Influence of Consolidation Settlement to the Bearing Capacity of Shallow Foundation in Over-consolidated Organic Soil

International Journal of Civil Engineering
© 2026 by SSRG - IJCE Journal
Volume 13 Issue 2
Year of Publication : 2026
Authors : Andryan Suhendra, Riza Suwondo, I Gede Mahardika Susila, Madeline
pdf
How to Cite?

Andryan Suhendra, Riza Suwondo, I Gede Mahardika Susila, Madeline, "Influence of Consolidation Settlement to the Bearing Capacity of Shallow Foundation in Over-consolidated Organic Soil," SSRG International Journal of Civil Engineering, vol. 13,  no. 2, pp. 325-336, 2026. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23488352/IJCE-V13I2P122

Abstract:

The construction of shallow foundations on soft and over-consolidated organic soil may be challenging. The difficulty arises from the shear strength of the soil, its compressibility, and the ability of the soil to settle. The aspect of soil consolidation is also crucial in the long run. This is because it is associated with soil strengthening and improvement in the bearing capacity of the foundation. This study evaluates the effects of consolidation settlement on the bearing capacity of strip shallow foundations on over-consolidated organic soil through a series of FEM-based calculations in PLAXIS 2D. In this calculation, two factors are considered. The factors include the width of the strip foundation, ranging from 0.5 m to 3.0 m, and the thickness of the over-consolidated organic soil, ranging from 2 m to 12 m. To gain insight into how consolidation can affect the soil behavior during settlement, the calculation was done using a time-dependent loading condition. The results have emphasized that the increase in bearing capacity due to consolidation occurs to a large extent in the first 1000 to 1500 days. For all the test results, wider foundations performed with a higher bearing capacity. The results have emphasized that for high organic soil conditions, higher organic soil thickness resulted in less performance in the initial stages but contributed more to the advancements in strength. These observations emphasize the need for proper consideration of both the time involved for soil consolidation, the dimensions of the foundations, and the soil thickness in designing a shallow foundation.

Keywords:

Consolidation, Bearing Capacity, Shallow Foundation, Over-Consolidated Organic Soil, Finite Element Analysis.

References:

