Bearing Capacity of Soils

(CIVE 1129)
Workshop @ HKVTC
(Dr. Dilan Robert)
13/11/2016
Importance of foundations
Foundation failures
 Types of foundations
Foundation types

Shallow foundation Deep foundation

Pad foundation When D ≤ 2.5

B
Strip foundation Piles Slurry walls

Raft foundation
 Shallow foundations
Pad foundations

• Supports individual point load such

as from structural column
• Can be circular, square or rectangle
• Usually slab of uniform thickness
 Shallow foundations
Strip foundations

• Supports line of loads

• Situations where pad foundations are
inappropriate due to close spacing
 Shallow foundations
Raft foundations

• Used to spread the load from a structure

• Used when column loads are close
together
• Normally consists of concrete slab
Failure Mechanisms

General shear failure

• Most common type of failure
• Happens in hard soil and rock
• Relative density > 70% & stiff, fine
grained soils (Terzaghi, 1943))

Local shear failure

• Slip plane lie in the soil layer below
the footing base and extend
laterally
• Intermediate between general and
punching shear
• Happens in loose soil
• Reduce φp and Su to 2/3 of values

Punching shear failure

• Slip surface confined
underneath the wedge
• Happens in very loose sands
and week clays
 Development of bearing capacity
models
Evolution…

• First by Prandtl (1920); Application of limit equilibrium methods on

the punching of thick masses of metal
• Terzaghi (1943) used Prandtl's failure mechasims to derive bearing
capacity equations for shallow foundations
• Vesic (1973) and others improved on Terzaghi's original theory and
added other factors for a more complete analysis
Development of bearing capacity
models
3 Main Steps involved;

Step 1: Selection of possible failure mechanism

(General, Local or Punching)

Step 2: Determine the forces acting on the failure surface

For example;

Step 3: Use equilibrium equations to determine the failure load

For example;
 Development of bearing capacity
models
Ultimate bearing capacity of soil

I Soil wedge under footing (Active zone)

II Plastic zone (Prandtl zone)
III Passive zone

Ultimate bearing
capacity of soil
Qult = qc + qq + qr

Cohesion contribution Over-burden pressure Soil weight contribution

contribution
 Development of bearing capacity
models
Ultimate bearing capacity of soil

Factor for q Factor for r

Factor for c

Ultimate bearing
capacity of soil
Qult = Aqc + Bqq + Cqr

Cohesion contribution Over-burden pressure Soil weight contribution

(c) contribution (q) (r)
 Bearing Capacity Model
Bearing capacity equation…

Short term condition (TSA) Long term condition (ESA)

• For fine grained soils • For all soils
• Su is applicable • Peak friction angle and
plane strain tests (Eg; DS
tests)
Where qu is ultimate net ir
bearing capacity
Shape factors Embedment Load Base Ground
depth factors inclination inclination inclination
factors factors factors
Bearing capacity factors in the model

ir
 Bearing capacity factors in the model

Ultimate net bearing capacity; ir

Plane strain conditions have been assumed when developing the bearing capacity
formulations. Hence conversion is required if φ’ based on triaxial data.
 Geometric Factors in the model
Geometric factors

ir

Shape factors Embedment Load Base Ground

depth factors inclination inclination inclination
factors factors factors
Geometric Factors in the model

Figure 1

1 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

2 2
 Different Loading cases
Vertical centric loading

Ultimate net loading PU = QU .B'.L'

 Different Loading cases
Vertical Eccentric

Ultimate net loading PU = QU .B'.L'

 Different Loading cases
Vertical centric load & moments

Ultimate net loading PU = QU .B'.L'

 Different Loading cases
Inclined Eccentric

For loading inclined in the direction of the width, B, θ=90o

For loading inclined in the direction of the Length, L, θ=0o

Ic= Iq = I r= Where;

Depth (d) and shape (s) factors should set to 1.0

Ultimate net loading PU = QU .B'.L'

