Applications of numerical and analytical method in predicting bearing capacity of shallow foundation

Abstract

In civil field, Traditional design methods employed many theoretical formulations or analytical equations which was derived from a simple problem with simplified boundary conditions. It is undoubted that these analytical equations are still useful however, they can hardly provide a total solution or a global solution when the problem becomes more and more sophisticate. Numerical modeling based on finite element methods are boarded the limited of analytical methods and significantly aimed design stage with similar to reality conditions. However, these numerical modeling also have several drawbacks especially for the one that depend solely on these approach without any engineering knowledge. This paper deals with the traditional design bearing capacity of shallow foundations by analytical solutions, numerical solutions with 2D plane strain and 3D problems in order to highlight the differences between these techniques and help designers better calibrate their soil parameters for fundamental design steps.