P. Ghosh and A. Pal: Undrained bearing capacity of a skirted strip foundation using upper-bound limit analysis UNDRAINED BEARING CAPACITY OF A SKIRTED STRIP FOUNDATION USING UPPER-BOUND LIMIT ANALYSIS NOSILNOST PASOVNIH TEMELJEV S KRILI V NEDRENIRANIH POGOJIH S POMOČJO ANALIZE ZGORNJE MEJNE VREDNOSTI Priyanka Ghosh (corresponding author) Alok Pal Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, Department of Civil Engineering Department of Civil Engineering Kanpur - 208 016, India Kanpur - 208 016, India E-mail: priyog@iitk.ac.in E-mail: alok.besu2188@gmail.com https://doi.org/10.18690/actageotechslov.16.2.2-11.2019 DOI Keywords footings, limit analysis, plane strain, plasticity, skirted foundation Abstract Skirted foundations are assumed to be a wise selection in offshore geotechnical engineering. In this paper the bearing-capacity factors for a vertically loaded skirted strip foundation resting on uniform c-Q soil were obtained using an upper-bound limit analysis. The analysis is performed by choosing a kinematically admissible failure mechanism comprising multiple triangular rigid blocks. The effect of the embedment depth of the skirts on the bearing capacity is studied based on the dimensionless embedment ratio Df/Bf. A detailed parametric study is carried out by varying the Df/Bf ratio and Q for both the smooth and rough surface of the skirts. The results obtained from the present theoretical analysis are compared with the available theoretical and experimental data reported in the literature. Ključne besede temelji, mejna analiza, ravninsko deformacijski stanje, plastičnost, temelj s krili Izvleček Vgeotehničnem inženirstvu na morju so temelji s krili praviloma primeren izbor temeljenja. V tem prispevku smo s pomočjo analize zgornje mejne vrednosti določili faktorje nosilnosti za vertikalno obremenjen pasovni temelj na enakomerni c-$ zemljini. Analiza je izvedena z izbiro kinematično dopustnega porušnega mehanizma, ki je sestavljen iz več trikotnih togih blokov. Vpliv globine vpetja kril na nosilnost je preučevana na podlagi brez-dimenzijskega razmerja vpetosti, Df/Bf. Izvedena je bila podrobna parametrična študija s spreminjanjem razmerja Df/Bf in $ za gladko in grobo površino kril. Rezultati, dobljeni na osnovi predlagane teoretične analize, so bili primerjani z razpoložljivimi teoretičnimi in eksperimentalnimi podatki, ki so navedeni v literaturi. List of symbols: Df Df/ Bf Ncsk width of the skirted strip foundation embedment depth of the skirts non-dimensional embedment ratio bearing-capacity factor for an isolated skirted strip foundation with respect to the cohesion of the soil Ny Nysk Pusk V, bearing-capacity factor for surface strip foundation with respect to the unit weight of the soil bearing-capacity factor for an isolated skirted strip foundation with respect to the unit weight of the soil ultimate failure load of the skirted foundation absolute velocity of the ith triangular rigid block in the radial shear zone of the skirted foundation B 10. Acta Geotechnica Slovenica, 2019/2 P. Ghosh and A. Pal: Undrained bearing capacity of a skirted strip foundation using upper-bound limit analysis Vj,i+i velocity of the block i+1 relative to the block i in the radial shear zone of the skirted foundation li, di length of two arms of the ith triangular rigid block in the radial shear zone of the skirted foundation n number of triangular rigid blocks in the radial shear zone of the skirted foundation qusk ultimate bearing capacity of the skirted foundation a¡, internal angles of the ith triangular rigid block in the radial shear zone of the skirted foundation aa adhesion factor for the soil 0 angle of internal friction of the soil 1 INTRODUCTION To improve the bearing-capacity and reduce settlement, skirted foundations are reported as a popular choice in geotechnical engineering. The skirts provide confinement in which the soil is stringently enclosed and perform as a single unit with the overlain foundation to transmit the superstructure load to the soil essentially at the level of the skirt tip. Skirted foundations are generally installed to increase the effective depth of the offshore foundation where scouring seems, by all accounts, to be a noteworthy concern [1-4]. Besides that, for several coastal and near-shore structures resting on granular soils with high water tables as well as for the enhancement of the bearing capacity under normal situations, skirted foundations can be an economical