Bearing capacity of E-shaped footing on layered sand

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to estimate the ultimate bearing capacity of the E-shaped footing resting on two layered sand using finite element method. The solution was implemented using ABACUS software. Design/methodology/approach: The numerical study of the ultimate bearing capacity of the E-shaped footing resting on layered sand and subjected to vertical load was carried out using finite element analysis. The layered sand was having an upper layer of loose sand of thickness H and lower layer was considered as dense sand of infinite depth. The various parameters varied were the friction angle of the upper (30° to 34°) and lower (42° to 46°) layer of sand as well as the thickness (0.5B, 2B and 4B) of the upper sand layer. Findings: The results reveal that the dimensionless ultimate bearing capacity was found to decrease with the increased in the H/B ratio for all combinations of parameters. The dimensionless ultimate bearing capacity was maximum for the upper loose sand friction angle of 34° and lower dense sand friction angle of 46°. The results further reveal that the dimensionless bearing capacity of the E-shaped footing was higher in comparison to the dimensionless bearing capacity of the square footing on layered sand (loose over dense). The improvement in the ultimate bearing capacity for the E-shaped footing was observed in the range of 109.35% to 152.24%, 0.44% to 7.63% and 0.63% to 18.97% corresponding to H/B ratio of 0.5, 2 and 4 respectively. The lowest percentage improvement in the dimensionless bearing capacity for the E-shaped footing on layered sand was 0.44 % at a H/B = 2 whereas the highest improvement was 152.24 % at a H/B = 0.5. Change of footing shape from square to E-shaped, the failure mechanism changes from general shear to local shear failure. Research limitations/implications: The results presented in this paper were based on the numerical study conducted on E-shaped footing made out of a square footing of size 1.5 m x 1.5 m. However, further validation of the results presented in this paper, is recommended using experimental study conducted on similar size E-shaped footing. Practical implications: The proposed numerical study can be useful for the architects designing similar types of super structures requiring similar shaped footings. Originality/value: No numerical study on E-shaped footing resting on layered sand (loose over dense) were conducted so far. Hence, an attempt was made in this article to estimate the bearing capacity of these footings.