Probabilistic analysis of settlement for a floating foundation of soft clay

A probabilistic analysis model for settlement is presented to illustrate the influence of the variability of measured soil properties on settlement predictions. Simulations were performed to illustrate the uncertainty of total and differential settlement which is affected by changes in field conditions (e.g., excavation depth, the size of a structure and stress increase). The simulation results indicate that the uncertainty of total and differential settlement is affected by excavation depth and stress increase, but not by the dimensions of a structure. The simulation results also indicate that the randomness in soil properties may lead to significant uncertainty in settlement predictions.