Simple Equations for Estimating Bearing Capacity of Shallow Foundations on Liquefiable Soil

Assessment of bearing capacity of shallow foundations is an important task in engineering practice especially when the foundation is located at the top of a liquefiable soil. In this paper, simple analytical equations have been proposed for calculation of the bearing capacity of shallow foundations on liquefiable soil. The equations have been developed for two cases, separated based on the depth of liquefaction and width of foundation, each of which acting with different mechanisms. In addition, analytical predictions are evaluated against field observations from 1964 Niigata, 1990 Luzon and 1999 Adapazari earthquakes. The method is also tested against numerical simulations, and easy to use design charts and simple equations have been derived for use in engineering practice. It is shown that the proposed approach is capable of estimating bearing capacity of shallow foundation on liquefiable soil. The obtained results reveal that decreasing the depth of liquefiable layer as well as increasing foundation width leads to higher bearing capacity of foundations on liquefiable soil