Experimental Study of the Effect of Foundation Shape on the Deformation of Soils

Abstract

Vertical deformations of soil under three prototypes of shallow foundations with different vertical cross-sectional shapes were studied on three different modeled subsoil conditions. Prototypes of shallow foundations with rectangular, wedge and T-shape vertical cross-sections were studied. The study generally showed that bulk of the vertical deformation of subsoil bases at the instance of shallow foundations with rectangular shape vertical cross-sections is mostly associated with the soil beneath the foundation, while at the instances of those with wedge and T-shape vertical cross-sections, deformation of soil occurs both under the foundations’ bases and along their vertical stems. This indicates that using foundations with wedge and T-shape vertical cross-section can help in mobilizing substantial mass of soil above the foundation base, to function not only as surcharge to the soil below the foundation base, but also in resisting loads, and therefore assisting in the distribution of structural load to less dipper soil strata, especially when stronger soil layers is underlain by weaker ones.