Analytical Bearing Capacity of Strip Footings in Weightless Materials with Power-Law Failure Criteria
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 16, Issue 1
Abstract
Sokolovskii’s method of characteristics is extended to provide analytical solutions for the ultimate load at the moment of plastic failure under plane-strain conditions of shallow strip foundations on weightless rigid-plastic media with a noncohesive power-law failure envelope. The formulation is made parametrically in terms of the instantaneous friction angle, and the key idea to obtain the bearing capacity is that information can be transmitted from the free surface (where external loads are known) to the contact plane of the foundation. The methodology can consider foundations adjacent to a slope, external surcharges at the free surface, and inclined loads (both on the slope and on the foundation). Sensitivity analyses illustrate the influence on bearing capacity of changes in the different geometrical parameters involved. An application example is presented and design plots are provided, and model predictions are compared with results of bearing capacity tests under low gravity.
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Acknowledgments
Professor Taizo Kobayashi, of University of Fukui (Japan), provided the original testing data for the Toyoura sand employed in their low-gravity model foundation tests. His support is kindly acknowledged.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 16 • Issue 1 • February 2016
Copyright
© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 27, 2013
Accepted: Nov 10, 2014
Published online: Apr 24, 2015
Discussion open until: Sep 24, 2015
Published in print: Feb 1, 2016
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