option. The major application of skirted foundations is affiliated with jack-up unit structures, oil and petrol gas plants, tension leg platforms, wind-turbine foundations, bridge foundations, etc. Several studies [2-21] are available to determine the bearing capacity of the skirted foundation assuming a rigid soil plug within the skirts. Having considered an equivalent embedded rigid foundation, Yun and Bransby [21] determined the bearing capacity of the skirted foundation embedded in uniform soil. The soil plug is generally presumed to act as a rigid body with uniform shear strength along the depth [14]. Keawsawasvong and Ukritchon [2] and Ukritchon and Keawsawasvong [3] determined the undrained pullout capacity of suction caissons using both upper- and lower-bound limit analyses. A number of investigations [22-28] reported in the literature address the bearing-capacity aspect of the foundation under different field conditions using various solution techniques, such as upper- and lower-bound limit analyses, and finite-element analysis. However, the few studies [13, 21] available in the literature are restricted to the experimental investigation of the skirted foundation considering the plane-strain condition and a perfectly rough foundation- soil interface. Finite-element analyses were performed by Mana et al. [14] to determine the bearing capacity of a circular skirted foundation as a function of the skirt depth, the foundation-soil interface roughness and the heterogeneity in soil strength. However, except for a few studies on suction caissons [2-4], no work is available in the literature to understand the failure of the skirted foundation through a kinematically admissible collapse mechanism along with a properly defined velocity field under the framework of a limit analysis. Therefore, there is an obvious need to develop a proper failure mechanism for exploring the bearing capacity of a skirted foundation theoretically. This study aims to determine the bearing capacity of a skirted strip foundation resting on a homogeneous soil deposit using upper-bound limit analysis [2-3, 22]. The upper-bound theorem, which assumes a perfectly plastic soil model with an associated flow rule, states that the rate of internal energy dissipation by any kinematically admissible velocity field can be equated with the rate of work done by external forces to enable a strict upper bound on the true limit load [29]. In association with the collapse mechanism similar to Pal et al. [17], a multiblock failure mechanism along with upper-bound limit analysis has been adopted to determine the bearing-capacity factors. The bearing-capacity factors with respect to the cohesion (Ncsk) and unit weight (Nysk) of the soil are obtained using a kinematically admissible velocity field. Both smooth and rough skirts are considered in the analysis. The effect of the skirt depth on the bearing capacity is studied based on the dimensionless embedment ratio. The results obtained from the analysis are suitably compared with the available data reported in the literature. 2 PROBLEM DEFINITION A single, isolated, skirted strip foundation with width Bf and depth of skirts Df rests on a uniform c-0 soil deposit. The objective is to determine the bearing-capacity factors Ncsk and Nysk considering an upper-bound limit analysis along with a multi-block failure mechanism. The collapse mechanism, as shown in Fig. 1, is supposed to determine the bearing-capacity factors for the skirted foundation. It is assumed: 1) foundation, skirt and connection between the foundation and the skirt behave as a rigid structure; 2) the analysis does not consider the effect of the installation of the skirted foundation on the surrounding soil; 3) the behavior of the soil is considered to be pressure independent, i.e., the undrained condition. 10. Acta Geotechnica Slovenica, 2019/2 P. Ghosh and A. Pal: Undrained bearing capacity of a skirted strip foundation using upper-bound limit analysis (a) (b) Figure 1. (a) Geometry of rigid blocks and velocity vectors, (b) velocity hodograph for failure mechanism. 