 Different Loading cases
Inclined Eccentric

P
δ

Tan δ = H/V

For loading inclined in the direction of the width, B, θ=90o

Iq = I r= n=

Depth (d) and shape (s) factors should set to 1.0

 Different Loading cases
Centric inclined loads

Depth (d) and shape (s) factors should set to 1.0

Ultimate net loading PU = QU .B.L

 Bearing Capacity Model
How to consider water table effect…
Components in the bearing capacity equation should be corrected

ir
Case 1 Case 2 Case 3

h
D D D

B B B
h
B B B

γD f = γh + (γ sat − γ w ).( D f − h)
γB = γh + (γ sat − γ w ).( B − h)
Or
Or
γD f = γ sat h + (γ sat − γ w ).( D f − h)
γB = γ sat h + (γ sat − γ w ).( B − h)
&
No Correction is needed No change to γD f γB = (γ sat − γ w ).B
 Design factor of safety
• Engineering design requires a defined FOS
• Need to answer the client what operational load is allowed for the defined FOS
• Hence, Allowable operational load =Soil net Capacity/FOS + γDf

Allowable bearing From bearing

capacity (qa) capacity model (qu)

Given in the design

requirement

Overburden
stress
Df

B
Question 1
Geometric Factors in the model

Figure 1

1 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

2 2
 Bearing capacity of layered soil

Different layers of soils

There is a critical depth below foundation and hence properties of underneath soils
are important to decide the bearing capacity of the foundation
 Bearing capacity of layered soil
Step 1: Check the critical height

If Hcr < H1; use bearing capacity of top layer

If Hcr > H1; Follow step 2
 Bearing capacity of layered soil
Step 2: Follow the below table

Bearing capacity

Case 1: Top-soft clay & Case 2: Top-stiff clay & Bottom-soft clay Case 3: Thinly stratified soils
Bottom-stiff clay
• Try to eliminate • Bearing capacity of imaginary footing on • Go for deep foundations
• Replace soft clay soft clay with dimension (B+H1)x(L+H1) • Or use the bearing capacity of
• Smaller of; the weakest layer
- Bearing capacity of stiff clay
- Sum of the shear required to punch through a
vertical plane in the stiff clay, and the bearing
capacity of the soft clay layer
 Foundation settlements
Types of settlements

Distortion settlements Non-uniform settlements

Uniform settlements
(i.e. angular distortions)
 Foundation settlements
Allowable limits in settlements

* Can be modified based on local experience

 Foundation settlements
Stages of settlements

3 Types:
1.0 Immediate settlement
2.0 Primary consolidation settlement
3.0 Secondary consolidation settlement
 Foundation settlements
Immediate settlements;

For rigid footing placed on deep homogenous soil by Gazetas et al, 1985;

P = Total vertical load

Eu = Undrained elastic mod ulus
L = Half of the length of circumscribed rec tan gle
ν u = Poisson' s ratio for undrained condition
µ s = Shape factor
µ emb = Embedment factor
µ wall = Side wall factor

Ab = Actual area of the base

Aw = Actual area of the wall in contact with embedded portion of footing
 Foundation settlements
Primary consolidation settlements;
• 1-D consolidation equations can not be used here as they assume zero lateral strains
• Skempton & Bjerrum (1957) proposed a method by modifying one-dimensional consolidation
equation;
ρ SB = ∑ ρ pc µ SB

ρ pc = 1 − D primary consolidation = H o mv ∆σ z

µ SB = Settlement coefficient to account for lateral stress

 Vertical stress distribution below an
eccentrically loaded footing

Direct stress Bending stress

Stresses along X-axis

Stresses along Y-axis

B L
To eliminate tension in soils; eB < & eL <
6 6
Question 2
Geometric Factors in the model

Figure 1

1 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

2 2
How to solve non linear equation using
calculator

Y
At x=x1; Y=positive
At x=x2; Y=negative

x1

x2
X

• Store the function in ‘function memory’ in the form Y=0

• Change the x and check the value of Y
• Find out x value at which the sign in Y value changes
Newton Raphson method to solve
non-linear equations

First derivative at x1;

f ( x1 )
f ' ( x1 ) =
x1 − x2
Therefore;
f ( x1 ) Eq 1
x2 = x1 −
f ' ( x1 )

• Solve equation 1
• Use x2 in the place of x1 in equation 1 to obtain x3
• Continue the process until the difference becomes small
 How to solve non linear equation using
excel

• Use goal seek command

• Set Y=f(x)
• Set the ‘Set cell’ to the cell of Y
• Set the ‘To value’ to zero
• Set the ‘By changing cell’ to the cell of ‘X’