Reliability Analysis-Based Stress Intensity Factors and Biaxiality Rates for Shallow Cracked Foundations in Interaction with Elasto-Plastic Soils

The numerical modeling of soil–structure interaction systems for cracked foundations laying on nonlinear clay soils is performed by solving line spring model, using the method of exact series solutions. This semi-analytical approach is well known in fracture mechanics practice for the computation of structural responses near the crack tips, as well as for the calculation of normalized stress intensity factors (SIF). The effects of the crack topologies and soil material nonlinearity are analyzed especially on SIF and biaxiality rates (SBR) tendencies. A parametric study based on the variations of equivalent (SIF) for cracked foundations is discussed to investigate the prediction of failure occurrences for several cases of crack extensions and positions along shallow spread footing span. The numerical finding of this study can be potentially employed to direct engineers and researchers to optimal solutions for revamping design works, as well as in the improvement of mechanical reliability of cracked foundations mainly the ones of strategic industrial parts of petrochemical and nuclear infrastructures.