Bearing Capacity of Shallow Foundations in Cohesive Soils- A State of the Art Literature Review Bearing Capacity of Shallow Foundations in Cohesive Soils

Abstract

The stability of shallow foundations primarily depends on the bearing capacity of cohesive soils. The precise estimation of bearing capacity ensures the resilience of infrastructure. In this regard, numerous studies have been conducted to assess the bearing capacity of such soils utilizing various parameters (e.g., c, ϕ, ψ). Terzaghi's bearing capacity equation served as a prelude to every static analysis technique. Some factors in modern forms of Terzaghi's equation, known as footing roughness and shape of the footing, substantially affect the ultimate bearing capacity of cohesive soils. As a few of the bearing capacity factors were formulated empirically, niches of soil and footing parameters exist where the bearing capacity predictions are unreliable. Some bearing capacity factors are sensitive to the scale of the footing. These need to be multiplied with appropriate scale functions to get accurate results in model tests. In footing with seismic loads, static analysis is not rigorous enough to determine seismic bearing capacity. This study was conducted to summarize the available methods of obtaining soil-bearing capacity. Equations for these studies are presented for comparison purposes. A direction for further investigation is paved in the corresponding sections. A Python module encapsulating code for non-finite Element Methods is developed and published in our Github (instructions for access at the end).