3D finite element analysis of bearing capacity failure in clay

Three-dimensional finite element analysis is a useful tool for practical problem solving as well as for parametric analysis and failure mechanism visualization. In this paper, Mohr-Coulomb, elasto-viscoplastic, bearing capacity analyses were performed using finite element code running on massively parallel computers. With the recent advent of PC Clusters, parallel computing is readily available to those who may not have access to parallel supercomputers. Square, rectangular, and strip footings are considered to determine bearing capacity factors. Values obtained by these finite element analyses are comparable to those values reported in the literature. Speedup values for increased numbers of processors in the parallel environment are also presented and discussed.