Abstract:

Abstract: The design of shallow foundations on swelling
soils needs a thorough study to evaluate the effect of
swelling potential soil on the final foundation heave. For
this reason, a simple analytical approach based on the soil
stress state under the foundation can be used to calculate
the foundation heave. This paper reports a set of analytical
and numerical analysis using the finite-difference code
(FLAC 3D), performed on an isolated shallow foundation
founded on a swelling soil mass at N’Gaous city in Batna
Province, Algeria, subjected to distributed vertical loads.
Further, the influence of some parameters on total heave
was analyzed, such as the embedded foundation and
soil stiffness. The analysis results from the proposed
3D modelling was compared and discussed with
analytical results. The numerical results obtained show
a good agreement with the analytical solutions based on
oedometer tests proposed in the literature, and deliver
a satisfactory prediction of the heave of the shallow
foundations.