Abstract
In the practical problem of the geotechnical engineering, such as the bearing behavior of footings, formulae based on the critical state analysis have been generally used, because of the easiness and reliability. However, for the sake of more rational estimates, it has become extensively recognized that bifurcation need to be taken into account. This paper investigates not only three-dimensional effects but the bifurcation phenomena in the bearing behavior of rectangular footings. The asymptotic bifurcation theory is applied to a load versus displacement curve from an experiment, and the bifurcation behavior associated with the variations of strength and failure modes is revealed.
