Abstract
The present paper provides a qualitative discussion of the evolution of contact traction fields beneath rigid shallow foundations resting on granular materials. A phenomenological similarity is recognized in the measured contact traction fields of rigid footings and at the bases of sandpiles. This observation leads to the hypothesis that the stress distributions are brought about by the same physical phenomena, namely the development of arching effects through force chains and mobilized intergranular friction. A set of semi-empirical equations are suggested for the normal and tangential components of this contact traction based on past experimental measurements and phenomenological assumptions of frictional behaviors at the foundation system scale. These equations are then applied to the prescribed boundary conditions for the analysis of the settlement, resistance, and stress fields in supporting granular materials beneath the footing. A parametric sensitivity study is performed on the proposed modelling method, highlighting solutions to the boundary-value problems in an isotropic, homogeneous elastic half-space.
Highlights
It is well known that the contact pressures which develop between a surface footing and soil body are in general not uniform
There exists a tangential traction field at the interface between a normally loaded foundation and a soil body due to friction and the horizontal expansion of material beneath a compressive load [2,6,7,10,11]. These facts are often neglected in practical engineering calculations; it is a major premise of the present paper that the spatial distributions and directions of the traction fields developed during soil–structure interaction are non-negligible when assessing structural settlement and resulting stress-equilibrium states
Given the similarity in wedge geometry and the traction phenomenon between soil and support structure, we argue that the contact traction fields as shown in (Figure 1)
Summary
It is well known that the contact pressures which develop between a surface footing and soil body are in general not uniform. There exists a tangential traction field at the interface between a normally loaded foundation and a soil body due to friction and the horizontal expansion of material beneath a compressive load [2,6,7,10,11]. These facts are often neglected in practical engineering calculations; it is a major premise of the present paper that the spatial distributions and directions of the traction fields developed during soil–structure interaction are non-negligible when assessing structural settlement and resulting stress-equilibrium states. This is true even within the context of continuum models with simple (linear) constitutive relationships
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