Ultimate bearing capacity of a strip footing placed on sand with a rigid basement

The bearing capacity factor (Nγ), correction factor (Kγ), and failure mechanism of a strip footing with a rigid basement were investigated using UBFEM-RTME. The footing–sand interface and the sand-basement interface were assumed perfectly rough. The results are presented in terms of the variations of Nγ and Kγ with the friction angle, ϕ, and dimensionless thickness, h/b, of the sand. When h/b is smaller than dimensionless critical depth Hcr/b, Nγ and Kγ increase with decreasing h/b or increasing ϕ and the mesh-like failure mechanism is found to confine within a small domain.