| dc.contributor.author | Zhang, Xianyue. | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2014-10-21T12:34:14Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2007 | |
| dc.date.issued | 2007 | en_US |
| dc.identifier.other | AAINR27655 | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10222/54934 | |
| dc.description | Geotechnical engineers have primarily used a traditional approach, Working Stress Design (WSD), for the bearing capacity design of shallow foundations, in which a single factor of safety is applied to capture all uncertainty. One problem with WSD is that there is no rational consideration of different modes of failure and their consequences. The structural community largely abandoned WSD several decades ago in favor of Reliability-Based Design (RBD) methods which have been implemented using Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD). | en_US |
| dc.description | The Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) is an evolution of WSD, with the consideration of different possible failure modes and separate load and resistance factors. LRFD is a convenient and rational way of accounting for the sources of uncertainty in design. The application of LRFD in geotechnical engineering helps harmonize with the structural community and should reduce expense. The geotechnical community is currently working on the transition from Working Stress Design (WSD) to Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD). | en_US |
| dc.description | In this research, LRFD has been considered in some detail for bearing capacity design of shallow foundations. The actual performance of any geotechnical footing can be quite different than expected due to the soil's spatial variability. A novel mathematical theory was developed to analytically estimate the probability of bearing capacity failure. The spatial random soil field was modeled using random field theory, in which three parameters were considered: the mean, the standard deviation of soil properties, and the correlation length of the soil field. Monte Carlo simulation was then used to simulate the soil field, estimate the probability of bearing capacity failure, and validate the theory. Specifically, Random Finite Element Method (RFEM) was used to simulate the soil's spatial variability and estimate failure probabilities. Once the theory has been validated, the 'optimal' resistance factors required to achieve certain levels of reliability were suggested using the proposed theory. | en_US |
| dc.description | Thesis (Ph.D.)--Dalhousie University (Canada), 2007. | en_US |
| dc.language | eng | en_US |
| dc.publisher | Dalhousie University | en_US |
| dc.publisher | | en_US |
| dc.subject | Mathematics. | en_US |
| dc.subject | Engineering, General. | en_US |
| dc.title | Reliability-based bearing capacity design of shallow foundations. | en_US |
| dc.type | text | en_US |
| dc.contributor.degree | Ph.D. | en_US |
