investigation of immediate settlement of shallow foundations located on clayey soil with using a new numerical model

Determining the exact amount of immediate settlement located on the clay is one of the main problems in geotechnics. however, although traditional methods such as those by janbu and bowles are often used for this purpose, they have limitations. therefore, in this study, a new numerical model is presented and examined in detail using plaxis 3d finite element software. parametric analyses with different ratios of foundation dimensions (l/b) from 1 to 10, foundation thickness ( ) from 1 to 4 meters, buried depth ratio of foundation (d/b) from 0 to 3, soil depth ratio under foundation (h/b) from 1 to 5, soil characteristics (including four soil types), and different loading values (from 100 to 300 kpa) were considered. the results, which were compared with existing methods and diagrams for the design of shallow foundations, revealed that settlement decreases with an increasing (d/b) ratio. additionally, the results of the new numerical analysis indicated that settlement increases with load increase. a similar trend was observed in plaxis 3d, janbu, and bowles methods.