Total and partial factors of safety in geotechnical engineering

The use of partial factors of safety in geotechnical design is introduced in the second edition of the Canadian Foundation Engineering Manual. The partial factors have been obtained from comparisons with conventional methods of analysis. Studies presented herein for simple slopes, cantilevered rigid retaining walls, flexible sheet pile walls, shallow strip foundations, and pile foundations indicate that modifications to some of the suggested partial load and resistance modification factors are necessary if comparable designs are to be obtained. Key words: factor of safety, partial factors, limit states design, slope stability, retaining walls, shallow foundations, deep foundations, bearing capacity.