Bearing Capacity of Strip Footing above Void

Abstract

The bearing capacity behavior of strip footing located above a continuous void in silty clay soil was investigated experimentally and analytically. The experiment was performed in a test tank which contained a compacted silty clay. The analysis was made by using the finite element method in which the test soil was treated as an elastic perfectly plastic material. Results of the study indicate that the bearing capacity of footing above a void can be analyzed successfully by using the finite element method of analysis. For each footing, there exists a critical depth below which the presence of the void has negligible influence on the footing performance. When the void is located above the critical depth, the bearing capacity of the footing varies with various factors, such as the size and location of the void and the depth of foundation. Graphs relating the bearing capacity with the influencing factors investigated are developed. These graphs provide a data base useful for design of continuous footing centered with an underground void.