Effect of soil rigidity and tensile strength on bearing capacity of embedded foundations

Abstract

The estimation of the bearing capacity of embedded foundations in cohesive soils has important civil engineering applications both onshore and offshore such as bored piles, skirted foundations, spudcan footings and so on. This topic has been extensively investigated numerically in the literature, where it is mostly stated that the commonly used semi-empirical relations in the industry for example by Skempton are extremely conservative. Such conclusion may not be accurate if two relatively neglected aspects are investigated: (a) rigidity index, ratio of shear modulus to undrained shear strength of soil and (b) limited tensile strength of soil. A finite-element analysis was conducted. The influence of these factors on bearing capacity enhancement is presented. Simple algebraic expressions are provided to guide practitioners.