An Analytical Bending Solution for Analysis and Design of Long Beams Constructed on the Expansive Soil

An analytical bending solution for the analysis of a long beam on an elastic foundation made of an expansive soil is presented in this paper. The soil is assumed to be homogenous with a constant subgrade reaction. After this soil gets access to water in a certain region within the length of the beam, the soil swells. The soil swelling has been subsumed under an upward swell load as a result of the swell pressure times the width of the beam. The swell pressure can be determined experimentally for a given type of soil. A typical application of the proposed method is the foundation of a long masonry load-bearing wall constructed on expansive soil. The accuracy of the proposed solution has been verified through a numerical example, and the results are found to be in excellent agreement with the finite element method. The application of the proposed method in the design step has also been explained through two numerical examples.