Pseudostatic analysis of bearing capacity of embedded strip footings in rock masses using the upper bound method

The present paper evaluates seismic bearing capacity of rock masses subjected to loads of strip footings using the upper bound method. A general formula was proposed to evaluate the seismic bearing capacity considering both the horizontal and vertical accelerations of the earthquake and the effects of footing embedment depth simultaneously. Modified Hoek-Brown failure criterion was employed for the rock mass. Some comparisons were made with the available solutions and the finite element numerical models to show the accuracy of the developed upper bound formulations. The obtained results show significant improvement compared to the other available solutions. By increasing the horizontal earthquake acceleration from 0.1 to 0.3, the bearing capacity was reduced by up to 39%, while the effect of the vertical earthquake acceleration depends on its direction. An upward acceleration in the range of zero to 0.2 results in an increase in the bearing capacity by up to 24%, while the downward earthquake acceleration has an adverse effect. Also, by increasing the embedment depth of the footing from zero to 5 times the footing width, the value of seismic bearing capacity was raised about 86%. The obtained results were presented as design tables for use in practical applications.