Shallow foundation behavior on an expansive soil slope subjected to different infiltration conditions

Shallow foundations are used in many scenarios to transmit the loads from the lightly loaded superstructures constructed on expansive soil slopes. Infiltration associated with rainfall and snow melt influence both the foundation and the expansive soil behavior, including its slope. However, several research studies that are available in the literature focus on only one of these challenges. The combined influence of infiltration on the performance of the foundation and the slope in cracked expansive soils has not received the attention it deserves in the literature. In this study, the combined performance is evaluated with the aid of a numerical method considering shallow foundations located on the top of an unsaturated expansive cracked surficial soil slope. The influence of the rainfall intensity, rainfall duration, foundation setback distance and foundation loading on the foundation bearing capacity and slope stability were investigated. The numerical results of the study highlight that all the parameters have a significant impact on the foundation-slope failure mechanisms associated with different infiltration conditions.