Johnson, K., Christensen, M., Sivakugan, S., and Karunasena, W. (2003) Simulating the response of shallow foundations using finite element modelling. In: Proceedings of the MODSIM 2003 International Congress on Modelling and Simulation. pp. 2060-2065. From: MODSIM 2003 International Congress on Modelling and Simulation, 14-17 July 2003, Townsville, QLD, Australia.

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Abstract

In 1994, the Federal Highway Administration held a symposium to recognise the various techniques for predicting settlements of shallow foundations. Thirty one predictions were received for five spread footings, sixteen of these estimates were made by academics and consultants gave the remaining fifteen. Each of the participants were allowed access to a vast amount of site test data and were required to give predictions for the loads which would result in the footing settling 25 mm and 150 mm. It was noted that most participants preferred to use traditional semi-empirical methods to predict the load for 25 mm settlement. However the load corresponding to 150 mm proved to be difficult, as traditional methods do not compensate for the highly plastic strain region of the load-displacement behaviour. Eight of the participants chose to use finite element modelling to simulate the constitutive behaviour of the soil profile. All eight models devised by the estimators consisted of eight noded axisymmetric elements. Even though all meshes were constructed in a similar fashion all participants gave varying results ranging from 0.97 to 12.63 times the true load measured in the field. One of the main reasons behind the varying results was due to the input parameters placed into the models. This paper addresses the effect on the simulations accuracy due to the constitutive behaviour chosen of the soil, and whether the simplification of the model from 3D space into 2D was reasonable. Conclusions from the research showed that the model was highly dependent on the correlations used to determine soil properties, the simulations geometry and the constitutive models that define elastic-plastic behaviour.

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