The behaviour of footings resting on a non-homogeneous soil mass with a crust. Part I. Strip footings

Abstract

A convenient and economical finite layer method of analysing the behaviour of footings on a non-homogeneous soil is outlined. This method of analysis is used to investigate the elastic response of strip footings for a wide range of soil profiles involving a weathered crust overlying a main deposit. The stiffness of the crust is considered to be either constant or to decrease with depth while the stiffness of the underlying deposit increases with depth.The effect of layer depth, crust depth, and the rate of variation of stiffness within the crust and the underlying soil are examined. The influence of this non-homogeneity upon settlement profile, differential settlement, and consolidation settlement are discussed and the results obtained from this detailed analysis are compared with results obtained from the approximate use of existing homogeneous elastic solutions.The results of this study are presented in the form of influence charts which may be used in hand calculations to estimate the settlement of footings for a wide range of practical cases. The applicability of the solutions and the determination of soil parameters is briefly discussed.