Behavior of Laterally Loaded Footings with Enlarged Shear Keys on Drained Soils

Numerical investigations have been conducted to study the feasibility of a novel enlarged shear-key footing (ESF) foundation system for supporting laterally loaded structures. The behavior of the proposed system was examined under various vertical, horizontal and moment load combinations considering drained loading conditions. Extensive finite element analysis using the software package PLAXIS 2D was performed to investigate the behavior of the ESF foundation system. The objectives of this study are as follows: (a) to examine the feasibility of the ESF foundation system to support laterally loaded structures, (b) to provide guidance for use of ESF for different soil conditions, while taking into account the influence of the relative geometry of the constituent elements of the ‘hybrid’ system (i.e. the key length and footing width). The study indicated that the interaction between the structural elements of the hybrid system increased the strength and stiffness of the foundation system and mobilized high lateral load and rocking resistances, even for low displacements. The system resistance was found to rely on its geometry, especially the key length-to-footing width ratio.