ULTIMATE BEARING CAPACITY OF STRIP FOOTING ON SAND UNDERLAIN BY CLAY UNDER INCLINED LOAD

This paper presents the bearing capacity determination of strip footing placed on sand underlain by clay and subjected to inclined loading. The bearing capacity equation is derived within the framework of limit equilibrium by following the projected area approach The inclinations of load spread were selected by performing an additional finite element analysis. A parametric study was conducted to highlight the effect of various input parameters such as i) the thickness of the top sand layer, ii) embedment depth of footing, iii) the friction angle of sand and cohesion of clay, and iv) inclination of the applied load. The obtained results for a vertically loaded footing are slightly underestimated with that available in the literature. The computed bearing capacity values for a foundation with inclined loading compare favorably for lower inclination angle but slightly overestimates for higher load inclination angle, concerning that obtained using the available formula in the literature.