3 FAILURE MECHANISM The collapse mechanism, as shown in Fig. 1a, is a kine-matically admissible, symmetrical, multi-block failure mechanism with three kinematic variables (a? fr and d) to define the collapse mechanism. For the sake of clarity, only the right portion of the center line of the foundation is shown in Fig. 1a, where AB and BC are the half width of the foundation and the right skirt, respectively. The wedge ABCD1 is assumed to move vertically as a rigid body with the same downward velocity V0 as that of the footing. The downward movement of the footing and the wedge ABCD: is accommodated by a lateral movement of the adjacent two radial shear zones on both the left and right sides. The radial shear zones on the right side CD1D2...Di...DnDq},C are discretized into n number of triangular rigid blocks along with the last quadrilateral rigid block BCDq^E. The wedge ABCD: includes a part of the soil plug formed between two skirts (left and right) and the triangular wedge shaped below the skirts, which makes an angle d with the horizontal. Each triangular rigid block within the radial shear zone can be defined by the internal angles ai and fr, and by two arms li and d, whereas the last quadrilat- 10. Acta Geotechnica Slovenica, 2019/2 P. Ghosh and A. Pal: Undrained bearing capacity of a skirted strip foundation using upper-bound limit analysis eral rigid block, BCD^E can be defined by the angles (n/2 + aqb) and faqb, and the arm length lqb, where lqb = CDqb. The velocity hodograph for the failure mechanism and other associated geometric parameters are shown in Fig. 1b. At collapse, it is assumed that the footing and the underlying rigid block ABCD1 move as a single rigid unit in the vertical direction with a velocity V0. The number (n) of triangular rigid blocks is kept equal to 30 based on the convergence study. V1,V2,... V,... Vn are the absolute velocities of all the triangular rigid blocks within the radial shear zone, whereas V01 is the velocity of the block CD1D2 relative to the block ABCD1; Vi,i+1 is the velocity of the block i+1 relative to the block i and so on. The interfaces of all the triangular blocks are treated as the velocity-discontinuity lines. The soil mass is assumed to obey the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion and an associated flow rule. Hence, the direction of the velocity vectors V1,V2,.V,...Vn makes an angle $ with the corresponding rupture lines. The relative velocities V01,V12,...Vi-U...Vn-1,n are also inclined at an angle $ with the velocity discontinuity lines CD1,CD2.CDi. CDn , respectively. The quadrilateral block moves with an absolute velocity Vqb, , which makes an angle $ with DqbE and an angle i(j = + Pqb - 0 - 4> - ZJLi «¡) with the skirt BC, as shown in Fig. 1b. It is worth noting that in the presence of soil cohesion, an adhesion factor (aa) is assumed to determine the internal energy dissipation along the skirt surface, which ensures no separation between the skirt and the soil. All the velocities can be computed in terms of V0 following the velocity hodo-graph, as shown in Fig. 1b. 4 ANALYSIS Various parameters along with the velocity vectors associated with the radial shear zone around the edge of the foundation can be obtained following the collapse mechanism as well as the velocity hodograph. The magnitude of Pusk can be obtained by equating the total external work done to the total internal dissipation of energy, which in turn determines the ultimate bearing capacity of the skirted foundation, qusk = Pusk/Bf. The work done by various external forces and the internal dissipation of energy along the lines of discontinuity can be obtained by following the equations provided in Appendix I and II, respectively. Among the various possible solutions obtained with different input parameters, the least upper-bound value of Pusk reveals the target solution. Hence, the objective function (the bearing capacity) is optimized with respect to different variables (geometrical parameters of the failure mechanism) to obtain the minimum value of the bearing capacity and can be expressed as qusk = = cNcsk + 0.5 yBfNySk (1) Bf The bearing-capacity factors for the smooth skirts can be expressed as NySk = "(A +h+h+h+ /s) (2a) Ncsk = (fe+h+fz+f<> + Ao)(2b) where the functions f1 - f10 are defined in Appendix I and II. However, for a detailed formulation of these functions, Chen [29] can be referred to. Similarly, the bearing-capacity factors for the rough skirts can be expressed as Nrsk = ~(fi +f2+f3+A+ /5) (3a) NCSk = (fe+f7+fe+f9+ /10 + /11) (3b) where the function f11 is defined in Appendix II. From Eqs. (2) and (3) it can be observed that Nysk is same for the foundation with smooth as well as rough skirts, whereas Ncsk varies with the roughness of the skirts. The method of superposition is employed to determine the bearing-capacity