Rotation-translation mechanisms for upper-bound solution of bearing capacity problems

To obtain rigorous upper-bound solutions for the bearing capacity of strip footings subjected to combined loadings, a new collapse mechanism consisting of three rigid blocks undergoing impending rotational or translational movements is proposed. The proposed mechanism improves the efficiency of the previously-developed rigid block mechanisms to account for eccentric loading condition in restricted bearing capacity problems. The comparisons show a good agreement between the results obtained using the present method and those of the known solutions. The effectiveness of the proposed mechanism was examined through investigating the bearing capacity of eccentrically loaded strip footings over thin layer foundation soils. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.