Reliability-Based Analysis and Design of Strip Footings against Bearing Capacity Failure
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 134, Issue 7
Abstract
This paper presents a reliability-based approach for the analysis and design of a shallow strip footing subjected to a vertical load with or without pseudostatic seismic loading. Only the punching failure mode of the ultimate limit state is studied. The deterministic models are based on the upper-bound method of the limit analysis theory. The random variables used are the soil shear strength parameters and the horizontal seismic coefficient. The Hasofer-Lind reliability index and the failure probability are determined. A sensitivity analysis is also performed. The influence of the applied footing load on the reliability index and the corresponding design point is presented and discussed. It was shown that the negative correlation between the soil shear strength parameters highly increases the reliability of the foundation and that the failure probability is highly influenced by the coefficient of variation of the angle of internal friction of the soil and the horizontal seismic coefficient. For design, an iterative procedure is performed to determine the breadth of the footing for a target failure probability.
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Acknowledgments
The first two writers would like to thank the Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research (CNRSL) and the French organization EGIDE for providing the financial support for this research.
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© 2008 ASCE.
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Received: Mar 21, 2006
Accepted: Aug 7, 2007
Published online: Jul 1, 2008
Published in print: Jul 2008
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