factor for the skirted foundation i.e., the c = 0, y # 0 condition is considered to determine Nysk; whereas Ncsk is obtained by considering the c # 0, y = 0 condition and hence, in the process, a true upper-bound solution might not be guaranteed. The minimum value of the bearing capacity, qusk is obtained after performing a nonlinear constrained optimization of Eq. (1) with the help of the 'fmincon' solver in MATLAB. The constraints considered in the optimization process are a) 8 + Zpij1 |3i+1, which ensures a kinematically admissible failure mechanism. c) di + (3; < u, which ensures that all the rigid blocks within the radial shear zone are triangular. d) 10°< 0 < 85°, 1°< a < 85°, 10°< fa < 170°, which are the upper and lower limits of the parameters 9, ai and fa. e) V, > 0 and Vi-1 < V, which ensure that all the velocity vectors are positive and the collapse mechanism is kinematically admissible. 10. Acta Geotechnica Slovenica, 2019/2 P. Ghosh and A. Pal: Undrained bearing capacity of a skirted strip foundation using upper-bound limit analysis 5 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 5.1 Smooth and rough skirts The variation of Ncsk with Df/Bf for both smooth and rough skirts is shown in Fig. 2 for different values of aa and 0. For smooth skirts, there is no energy dissipation along the skirts; whereas in the case of rough skirts the magnitude of Ncsk depends on the adhesion factor aa, which is varied from 1/3 to 1.0. From Fig. 2 it is clear that the magnitude of Ncsk increases with an increase in the Df/Bf ratio for a particular value of 0. It can also be observed that the value of Ncsk increases as the roughness of the skirts i.e., the adhesion factor (aa), increases. However, for a lower embedment ratio (Df/Bf) the roughness of the skirts has little influence on Ncsk. Hence, it is evident from Fig. 2 that the effectiveness of the skirted foundation increases with an increase in the embedment depth of the skirt. <|) = 20° 25 n "20 - 15 0.0 0.5 1.0 D/Bf (a) <|> = 30° 1.5 50 n 45 - 40 - 35 - 30 - 25 0.0 1.5 0.5 1.0 D/Bf (b) Figure 2. (a) Variation of Ncsk with Df/Bf with different aa for (a) 0 = 20°, (b) 0 = 30°. The variation of Nysk with Df/Bf for different values of 0 is shown in Fig. 3. The magnitude of Nysk is found to increase significantly with the Df/Bf ratio due to an increase in the confinement provided by the skirts. The roughness of the skirts does not affect the bearing-capacity factor Nysk as the internal energy dissipation is considered to be zero (c = 0) in the determination of Nysk. The rate of increase of Nysk is seen to be more predominant in the case of a higher angle of internal friction, which can be attributed to the larger failure domain developed in the surrounding soil. 100 n -aa= 1.0 -aa = 2/3 -aa = 1/2 -a" = 1/3 -Smooth skirts -30° -20° -aa= 1.0 -aa = 2/3 -a" = 1/2 -a" = 1/3 -Smooth skirts Figure 3. Variation of Nysk with Df/Bf for different values of 0. 5.2 Critical failure surface The critical failure surface obtained from the optimization of the collapse mechanism is shown in Fig. 4 for 0 = 30° and different Df/Bf ratios. It is clear that the size of the critical failure zone considerably increases with an increase in the Df/Bf ratio, which in turn causes an increase in the bearing capacity of the skirted foundation. Similarly, the critical failure surface for different values of aa and 0 is presented in Figs. 5 and 6, respectively. It is clear from Figs. 5 and 6 that the failure zone expands with an increase in aa and 0, resulting in an enhancement of the bearing capacity with an increasing roughness of the skirts and the angle of internal friction of the surrounding soil. 6 COMPARISON_ In Table 1 the present values of Ncsk obtained for smooth skirts with 0 = 0° are compared with those reported by Mana et al. [15], who obtained Ncsk for the foundation with smooth skirts employing finite-element limit 10. Acta Geotechnica Slovenica, 2019/2 P. Ghosh and A. Pal: Undrained bearing capacity of a skirted strip foundation using upper-bound limit analysis (a) (b) Figure 4. Critical collapse surface for < = 30° and aa = 1.0 with (a) Df/Bf = 0.6, (b) Df/Bf = 1.4. Figure 5. Critical collapse surface for < = 30°and Df/Bf = 1.4 with different aa. Figure 6. Critical collapse surface for aa = 1.0 and Df/Bf = 1.4 with different <. analysis. The present results are found to be the lowest, but compare reasonably well with those proposed by Mana et al. [15]. In Table 2, the