ABSTRACT
Lower bound calculations based on the finite element method are used to determine the bearing capacity of circular and strip foundation on cohesionless soil with varying surcharges and with relative densities in the range 0.30–0.90. Bearing capacities are found without the conservative premise of superposition of the contributions due to selfweight and surcharge. The soil is presupposed perfectly plastic following a failure criterion dependent on the relative density and stress level and the authors see this as an improvement compared to the assumption of a constant friction angle as currently used in Eurocode 7. The results are reported as equations suitable for practical design, giving the bearing capacity as a function of the relative density of the soil, the surcharge ratio and the dimensions of the footing. The bearing capacity of rectangular footings can be determined by interpolation. The results are in good and better accordance with test results than the Eurocode values.
