Skirted Foundation, Performance, Mechanism, and Limitations: A Review Study

Abstract

Semi-deep foundations are a viable option when the soil under the foundation is loose and extended to a significant depth, also, when traditional methods of improvement are not feasible applying piles would not be a practical choice due to their high cost and time-consuming installation process. Skirted foundations are a sort of semi-deep foundation that can penetrate the soil to a depth that is twice their width. Skirted foundations, in which a vertical or inclined wall surrounds one or more sides of the soil mass under the footing, are recommended methods to increase the soil's bearing capacity. The walls work to reduce settlement while enhancing load capacity and failure depth in soils with low shear strength. This paper discusses the previous experimental and numerical investigations conducted on skirted foundations. Various factors were considered, including soil type, degree of saturation, soil properties, skirt depth, and width, soil-skirt interaction, and different scenarios of applied loads such as inclination and eccentricity. These studies have effectively shown that skirted foundations are very successful in reducing sliding, overturning, and settlement while also increasing foundation stability, soil capacity, and uplift capacity.

Keywords

• Semi-Deep foundation
• Skirted foundation
• Bearing capacity
• Settlement
• Confinement
• Finite element