Stability Evaluation Model of Large Rectangular Foundations on Soil under Combined Loading
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 24, Issue 6
Abstract
The bearing capacity of large rectangular foundations on soil subjected to combined loading [simultaneously subjected to vertical load (V), overturning moment (M), and horizontal or lateral load (H)] is one of the central topics of interest to geotechnical engineers as it relates to the design of foundations such as ground anchorages of bridges, offshore structures, and gravity dams. To solve this problem, a combination of numerical simulation and theoretical research was used, and a stability evaluation model of large rectangular foundations on soil subjected to combined loading was established. First, an empirical equation for the failure envelope in the V‒M‒H loading space of rectangular foundations was developed. Second, the safety factor for load-path dependency (LPD) was established by considering the combined effects of V, M, and H, the stability evaluation model for large rectangular foundations on soil subjected to combined loading was constructed by proposing a method for calculating the LPD safety factor based on the V‒M‒H failure envelope. Last, the accuracy and effectiveness of the stability evaluation model proposed was verified. The proposed model provides a convenient means of calculating the stability of large rectangular foundations on soil under combined loading. The model was applied to the optimal design of a gravity anchorage project of a suspension bridge, which proves that the proposed model is rational and efficient.
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Data Availability Statement
Some data, models, or codes are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request (specifically the original data in Figs. 3, 6, 11, and 13).
Acknowledgments
The work reported in this paper is financially supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province, China (No. 2022CFB874), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 52209131 and 52179117), the Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS (No. 2021325), the Scientific Research Project of Hubei Education Department (No. B2022282), the Wuhan Knowledge Innovation Special Project (No. 2023020201020444), and the Foundation of Hubei Key Laboratory of Blasting Engineering (No. BL2021-07).
Notation
The following symbols are used in this paper:
- a
- length of the semiaxis of an ellipse corresponding to the M-axis;
- B
- width of foundation;
- b
- length of the semiaxis of an ellipse corresponding to the H-axis;
- bγ
- foundation bottom inclination factor;
- c
- cohesion of soil;
- D
- depth of foundation;
- dγ
- foundation depth factor;
- E
- elastic modulus;
- FLPD
- LPD safety factor;
- e
- load eccentricity;
- gγ
- ground inclination factor;
- H
- horizontal load;
- iγ
- load inclination factor;
- L
- length of foundation;
- li, mi, ni
- fitting coefficients of failure equations;
- lij, mij, nij
- fitting coefficients;
- M
- overturning moment;
- Nγ, Nc, Nq
- bearing capacity factors that depend mainly on the internal friction angle of soil;
- Pmax
- ultimate cable load;
- pu
- ultimate bearing capacity of the foundation per unit area with respect to the vertical component of the load;
- Q
- resultant applied load;
- Qmax
- ultimate resultant applied load;
- sγ, sc, sq
- foundation shape factors;
- th, tm
- factors controlling the value of H and M at a certain V;
- V
- vertical load;
- Vmax
- ultimate bearing capacity of the foundation when only vertical load is applied;
- vmax
- ultimate bearing capacity of the foundation per unit area when only vertical load is applied;
- α
- load inclination;
- β1
- initial slope of the curve in the V‒H loading plane;
- β2
- factor controlling the position and value of the maximum point in the V‒H loading plane;
- γ
- effective unit weight of soil;
- ξ1
- initial slope of the curve in the V‒M loading plane;
- ξ2
- factor controlling the position and value of the maximum point in the V‒M loading plane;
- η
- factor controlling the deflection angle of the ellipse;
- θ
- deflection angle of the ellipse;
- ν
- Poisson’s ratio; and
- φ
- internal friction angle of soil.
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Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 24 • Issue 6 • June 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 22, 2023
Accepted: Dec 14, 2023
Published online: Mar 27, 2024
Published in print: Jun 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Aug 27, 2024
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