Factor of Safety

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Foundatation Analysis by Bowels has good recommendations for safety factors. He

evaluates uncertainties and assigns a factor of safety by taking into account the
following:

1. Magnitude of damages (loss of life and property damage)

2. Relative cost of increasing or decreasing the factor of safety
3. Relative change in probability of failure by changing the factor of safety
4. Reliability of soil data
5. Construction tolerances
6. Changes in soil properties due to construction operations
7. Accuracy (or approximations used) in developing design/ analysis methods

Typical values of customary safety factors, F.S., as presented by Bowels.

Failure Foundation
Mode Type F.S.
Earthwork for
Shear Dams, Fills, etc. 1.2 - 1.6
Shear Retaining Walls 1.5 - 2.0
Sheetpiling,
Shear Cofferdams 1.2 - 1.6
Braced
Excavations
Shear (Temporary) 1.2 - 1.5
Shear Spread Footings 2-3
Shear Mat Footings 1.7 - 2.5
Shear Uplift for Footings 1.7 - 2.5
Seepage Uplift, heaving 1.5 - 2.5
Seepage Piping 3-5

Other customary factors of safety, F.S., used are:

1.5 for retaining walls overturning with granular backfill

2.0 for retaining walls overturning with cohesive backfill
1.5 for retaining walls sliding with active earth pressures
2.0 for retaining walls sliding with passive earth pressures