Large deformation assessment of the bearing capacity factor for rigid footing: effect of soil heterogeneity

In this paper, the influence of soil spatial variability on the large deformation bearing capacity of rigid footing is presented. The random generalized interpolation material point (RGIMP) method, in which the large deformation GIMP method is combined with random field theory in a Monte Carlo simulation framework, was developed. The continuous penetration of a rigid footing in a spatially variable Tresca soil is modeled using the RGIMP approach. The results show that the average value of the bearing capacity factor of the spatially variable soil is often smaller than that of the homogeneous soil because the failure of the soil always occurs along the weak path. The average value of the bearing capacity factor decreases with increasing coefficient of variation (COV) and increases with increasing horizontal scale of fluctuation (SOF). Compared with the value of the horizontal SOF, the COV has a greater influence on the bearing capacity factor. The findings of this study are helpful for obtaining a better understanding of the bearing capacity of heterogeneous foundations.