Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/S26897/01
Title:	Limit analysis of foundation bearing capacity using adaptive finite element techniques
Principal Investigator:	Martin, Professor CM
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	Engineering Science
Organisation:	University of Oxford
Scheme:	First Grant Scheme Pre-FEC
Starts:	03 November 2003	Ends:	02 November 2006	Value (£):	124,004
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Ground Engineering
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Construction
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Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
Geotechnical engineers frequently need to estimate the ultimate load-bearing capacity of shallow foundations in a variety of soil conditions. A detailed computer simulation is often performed in which the load is gradually increased until the shear strength of the supporting soil is exceeded, and the foundation collapses. An alternative analytical procedure -and the focus of this research -involves direct 'bracketing' of the collapse load using the upper and lower bound limit theorems of classical plasticity theory. Although this bracketing method is potentially much faster than the gradual loading approach, it is yet to become widely used in practice because engineers do not have access to efficient, easy-to-use limit analysis software. This research aims to make rigorous upper and lower bound analysis both faster and more convenient by introducing adaptive refinement techniques similar to those used in computational fluid dynamics. The resolution (and therefore accuracy) of the analyses will be automatically increased in the soil zones where displacement and stress gradients are highest, thus making optimal use of the available computing power, whilst minimising the need for user intervention. The main deliverable from the project will be a fully validated software program for performing adaptive upper and lower bound limit analysis, providing practising engineers and researchers with a new and theoretically rigorous alternative to their existing analytical tools
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Organisation Website:	http://www.ox.ac.uk