Experimental and Numerical Study of Tension Bearing Capacity of Circular Skirted Foundations Resting on Sand Bed

Skirted foundations are an appropriate alternative to deep foundations in onshore and offshore structures, which have the ability to withstand uplift loads, are also easy to be installed. The tensile performance of skirted foundations on sand was studied by physical and numerical modeling. Laboratory tests were carried out on small-scale foundation models with peripheral skirts. Numerical modeling was performed by 3D finite element analysis for verifying the results of physical tests, as well as generalizing the results to the large-scale models. The effects of geometry and soil properties parameters including foundation diameter, sand shear strength, skirt depth, surface roughness, and load inclination angle were investigated. The results showed that the presence of peripheral skirt improves the behavior of tension bearing capacity of foundations on sand; Improvement values increase with increasing skirt depth, sand shear strength, roughness of foundation surfaces, and also, with decreasing the load inclination angle relative to vertical direction.