Abstract: “Numerical study has been carried out to determine the ultimate bearing capacity of circular footing on a sand layer of limited thickness underlain by a rigid rough base subjected to an eccentric vertical load. The sand layer for the numerical study was prepared at a relative density (Dr) of 69% using five different thicknesses, H. FE model was performed at H/B values of 0.3, 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 (B = diameter of footing). The load eccentricity ratio e/B varied from 0 to 0.15. The analysis was performed using an elasto-plastic hyperbolic model called the hardening soil (HS) model. Effect of the depth of rough rigid base and load eccentricity on bearing capacity was studied under eccentric vertical loading. Further, the failure mechanism under eccentric vertical loading has been studied. Numerical modeling results indicate that the bearing capacity and the depth of failure surface get modified when the rigid rough base is located at a shallow depth (H/B smaller than H/Bcr) from the base of t”

Keywords: circular footing, sand, rigid rough base, eccentric loading, ultimate bearing capacity, finite element