Closed-form solutions for bearing capacity of footing on anisotropic cohesive soils

Abstract

Simple closed-form solutions for the undrained bearing capacity of strip footings on anisotropic cohesive soils are derived employing kinematical approach of limit analysis. Both modified Hill-type and translational failure mechanisms, with variable wedge angles, are attempted and the best upper bound for each mechanism has been analytically determined leading to an analytical expression for the bearing capacity factor. The influence of degree of soil anisotropy on the corresponding value for the bearing capacity factor has also been evaluated. For a wide range of degree of anisotropy, the improvement in the predicted upper bound values does not warrant the use of the modified Hill-type mechanism. Instead, the conventional Hill-type failure mechanism, with a fixed wedge angle of p/4, provides a simple and concise analytical expression for the bearing capacity factor that is analytically equivalent to the conventional Prandtl - Reissner bearing capacity factor for the case of isotropic soil multiplied by the average of the sum of degree of anisotropy plus unity.