Bearing Capacity of Rectangular Footing on Sandy Soil Bounded by a Wall

Abstract

The present study investigated the behavior of model footings bounded by a wall of different depths and located at different distances from the footing resting on sandy soil. Different parameters are considered, such as relative density of sand, distance from the wall to the edge of footing (d), width of footing (B) and depth of wall (h). Test results show that the presence of the wall affects remarkably the bearing capacity, leading to improvement in the bearing capacity with different percentages according to the distance of the wall from the edge of footing and depth of wall due to the increase in the soil confinement underneath the footing. In loose sand, the largest improvement in bearing capacity for rectangular footings bounded by walls reaches about 34 %, at h/B = 0.5 and d/B = 2. In medium sand, the largest improvement in bearing capacity for these footings bounded by walls reaches about 33 %, at h/B = 0.5 and d/B = 2, while in dense sand, the largest improvement in bearing capacity for rectangular footings bounded by walls reaches about 52 %, at h/B = 0 and d/B = 2. The presence of the wall mitigates the vertical settlement, and reduction in the vertical settlement ranges from 3 to 24 % in all tests depending on the wall depth and its distance from the footing. In loose and medium sand, the maximum effect of the wall on the value of bearing capacity is when the distance between the wall and the footing edge h/B is 0.5, while in dense sand, the maximum effect of the wall on the bearing capacity is when the wall is in contact with the footing edge h/B is zero.