Finite element analysis of footings on layered soils

The paper presents the results of theoretical and experimental investigations on footings on homogeneous and layered soils. Experimentally, laboratory tests were conducted on a model strip footing on homogeneous and two layers of sand and theoretically a finite element model using a non-linear stress- strain relationship was developed to simulate the testing conditions. The theoretical results compared well with the experimental data. The theoretical model was then used to generate data for the purpose of comparison with existing design theories.