Behavior of Circular Footings on Cohesive Soils Confined With a Shear Resistance Wall

Abstract

In geotechnical applications, soil with a low shear strength exhibits a low bearing capacity and excessive settlement. In this paper, to mitigate the effects of such problems, a confining cylindrical wall is utilized to prevent the development of shear stresses in the soil. The behavior of circular footings confining with a cylindrical wall was investigated through a series of experiments carried out in a laboratory on smallscale models of foundations. The bearing capacity and settlement of foundations were studied in relation to the impact that wall depth and thickness had on these characteristics. According to the results, an increase in wall depth and thickness leads to an increase in the carrying capacity of shallow foundations and a reduction in a settlement. In addition, a theoretical model for determining the ultimate bearing capacity of such foundations is presented. The results of the physical modeling were presented as normalized curves in order to validate the developed theoretical model. Comparing the theoretical results to those of the current experimental investigation shows a good agreement.