values of Ncsk obtained from the present analysis for rough skirts with < = 0° are compared with those provided by Yun and Bransby [21] and Mana et al. [14]. The latter determined the bearing-capacity of a skirted strip foundation resting on uniform clay soil (< = 0°) using the finite-element method. The present analysis predicts a lower value of Ncsk as compared with the existing values reported in the literature and hence it can be considered as a better solution for the skirted foundation. In Table 3, the ratio of Nysk/Ny obtained from the present analysis for different magnitudes of the Df/Bf ratio is compared with the numerical as well as the experimental results reported by Eid [11]. Eid [11] proposed the Nysk/Ny ratio in cohesionless soil through experimental 10. Acta Geotechnica Slovenica, 2019/2 P. Ghosh and A. Pal: Undrained bearing capacity of a skirted strip foundation using upper-bound limit analysis Table 1. Comparison of Ncsk for smooth skirts with fy = 0° D/Bf Present analysis Mana et al. [15] 0.1 5.33 5.48 0.2 5.50 5.74 0.3 5.63 5.92 0.4 5.77 6.10 0.5 5.90 6.22 Table 2. Comparison of Ncsk for rough skirts with fy = 0°. Df/Bf Present analysis Yun and Bransby [21] Mana et al. [14] 0.00 5.14 5.20 5.22 0.20 5.65 6.00 6.10 0.30 5.86 6.35 6.50 0.50 6.23 7.00 7.25 0.75 6.62 7.70 8.00 1.00 6.95 8.50 8.80 1.20 7.19 9.00 - Table3. Comparison of Nysk/Ny ratio for different Df/Bf. Nysk/Ny fy(°) Df/Bf , . Eid [11] Numerical Experimental 0.5 1.87 1.5 - 1.0 2.80 1.8 - 1.5 3.81 2.6 - 2.0 4.88 3.2 - 0.5 1.74 - 2.10 1.0 2.52 - 3.10 1.5 3.36 - 4.05 2.0 4.25 - 5.50 0.5 1.70 1.4 1.85 1.0 2.41 2.1 2.60 1.5 3.18 2.6 3.50 2.0 4.00 3.2 4.70 0.5 1.53 1.6 1.50 1.0 2.10 2.2 2.20 1.5 2.66 2.7 2.95 2.0 3.27 3.3 4.00 as well as numerical analyses. Three different values of relative density (44%, 57% and 71%) were considered in the experimental study of Eid [11], which correspond to three different magnitudes of fy , such as 38.5°, 40° and 45° [30]. It is worth noting that the corresponding value of 0 is selected as the mean value within the range of 0 as proposed by Eid et al. [30]. For lower values of 0, the present values of the Nysk/Ny ratio are seen to be a little higher than those determined from the numerical study of Eid [11], whereas the experimental results of Eid [11] for all values of 0 are the highest. 7 CONCLUSIONS_ The bearing-capacity factors for a skirted strip foundation are determined using an upper-bound limit analysis for various soil-friction angles and the embedment ratio of the skirts. The magnitude of Ncsk is found to increase with an increase in the roughness of the skirts. However, for a lower value of the Df/Bf ratio, the roughness of the skirts has little influence on the Ncsk values. It was clear that the magnitude of Ncsk increases with an increase in the Df/Bf ratio for a particular value of 0. The magnitude of Nysk was found to increase significantly with theDf/Bf ratio due to an increase in the confinement provided by the skirts. The roughness of the skirts does not affect Nysk as the internal energy dissipation is considered to be zero (c = 0) during the calculation of Nysk. APPENDIX I: EXTERNAL WORK DONE a) The external work done by the self-weight of the quadrilateral block ABCD1 below the footing (Fig. 1a) can be expressed as, yBf where, f _ tan 6 _ h — ~; r i AWABCD^-^-tfiCo^MilVo (?) (4) b) The external work done by the self-weight of the 2n triangular rigid blocks on either side of the footing can be expressed as, 2n = ^L [f2(ai( ßj, 0)]VO (5) where, h = j=i cos (8 — 0) 2 cos2 0 sin(ß1 — 20) i I sinaisinßi SUlfai + ßi) sin2 ßj sin(aj + ßj — 20) r ^ \ j—r sin- ßj sin(aj + fSj A - 0 - <*> - ^ a, I nsm2(aj + ßj) sin(ßj+i _ 20) c) The external work done by the self-weight of the quadrilateral rigid block BCD^E (Fig. 1a) can be expressed as, 10. Acta Geotechnica Slovenica, 2019/2 P. Ghosh and A. Pal: Undrained bearing capacity of a skirted strip foundation using upper-bound limit analysis vBf AWqb = [f3(aj, ßi( 0) + f4(ai( ßi, 9) + fs(ai( ßi( 9)]V0 (6) where, cos(6 — 0) sin aqb sin ßqb h = sin 2 cos2 6 sin(aqb + ßqb) sin(ß1 — 20) ' v1 \ FT sin2 siniaj + ßj ~ 2(P) ßqb - e - 0 - ^ I[J siniaj+ßj)sin(ßj,1- 20) /4 = 2 Df cos(6 — 0) sinßqb Bf cos 9 sin(ßi — 20) sin(aqb + ßqb) ~~t sin ft sin(a.j + ßj — 20) ' r-, \t—r sm ft sin{(Xj + ßj - ¿- ^ «,]n^a,+ ft)s^ft+1-20) /s = 2D/2 cos(0 - 0) sin[(ggi, + ßqb) - n/2\ Bf2 sin(ß1 - 20) sin(aqb + ßqb) ~~t sin{aj + ßj — 20) SW ßqb — 9 — (¡) ■ ■I")U sin(ßj+1-2