ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Earth Sci.
Sec. Geohazards and Georisks
Research on the Bearing Mechanism and Structural Design Method of Embedded Foundations for Transmission Towers under Slope Conditions
Provisionally accepted
- 1School of Civil Engineering, Chang'an University, Xi'an, China
- 2Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Wuhan, China
- 3China Railway Siyuan Survey and Design Group Co Ltd, Wuhan, China
- 4Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, China
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Embedded foundations are widely used in transmission tower engineering due to their high bearing capacity and compact layout. However, their bearing mechanism under slope conditions remains poorly understood, and design methods are limited. This study conducts a numerical investigation into the mechanical response of embedded foundations under uplift load, considering variations in slope gradient, foundation geometry, and size. The displacement behavior of the foundation and surrounding rock mass under graded loading is analyzed, and the progressive evolution of fracture surfaces is examined. Based on maximum shear strain nephograms under ultimate load, the spatial distribution characteristics of fracture surfaces in the rock mass are identified, and a predictive model for fracture surface geometry around foundations on slopes is established. Using limit equilibrium analysis, a set of analytical formulas for ultimate uplift resistance under slope conditions is derived and validated against numerical results. The results show that plastic zones first appear at the foundation–rock interface and extend deeper as loading increases. The fracture surface angle on the downhill side increases with slope gradient, while the uphill side angle decreases, nearly equaling the slope gradient. Near the slope face, fracture surfaces approximate a circular shape, with diameter proportional to foundation size but largely independent of slope gradient. The proposed formula aligns with flat-ground conditions when the slope gradient is zero and has been applied in engineering practice. These findings offer a theoretical basis for designing embedded foundations in complex slope environments.
Keywords: slope, Transmission towers, Embedded foundation, Bearing mechanism, Structural design method
Received: 22 Oct 2025; Accepted: 25 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Zhou, Wang, Wang, Yan, Zhang and Fu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yongqiang Zhou
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