Comparative Study of Analytical and Numerical Modelling of Bearing Pressure of Shallow Foundation

Abstract

Settlement is the predominant criterion that governs the design of footing on frictional and cohesive frictional soil. Hence bearing pressure plays a key role in design of footing. To evaluate the bearing pressure, Teng, Meyerhof and other researchers proposed empirical formula and charts in terms of N values obtained from Standard Penetration Test (SPT). In the present study, soil investigation data obtained from four sites have been used to estimate the bearing pressure through empirical formula and finite element analysis. Finite element model is validated through the case studies available in the literature. Bearing pressure values for strip footing of width varying from 1.5 to 5.5 m were estimated. Further, an attempt has been made to check the reliability of empirical formula by comparing it with values obtained through numerical analysis. It is observed that if the SPT-N values are directly taken from the field tests, the results from Meyerhof expression were found to be in good agreement with the numerical model. Whereas, if only shear strength parameters are obtained from site, SPT-N value calculated indirectly using friction angle excludes the effect of cohesion. Hence, Meyerhof expression resulted in comparatively lower bearing pressure values. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2025.