetro. https://doi.org/10.4043/20758-MS.
Liu, J., M. Li, Y. Hu, and C. Han. 2017. “Bearing capacity of rectangular footings in uniform clay with deep embedment.” Comput. Geotech. 86 (Jun): 209–218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2017.01.019.
Liu, J., and Y. Q. Zhang. 2018. “CFD simulation on the penetration of FFP into uniform clay.” Chin. J. Theor. Appl. Mech. 50 (1): 167–176. https://doi.org/10.6052/0459-1879-17-284.
Lu, Q., M. F. Randolph, Y. Hu, and I. C. Bugarski. 2004. “A numerical study of cone penetration in clay.” Géotechnique 54 (4): 257–267. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.2004.54.4.257.
Lunne, T., M. Randolph, M. A. Sjursen, H. E. Low, and C. S. Gue. 2006. Shear strength parameters determined by in-situ tests for deep water soft soils. Perth, Australia: Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, Oslo and Centre for Offshore Foundation Systems.
Mana, D. S. K., S. Gourvenec, and M. F. Randolph. 2010. “A numerical study of the vertical bearing capacity of skirted foundations.” In Proc., 2nd Int. Symp. on Frontiers in Offshore Geotechnics, 433–438. London: Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.1201/b10132-52.
Martin, C. M., and M. F. Randolph. 2001. “Applications of the lower and upper bound theorems of plasticity to collapse of circular foundations.” In Vol. 2 of Proc., 10th Int. Conf. on Computer Methods and Advances in Geomechanics, 1417–1428. Abingdon, UK: Taylor & Francis.
Meyerhof, G. G. 1951. “The ultimate bearing capacity of foundations.” Géotechnique 2 (4): 301–332. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.1951.2.4.301.
Poulos, H. G. 1988. Marine geotechnics. London: Unwin Hyman.
Raie, M. S., and J. L. Tassoulas. 2009. “Installation of torpedo anchors: Numerical modeling.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 135 (12): 1805–1813. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0000159.
Randolph, M. F., M. J. Cassidy, S. Gourvenec, and C. J. Erbrich. 2005. “Challenges of offshore geotechnical engineering.” In Vol. 1 of Proc., Int. Conf. on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 123–176. Rotterdam, Netherlands: A.A. Balkema.
Salgado, R., A. V. Lyamin, S. W. Sloan, and H. S. Yu. 2004. “Two-and three-dimensional bearing capacity of foundations in clay.” Géotechnique 54 (5): 297–306. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.2004.54.5.297.
Shelton, J. T. 2007. “OMNI-Maxtrade anchor development and technology.” In Proc., 2007 Oceans Conf. New York: IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/oceans.2007.4449415.
Skempton, A. W. 1951. “The bearing capacity of clays.” In Proc., Building Research Congress, 180–189. London: Thomas Telford. https://doi.org/10.1680/sposm.02050.0008.
Tani, K., and W. H. Craig. 1995. “Bearing capacity of circular foundations on soft clay of strength increasing with depth.” Soils Found. 35 (4): 21–35. https://doi.org/10.3208/sandf.35.4_21.
Tho, K. K., Z. Chen, C. F. Leung, and Y. K. Chow. 2014. “Pullout behaviour of plate anchor in clay with linearly increasing strength.” Can. Geotech. J. 51 (1): 92–102. https://doi.org/10.1139/cgj-2013-0140.
Vulpe, C. 2015. “Design method for the undrained capacity of skirted circular foundations under combined loading: Effect of deformable soil plug.” Géotechnique 65 (8): 669–683. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.14.P.200.
Walker, J., and H. S. Yu. 2006. “Adaptive finite element analysis of cone penetration in clay.” Acta Geotech. 1 (1): 43–57. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-006-0005-9.
White, D. J., K. L. Teh, C. F. Leung, and Y. K. Chow. 2008. “A comparison of the bearing capacity of flat and conical circular foundations on sand.” Géotechnique 58 (10): 781–792. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.2008.3781.
Yun, G., and M. F. Bransby. 2007. “The undrained vertical bearing capacity of skirted foundations.” Soils Found. 47 (3): 493–505. https://doi.org/10.3208/sandf.47.493.
Zhang, Y., B. Bienen, M. J. Cassidy, and S. Gourvenec. 2012. “Undrained bearing capacity of deeply buried flat circular footings under general loading.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 138 (3): 385–397. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0000606.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.
Cited by
- Jun Liu, Xinshuai Guo, Juncheng Li, Ping Yi, Baisong Wang, Study of Site Investigation Sample Quality and Worst-Case Scale of Fluctuation for Monopiles Based on Conditional Random Fields, ASCE-ASME Journal of Risk and Uncertainty in Engineering Systems, Part A: Civil Engineering, 10.1061/AJRUA6.RUENG-1193, 10, 3, (2024).
- Ping Yi, Xinshuai Guo, Jun Liu, Huiqing Liu, Probabilistic Failure Envelopes of Monopiles in Scoured Seabed Based on a New Nonstationary Random Field Model, Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 10.1061/JGGEFK.GTENG-11175, 149, 6, (2023).
- Jun Liu, Xinshuai Guo, Ping Yi, Probabilistic approach to the stability analysis of caisson foundations under combined loading in spatially variable soil, Applied Ocean Research, 10.1016/j.apor.2023.103509, 134, (103509), (2023).