Predicting Collapse Settlement of Footing Due to Infiltration

This study introduces an approach for estimating the collapse settlement of footing as a result of downward infiltration affecting soils at shallow depths. The experimental tests were carried out, considering different parameters, to investigate the depth of the wetting and the distribution of water content at different depths. Based on the results, regression analysis was employed to propose mathematical formulas for predicting the depth of the wetting zone and the distribution of soil water content beneath the footing model for the entire depth. The finite element method was used to develop a numerical model that simulates the experimental results due to the infiltration of rainfall water. A good agreement among the laboratory results, the analytical results, and the numerical results was obtained indiating the reliability of the proposed approach.