Effects of the Bearing Capacity of Strip Footing by Underground Cavity

지하공동이 연속기초의 지지력에 미치는 영향

In this study, the bearing capacity behavior of strip footing located above a continuous cavity in sand was investigated experimentally. The model footing test was performed in a model box made by using raining method in sand. The model footing test results were compared with those obtained from theoretically proposed equations. The results of the analysis indicate that there is a critical region under the footing. For strip footing, there exists a critical depth below which the presence of the cavity has negligible influence on the footing performance. Only when the cavity is located within this region will the footing performance be significantly affected by the presence of the cavity. The size of the critical region depends on several factors such as footing shape, soil property, cavity size and cavity shape. When the cavity is located within the critical region, the bearing capacity of the footing varies with various factors, such as the size and location of the cavity and the depth of foundation. Based on the experimental study, the following conclusions were induced. 1. The ultimate bearing capacity due to the eccentricity of a underground cavity increases at the rate of the small rather than that due to the depth of a underground cavity. This indicates that the bearing capacity of a strip footing is influenced on the depth rather than the eccentricity of a underground cavity. 2. The critical $depth(D/B)_{cr}$, by underground cavity in sand soil ground that is made by the relative density($D_r$)=55%, 65%, 75%, approaches a range of about 8~10 in case of W/B=1, and about 11~13 in case of W/B=2. 3. In case of the relative density($D_r$) 75%, the most outstanding differential settlement trend is shown in the depth of 4~8cm regardless of the size of cavity, namely, when the value of D/B is 1~2. Therefore, a underground cavity influences on not only the decrease of the bearing capacity but also the differential settlement of a strip footing.