Bearing capacity of foundations subjected to groundwater flow

Abstract

The ultimate bearing capacity of strip foundations subjected to horizontal groundwater flow has been computed by making use of the stress characteristics method which is well known for its capability in solving quite accurately different stability problems in geotechnical engineering. The numerical solution has been generated both for smooth and rough footings placed on frictional soils. A correction factor (f_γ) associated with N_γ term, to account for the existence of ground water flow, has been introduced. The variation of f_γ has been obtained as a function of hydraulic gradient (i) for different values of soil frictional angle. The magnitude of f_γ reduces continuously with an increase in the value of i. For a given hydraulic gradient, the value of f_γ has been found to reduce further with a decrease in the value of φ.

Keywords:

• bearing capacity
• foundations
• groundwater flow
• method of characteristics
• numerical modeling
• plasticity