Bearing Capacity of Nonhomogeneous Cohesive Soils Under Embankments

Abstract

Calculations of the bearing capacity of cohesive soil under embankments are presented for cases of strength increase with depth and a strong crust at the surface. The analysis makes it possible to account for the arbitrary horizontal component of the load generated by the horizontal thrust in the embankment. The proposed analysis allows the effective calculation of critical heights of embankments. A proposal including embankment reinforcement is also presented. Calculations confirm that the largest increase in the critical height of an embankment due to reinforcement is achieved when the strength of the foundation soil increases with depth. A strong crust at the surface of the foundation soil significantly reduces the benefit of reinforcement, and, for embankments with low height‐to‐width ratio, the reinforcement may not lead to an increase in the critical height (or increase in the safety factor for a given height) at all.