Study on Seepage Characteristics of Composite Bucket Foundation Under Eccentric Load

Abstract

Under the effect of eccentric loads, when the suction pressure of the composite bucket foundation is leveled, the seepage failure is very easy to occur. The seepage failure occurrence causes the foundation to settle unevenly and impairs the bearing performance. This study uses ABAQUS finite element software to establish a composite bucket foundation model for finite element analysis. The model simulates the seepage of the foundation penetrating process under eccentric load to reveal the induced seepage characteristics of the bucket foundation. The most vulnerable position of seepage failure under the eccentric loading is elucidated. Critical suction formulas for different offset eccentric moment strategies are derived and compared with existing literature formulas. Then the derived formula is supplemented and corrected according to the pressure difference between adjacent cabins. Conclusions can be drawn: (1) Under eccentric loads, the critical suction decreases about 7%–10%. (2) The pressure difference between adjacent cabins impacts significantly on the seepage field, and the critical suction, at most, can be reduced by 17.56%. (3) the offset strategies have little effect on the seepage field. Efficient and appropriate strategies can be selected to meet the requirement of leveling in engineering project.