The bearing capacity of shallow foundations in a non-homogeneous soil profile has been a challenging task in geotechnical engineering. In this paper, a limit equilibrium method is used for calculating bearing capacity factors of shallow foundations constructed on a two-layered granular soil profile. The main objective has been to determine the ultimate bearing capacity computed from equivalent bearing capacity factors N q and N c and comparing that with numerical analysis using finite element methods. It will be shown that the data obtained form the developed method are well comparable with those obtained from FE approach, specially when the difference between shear strength parameters of layers is low which is a practical case for sedimentary soil profiles and also for artificially compacted soils. A computer program has been developed to investigate the influence of various parameters on bearing capacity factors.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.