Finite element limit analysis of the seismic bearing capacity of strip footing adjacent to excavation in c-φ soil

ABSTRACT

In this study, several effective parameters and geometrical features were considered to present the design charts and the reduction coefficients tables to obtain the bearing capacity of a strip footing placed near a c-ϕ excavation under static and seismic conditions by using Finite Element Limit Analysis (FELA). The effects of setback distance to footing width ratio (L/B), cohesion (c), soil friction angle (ϕ), pseudo-static horizontal earthquake coefficient (k_h), and the height of the excavation to the footing width ratio (H/B) on the bearing capacity and failure mechanism were studied. Also, a design procedure and example of its application were presented to obtain the static and seismic bearing capacities of the strip footing placed near the c-ϕ excavation based on the design charts and the reduction coefficients tables.

KEYWORDS:

• Seismic bearing capacity
• finite element limit analysis
• excavation
• failure pattern
• strip footing

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

All data, models, or codes such as FELA simulations, tables, and figures generated or used during the study are available from the corresponding author by request.