[1] Ernesto Cascone, and Orazio Casablanca, “Static and Seismic Bearing Capacity of Shallow Strip Footings,” Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, vol. 84, pp. 204-223, 2016.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[2] Xiao-Li Yang, and Dian-Chun Du, “Upper Bound Analysis for Bearing Capacity of Nonhomogeneous and Anisotropic Clay Foundation,” KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering, vol. 20, no. 7, pp. 2702-2710, 2016.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[3] M.W. Bo, V. Choa, and K.S. Wong, “Reclamation and Soil Improvement on Ultra-Soft Soil,” Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Ground Improvement, vol. 9. no. 1, pp. 23-31, 2005.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[4] Jean Frank Wagner, Chapter 9 - Mechanical Properties of Clays and Clay Minerals, Developments in Clay Science, vol. 5, pp. 347-381, 2013.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[5] Pao-Tsung Huang et al., “Classification of Organic Soils,” Technical Reports, Publication FHWA/IN/JTRP-2008/02, Joint Transportation Research Program, Indiana Department of Transportation and Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 2009.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[6] Joonho Hwang et al., “Stabilization and Improvement of Organic Soils,” Publication FHWA/IN/JTRP-2004/38, Joint Transportation Research Program Technical Reports, Indiana Department of Transportation and Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 2005.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[7] Sarah Hashim Mohammed, Khitam Abdulhussein Saeed, and Hasan Ibrahim Al Shaikhli, “Evaluation of the Strength and Microstructural Characteristics of Stabilized Organic Clay Soil,” Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering, vol. 9, pp. 1-6, 2024.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[8] Hanifi Canakci, Waleed Sidik, and Ibrahim Halil Kilic, “Effect of Bacterial Calcium Carbonate Precipitation on Compressibility and Shear Strength of Organic Soil,” Soils and Foundations, vol. 55, no. 5, pp. 1211-1221, 2015.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[9] Kamal Mohamed Hafez Ismail Ibrahim, “Bearing Capacity of Circular Footing Resting on Granular Soil Overlying Soft Clay,” HBRC Journal, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 71-77, 2016.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[10] Ngoc Thang Nguyen, “Long-Term Settlement Prediction for Over-Consolidated Soft Clay under Low Embankment,” Engineering, Technology and Applied Science Research, vol. 14, no. 6, pp. 18592-18599, 2024.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[11] K. Been, and G.C. Sills, “Self-Weight Consolidation of Soft Soils: An Experimental and Theoretical Study,” Geotechnics, vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 519-535, 1981.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[12] Mohammad Gharehzadeh Shirazi et al., “Sustainable Soil Bearing Capacity Improvement using Natural Limited Life Geotextile Reinforcement-A Review,” Minerals, vol. 10, no. 5, pp. 1-22, 2020.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[13] Shriful Islam, Junaidul Islam, and Nur Md. Robiul Hoque, “Improvement of Consolidation Properties of Clay Soil using Fine-Grained Construction and Demolition Waste,” Heliyon, vol. 8, no. 10, pp. 1-16, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[14] Chiang C. Mei, “Gravity Effects in Consolidation of Layer of Soft Soil,” Journal of Engineering Mechanics, vol. 111, no. 8, pp. 1038-1047, 1985.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[15] Adityaputera Wirawan, and Cindarto Lie, “Study on Pile Bearing Capacity Improvement in Soft Soil After Vacuum Consolidation,” Indonesian Geotechnical Journal, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 49-56, 2024.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[16] Fu Zhu et al., “A New Calculation Method for the Bearing Capacity of Soft Soil Foundation,” Advances in Mechanical Engineering, vol. 9, no. 10, pp. 1-7, 2017.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[17] Mohamed B.D. Elsawy, and Kamal M. Hafez Ismail, “Influence of Aging on Bearing Capacity of Circular Footing Resting on Soft Soil,” HBRC Journal, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 256-262, 2013.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[18] P.W. Taylor, and T.A. Oort, “The Increase in Bearing Capacity Resulting from Consolidation,” Geotechnics, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 376-390, 1971.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[19] Koji Suzuki, and Kazuya Yasuhara, “Increase in Undrained Shear Strength of Clay with Respect to Rate of Consolidation,” Soils and Foundation, vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 303-318, 2007.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[20] SNI 8460:2017, “Geotechnical Design Requirements,” National Standardization Agency (BSN), 2017.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[21] Aviva Stevani, and Chaidir Anwar Makarim, “Comparative Analysis of Shallow Foundation Settlement in Peat Soil with Lime and Rice Husk Ash Stabilization,” JMTS: Journal of Civil Engineering Partners, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 233-248, 2021.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[22] Karl Terzaghi, Theory of Consolidation, Theoretical Soil Mechanics, Wiley, 1943.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[23] T. William Lambe, and Robert V. Whitman, Soil Mechanics, John Wiley and Sons, 1991.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[24] Robert F. Craig, Craig’s Soil Mechanics, 7th ed., CRC Press, 2004.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[25] Gholamreza Mesri, “Discussion of New Design Procedure for Stability of Soft Clays,” Journal of the Geotechnical Engineering Division, vol. 101, no. 4, pp. 409-412, 1975.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[26] G. Mesri, and S. Ali, “Undrained Shear Strength of a Glacial Clay Overconsolidated by Desiccation,” Geotechnics, vol. 49, no. 2, pp. 181-198, 1999.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[27] Braja M. Das, and Nagaratnam Sivakugan, Principles of Foundation Engineering, 9th ed., Principles of Foundation Engineering, 2019.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[28] PLAXIS 2D: Geotechnical Engineering Software, Bentley, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.bentley.com/software/plaxis-2d