Lower bound limit analysis using finite elements and linear programming

2008 ◽  
Vol 45 (12) ◽  
pp. 1673-1684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jyant Kumar ◽  
V. N. Khatri

By incorporating the dependency of soil friction angle (ϕ) on mean principal stress (σm), the effect of footing width (B) on bearing capacity factor (Nγ) is examined for a rough strip footing. The analysis is performed by means of a numerical lower bound limit analysis in conjunction with triangular finite elements and linear programming. To account for the variation of ϕ with σm, a solution is obtained by using an iterative procedure. Two well defined ϕ–σm curves from the literature, associated with Hoston and Toyoura sands that correspond to relative densities of 18% and 74.5%, respectively, are used. The magnitude of Nγ is computed for different footing widths. It is noted that for B greater than about 0.2 m, the magnitude of Nγ varies almost linearly with B on a log–log scale. For different footing widths, a good comparison is seen between the obtained rigorous solution and that obtained by using a constant value of ϕ, which corresponds to the equivalent mean normal stress level as defined by De Beer.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document