Upper bound shakedown analysis of foundations on cohesive-frictional soil based on a nonlinear programming method

In this paper, using the upper bound shakedown theorem by means of the displacement finite element method and nonlinear programming, a numerical method is proposed to obtain the shakedown limit of strip footing under repeated loading. Shakedown analysis is a powerful method that provides the possibility to determine the shakedown limit of a structure. The shakedown limit of a structure under repeated loading is a load limit below which the structure is in the safe zone and its behaviour is elastic. For cohesive-frictional soil, the Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion is considered without any linearization. The role of the unit weight of the soil in the shakedown limit of a footing under repeated load is studied. Also, the effect of repeated load on the reduction of the bearing capacity of footing is investigated in several examples.

Automated summary

This paper proposes a numerical method using the upper bound shakedown theorem to obtain the shakedown limit of strip footing under repeated loading. The role of unit weight of soil in the shakedown limit and the effect of repeated load on the reduction of bearing capacity of footing are investigated in several examples.