Numerical investigation on the bearing capacity of two interfering strip footings resting on a rock mass

The rock mass was assumed to behave as a perfect plastic material and obeys an associated flow rule. The effects of Hoek-Brown parameters including geological strength index (GSI), material constant for intact rock (mi), and uniaxial compressive strength of intact rock (σci), on the bearing capacity of multiple footings were studied. For different clear spacing between the footings (S), the ratio of the failure load for an interfering new footing to that of a single isolated footing were determined. The results were compared with those available in the literature.