486 Chapter 12

Foundations on relatively loose sand with relative density less than 35 percent penetrate into
the soil without any bulging of the sand surface. The base resistance gradually increases as
settlement progresses. The rate of settlement, however, increases and reaches a maximum at a
settlement of about 15 to 20 percent of the foundation width. Sudden jerks or shears can be
observed as soon as the settlement reaches about 6 to 8 percent of the foundation width. The failure
surface, which is vertical or slightly inclined and follows the perimeter of the base, never reaches
the sand surface. This type of failure is designated as punching shear failure by Vesic (1963) as
shown in Fig. 12.4(c).
The three types of failure described above were observed by Vesic (1963) during tests on
model footings. It may be noted here that as the relative depth/width ratio increases, the limiting
relative densities at which failure types change increase. The approximate limits of types of failure
to be affected as relative depth DJB, and relative density of sand, Dr, vary are shown in Fig. 12.5
(Vesic, 1963). The same figure shows that there is a critical relative depth below which only
punching shear failure occurs. For circular foundations, this critical relative depth, DJB, is around
4 and for long rectangular foundations around 8.
The surfaces of failures as observed by Vesic are for concentric vertical loads. Any small
amount of eccentricity in the load application changes the modes of failure and the foundation tilts
in the direction of eccentricity. Tilting nearly always occurs in cases of foundation failures because
of the inevitable variation in the shear strength and compressibility of the soil from one point to
another and causes greater yielding on one side or another of the foundation. This throws the center
of gravity of the load towards the side where yielding has occurred, thus increasing the intensity of
pressure on this side followed by further tilting.
A footing founded on precompressed clays or saturated normally consolidated clays will fail
in general shear if it is loaded so that no volume change can take place and fails by punching shear
if the footing is founded on soft clays.

Relative density of sand, Dr

0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0

General
shear

Local
shear

o Punching
.c shear
D- 7
<U *J
T3
O

Figure 12.5 Modes of failure of model footings in sand (after Vesic, 1963)