Deterministic and Probabilistic Approaches in the Analysis of the Bearing Capacity of a Bridge Foundation on Undrained Clay Soil

This study aims at evaluating deterministic and probabilistic approaches for an analysis of the bearing capacity of a highway bridge foundation on undrained clay soil. The analysis of a rectangular concrete footing was presented for the ultimate strength limit state of the bearing resistance according to the formulation in ES EN 1991:2015 and ERA-Bridge Design Manual, which are the Ethiopian design codes for foundation structures. In the deterministic analysis, the traditional total safety factor method recommended by the ES EN 1991:2015, ERA and AASHTO LRFD method was implemented. It was assumed that design variables such as the soil parameters and loads would follow normal and lognormal distribution functions. With regard to the probabilistic methods, NESSUS-9.8 software, a statistical computer program, was used for the analysis. Comparisons were made between the results obtained from the traditional deterministic method and the reliability-based design approach. The evaluation asserts that the probabilistic approach is a better tool than the deterministic one for assessing the safety and reliability of geotechnical structures. The probabilistic design method rationally accounts for uncertainties more than the conventional deterministic method does. Thus, the author recommends that the National Design Codes of Ethiopia need to be revised and calibrated based on a reliability design format.