Study of the Bearing Capacity of Closely Spaced Square Foundations on Granular Soils

Abstract

In the present study, the effect of the interaction between two closely spaced square footings is analyzed through finite element simulations. The numerical analyses were performed through the construction of three-dimensional 3D Boundary Value Problems constructed with the software Abaqus Standard. Several values for the foundation embedment and separation between footings were considered. The behavior of the granular soil was simulated through an extended Drucker–Prager constitutive model. The results were used to calibrate an extended bearing capacity equation through a multiple variable regression analysis, and accounts for the effect of the embedment depth and separation between footings. Finally, the proposed relation was compared with some reported values in the literature, including experimental tests and numerical results, and showed a better agreement with the experimental data than other reported studies.