Meyerhof's correction factors for Bearing Capacity Calcs 1

A wider footing is more elastic, resulting in upward deflection mear the footing edge. If you have deflection in a footing, the soil load under the deflecting points must be lower than the parts of the footing that are more rigid. The net result is that the stress is higher under the more rigid regions of the footing. The equation therefore reduces the allowable soil stress for larger, more elastic footings. It in effect does not give you full credit for making excessively wide footings.


--Einstein gave the same test to students every year. When asked why he would do something like that, "Because the answers had changed."

Lower capacity in kN/m2 or in kN?