A 3D Discrete Element Analysis of Failure Mechanism of Shallow Foundations in Rocks

Abstract

In this research work, a 3D numerical modeling technique is proposed based on the 3D particle flow code in order to investigate the failure mechanism of rock foundations. Two series of footings with different geometries and areas are considered in this work. The failure mechanism obtained is similar to that of the Terzaghi’s but there is a negligible difference in between. Lastly, one equation is presented to calculate the bearing capacity based on the results achieved from the numerical model and the Mohr-Coulomb theory. The sensitivity analyses are performed on the friction angle, cohesion, and footing width. The results obtained are compared with the corresponding results given by the equations given by Terzaghi and Meyerhof. This comparison demonstrates a good agreement between them. In the friction angle sensitive analysis, the amounts of the bearing capacity diagram are very close to Meyerhof’s, which overlap with each other.