Upper bound to bearing capacity of layered soils

Abstract

An approach to the problem of flat punch indentation into the Mohr-Coulomb layered half-space has been developed, based on the kinematical approach of limit analysis. A kinematically admissible plane-strain failure mechanism for a typical two-layer system is presented. The ultimate bearing capacity for strip footings obtained from the proposed approach compares well with the experimental data available in the literature. Key words: bearing capacity, limit state analysis, layered soil, strip footings.