Insights from a shallow foundation load-settlement prediction exercise

This paper describes an international exercise aimed at assessing the geotechnical engineering profession's ability to predict the response of shallow foundations on soft clay subjected to undrained loading. Predictions of bearing capacity varied by more than an order of magnitude and settlement by more than two orders of magnitude. Average and median predicted values deviated significantly from measured values. The results of this exercise highlight the need to develop tools to assist engineers to process site investigation data. The development of predictive models that connect directly to site investigation data is discussed.