Investigation of the Influence of Boundary Conditions on the Deformability of a Model of Soil Base of limited Width in The Form of a Linearly Deformable Elastic Half-Plane

Abstract The paper examines the available approaches to the distribution of vertical compressive stresses over the depth of the soil base from a uniformly distributed load on the surface. The paper investigates the effect of boundary constraints in plan of the model of a continuous linearly deformable (elastic) layer of finite width on its distribution capability and stress-strain performance from a loaded foundation on the surface. Numerical calculations of the stress-strain state of a uniformly loaded foundation with different relative bending stiffness (flexibility), which interacts with a layer of a certain depth (compressible depth) and strict horizontal constraints in terms of width (the width dimensions of the model), were performed using the SCAD software. Based on the analysis of the results of numerical calculations for the plane problem (plane-strain deformation), the width of the model of a linearly deformable layer of finite width, which considers the distribution of compressive loads over the depth at an angle of α≈20÷25° to the vertical from the edges of the loaded foundation, was justified. In this case, the width of the model according to the angle of distribution of α≈20÷25° has virtually no effect on the average settlements and the maximum moment forces of the foundation in comparison with the increase in the width of the model.