The bearing capacity factor Ng for a rough circular footing was determined in this note by using the method of stress characteristics. The failure mechanism considered in the study comprises of a curved non-plastic trapped wedge below the footing being tangential to its base at its edge and inclined at an angle (p/4-f/2) with the axis of symmetry. The chosen curved trapped wedge ensures that the angle of interface friction between the footing base and underlying soil mass remains equal to f at the footing edge. The computed values of Ng were found to be significantly smaller than those obtained with the consideration a triangular (conical) trapped wedge below the footing wedge.
Keywords: bearing capacity; failure; foundations; numerical modeling and analysis; plasticity.
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