Numerical and experimental analysis of shallow foundations on tropical climate soil using Mohr-Coulomb cap model

The application of loading tests allows us to evaluate the behavior of shallow foundations under real conditions. This article addresses the application of a constitutive model based on Mohr-Coulomb with a cap failure criterion that simulates the compaction of the material and limits its shear strength to describe the behavior of a footing resting on tropical climate soil composed of silt-clay sand. The foundation was tested in terms of axial compression through a static and slowly maintained loading test (SML) until its failure was characterized by significant settlement. A two-dimensional axisymmetric finite element numerical model was used to process the numerical analyses. The numerical model used was able to simulate with high similarity the load-settlement behavior of the footing tested in the loading test, under different water content conditions and preload imposed in the field tests. Additionally, the experimental results facilitated the successful guidance of the numerical analyses, providing parameters to safely analyze similar foundations under other conditions.