ROLE OF UNSATURATED SOIL MECHANICS IN FOUNDATION DESIGN

Abstract

There is negative pore water pressure (matric suction) and net normal stress within the unsaturated soil contributing to the additional shear strength of the soil. This benefits the practicing engineers in optimizing the design of the foundation which leads to the lower cost of a construction project. Therefore, the mechanics of unsaturated soil is necessary for the design of foundations under variations of rainfall loading. The objective of this study is related to the investigation of the importance of unsaturated soil mechanics in foundation design. The analytical calculation, laboratory testing, and numerical analyses were conducted in this study for the completion of the master thesis.