A homogenization method for estimating the bearing capacity of soils reinforced by columns

The ultimate bearing capacity problem of a strip foundation resting on a soil reinforced by a group of regularly spaced columns is investigated in the situation when both the native soil and reinforcing material are purely cohesive. Making use of the yield design homogenization approach, it is shown that such a problem may be dealt with as a plane strain yield design problem, provided that the reinforced soil macroscopic strength condition has been previously determined. Lower and upper bound estimates for such a macroscopic criterion are obtained, thus giving evidence of the reinforced soil strong anisotropy. Performing the upper bound kinematic approach on the homogenized bearing capacity problem, by using the classical Prandtl's failure mechanism, makes it then possible to derive analytical upper bound estimates for the reinforced foundation bearing capacity, as a function of the reinforced soil parameters (volume fraction and cohesion ratio), as well as of the relative extension of the reinforced area. It is shown in particular that such an estimate is closer to the exact value of the ultimate bearing capacity, than that derived from a direct analysis which implicitly assumes that the reinforced soil is an isotropic material. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.