Fast analytical estimation of the influence zone depth, its numerical verification and FEM accuracy testing

For the calculation of foundation settlement it is recommended to take into account so called influence zone inside the subsoil bellow the foundation structure. Influence zone inside the subsoil is the region where the load has a substantial influence on the deformation of the soil skeleton. The soil skeleton is pre-consolidated or over consolidated due to the original geostatic stress state. An excavation changes the original geostatic stress state and it creates the space for the load transferred from upper structure. The theory of elastic layer in Westergard manner is selected for the vertical stress calculation. The depth of influence zone is calculated from the equality of the original geostatic stress and the new geostatic stress due to excavation combined with the vertical stress from the upper structure. Two close formulas are presented for the influence zone calculation. Using ADINA code we carried out several numerical examples to verify the proposed analytical formulas and to enhance their use in civil engineering practice. Otherwise, the FEM code accuracy can be control.