Nonisothermal Failure Envelopes of Strip Shallow Foundations Resting on Partially Saturated Clay Subjected to Combined Inclined and Eccentric Loadings

Abstract

Shallow foundations are commonly resting on partially saturated soil and are very likely to be exposed to severe variations of temperature. The degree of saturation and matric suction will be changed at the elevated temperatures, thus resulting in different hydromechanical behavior and a considerable variation in the imposed suction stress. In this study, the effect of temperature increase on the ultimate bearing capacity of strip shallow foundations resting on partially saturated clay layer subjected to vertical (V)–horizontal (H)–moment (M) combined loading is examined through a set of finite-element limit analyses (FELA) adopting lower bound theorems and second-order cone programming (SOCP). The unified effective stress for partially saturated soils is first incorporated into the soil yield function, considering the significant effect of temperature variations on suction stress by means of the well-established previously developed nonisothermal soil–water retention curve (SWRC) model. The equilibrium equations corresponding to the combined loading are also incorporated into the FELA formulations to account for the effects of inclined and eccentric loadings. Accordingly, the failure loci of obliquely and eccentrically loaded shallow foundations are presented for a wide range of temperatures. It is shown that with an increase of the temperature in the underlying unsaturated clay, the suction stress within the soil medium significantly rises, and thus, the failure wedges as well as the failure loci for both eccentric and inclined loadings substantially expand at elevated temperatures, revealing the considerably greater bearing capacity of the strip footing. The contact pressure beneath the foundation in all loading scenarios increases with an increase in the temperature of the underlying clay. This trend is much less pronounced at higher angles of load inclination, while it is barely affected by the load eccentricity. In addition, with an increase in the induced temperature and consequently the suction stress within the partially saturated clay beneath the foundation, the failure wedge expands, thereby resulting in an overall increase in the bearing capacity of the shallow foundation against vertical–horizontal–moment combined loading.