SETTLEMENT OF A STRIP LOAD ON A NON-HOMOGENEOUS ORTHOTROPIC INCOMPRESSIBLE ELASTIC HALF-SPACE

Abstract

The settlement which structures founded on deep clay strata undergo during the construction period arises chiefly from straining of the clay without volume change. Estimation of the magnitude and pattern of this immediate settlement is of considerable importance to the foundation engineer, and is usually based on the assumption that the stratum can be treated, to a first approximation, as an isotropic homogeneous incompressible elastic half-space or layer. In nature clay strata invariably increase in stiffness with depth and often exhibit a layered structure. The influence of these factors on the settlement is examined and earlier results for an isotropic linearly non-homogeneous elastic half-space extended to the case of an orthotropic medium.