Experimental Study on the Effect of Eccentric Loads on the Bearing Capacity of Strip Footing Located on the Inclined Multi-Layer Soil Mass with a Weak Soil Layer

Engineers often face challenges when designing foundations that are located over and near the slopes. By using a new small-scale laboratory model, the Effect of eccentric loading on the bearing capacity of a strip footing located on the inclined multi-layer soil mass with a weak soil layer was investigated as multi-effects. Thin layers have substantial effects on the ultimate bearing capacity, despite they seem to be insignificant. A series of laboratory model tests were performed on a rigid strip footing resting on surfaces with different layered slope foundations. The experimental program considered different foundation configurations by varying the footing distance from the slope’s top and the inclination of the thin layer. It is found that the weak thin layer decreases the ultimate bearing capacity specifically. The laboratory results indicate that the value of eccentricity affects the final bearing capacity and increases this capacity by moving away from the weak layer and the slope. Also, The weak thin layer at the critical distance led to more reduction in the ultimate bearing capacity by 43%. The results were compared with analytical methods and the differences were 2 to 9.5%. Also, the numerical simulation of the physical data shows that the results can be developed into large-scale models as a prediction.