Numerical study of ultimate bearing capacity of rectangular footing on layered sand

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the ultimate bearing capacity of the rectangular footing resting over layered sand using finite element method. Design/methodology/approach: Finite element analysis was used to investigate the dimensionless ultimate bearing capacity of the rectangular footing resting on a limited thickness of upper dense sand layer overlying limitless thickness of lower loose sand layer. The friction angle of the upper dense sand layer was varied from 41° to 46° whereas for the lower loose sand layer it was varied from 31° to 36°. Findings: The results reveal that the dimensionless ultimate bearing capacity was found to increase up to an H/W ratio of about 1.75 beyond which the increase was marginal. The results further reveal that the dimensionless ultimate bearing capacity was the maximum for the upper dense and lower loose sand friction angles of 46° and 36°, while it was the lowest for the upper dense and lower loose sands corresponding to the friction angle of 41° and 31°. For H/W = 0.5 and 2, the dimensionless bearing capacity decreases with the increase in the L/W ratio from 0.5 to 6 beyond which the dimensionless ultimate bearing capacity remains constant for all combinations of parameters. The results were presented in nondimensional manner and compared with the previous studies available in literature. Research limitations/implications: The analysis is performed using a ABAQUS 2017 software. The limitation of this study is that only finite element analysis is performed without conducting any experiments in the laboratory. Further the study is conducted only for the vertical loading. Practical implications: This proposed numerical study can be used to predict the ultimate bearing capacity of the rectangular footing resting on layered sand. Originality/value: The present study gives idea about the ultimate bearing capacity of rectangular footing when placed on layered sand (dense sand over loose sand) as well as the effect of thickness of top dense sand layer on the ultimate bearing capacity. The findings could be used to calculate the ultimate bearing capacity of the rectangular footing on layered sand.