Improvement of Bearing Capacity of Shallow Foundation with the Wall Attached to the Base-Slab: Model Test

Abstract

For the cases where shallow foundation cannot satisfy the requirement of the foundation, engineers choose deep foundations without careful consideration of the cost-effectiveness. However, the bearing capacity of deep foundation is much bigger than shallow foundation. In this study, innovative shallow foundation type is introduced to increase the bearing capacity: The walls are attached to the base-slab of shallow foundation. To validate the performance of suggested shallow foundation, model tests were performed. Three different models (plate-, table-, and box-wall shaped foundations) are constructed in a small and large chamber, respectively. In the small chamber tests, the effect of degree of compaction (40, 60 and 80%) and footing width and wall length ratio (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1) on bearing capacity are evaluated. In large chamber test, the performance of wall-shaped foundation with respect to ultimate bearing capacity is evaluated. From the model tests, it is found that box-wall shaped foundation can increase the bearing capacity than table- and plate-wall shaped foundation. Also, the ultimate bearing capacities of box-wall shaped foundation are about 1.8 times than that of shallow foundation without wall.