Performance of Strip Footing on Stratified Soil Deposit with Void

Abstract

The performance of strip footings on a homogeneous soil and a stratified deposit containing two soil layers both with and without a continous void is investigated. Various factors affecting footing performance are analyzed. The study is made by means of the finite‐element method. Results of the study indicate that for a soil layer of finite thickness underlain by bedrock, the effect of bedrock on footing performance becomes negligible when the soil‐layer thickness approaches approximately six times footing width. For a two‐layer soil system, top‐layer thickness and strength ratio between the two layers affect footing performance. With the presence of a void under the footing, the degree of void effect on footing performance depends on void location, depth to bedrock, and layer characteristics such as layer thickness and strength ratio.