Foundation Engineering - I

Chapter One
Introduction to Foundation
Engineering

Target Groups: KP – G4C & G3C (Evening)

Civil and Urban Engineering Dep’t, AMU (2012/13)
Instructor: Zeleke L.
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Introduction
 Every building consists of two basic components.
1. The super structure
2. The sub structure (Foundation)
 A foundation is a integral part of the structure which
support and transfer the load of the super structure to the
soil.
 The basic function of foundation is to transmit
 the dead load (weight of walls, partitions, floors, roofs,
and other permanent structures)
 Super imposed load (Live loads) e.g. People, furniture,
machines, etc.
 wind load, earth quake, etc.
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Cont…
 From a building to the soil on which the building rests in
such away that
 settlements are with in permissible limits, without
causing cracks in the super structure, and
 the soil doesn’t fail by the shear failure criterion

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Introduction
Foundations serve the following purposes:
 Reduction of load intensity- by increasing the area of
contact, so that the total load divided by the total area
(intensity of load) doesn’t exceed the bearing capacity of
the soil.
 Even distribution of loads - Foundations distribute the
non uniform load of the superstructure evenly to the sub
soil.
 Provision of level surface
 Lateral stability - It anchors the super structure to the
ground, thus imparting lateral stability to the super
structure.
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Introduction
 Safety against undermining - provides structural safety
against undermining (scouring) due to burrowing
animals and flood water.
 Protection against soil movements - minimizes cracks in
the super structure due to expansion or contraction of sub
soil because of moisture movement in some problematic
soils.

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 Types of Foundation
 Foundations that are frequently encountered in practice
may be broadly classified into the two main categories;
Shallow Foundations and Deep Foundations.
I. Shallow foundation (Df /B ≤ 1) ..
II. Deep foundation (Df /B > 1)
 Under SFs the following are prevalent:
 Wall or Continuous footings
 Spread or Isolated footings, and
 Mat or Raft foundations

 Under DFs the following are to be found:

 Piles
Piers and Caissons
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Types of foundation (as per Terzaghi)
1. Shallow Foundation- Depth is equal to or less than its
width
2. Deep Foundation – Depth is greater than its width

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 1. Shallow Foundation
 Shallow foundations are those executed near the ground
surface or at shallow depths.
 Footing foundation is one of the most popular type of
foundations.
 A footing is an enlargement of the base of a column or wall
for the purpose of distributing the load on the supporting
soil at a pressure suiting its properties.
Advantage of shallow foundation:
1. Cost (inexpensive)
2. Construction procedure (simple)
3. Material (mostly concrete)
4. Labour (doesn’t need expertise)
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 Introduction
 To perform satisfactorily, Shallow foundations must have
two main characteristics:
1. They have to be safe against overall shear failure in the
soil that supports them.
NB: The load per unit area of the foundation at which
shear failure in the soil occurs is called the ultimate
bearing capacity.
2. They cannot undergo excessive displacement, or
settlement. (The term excessive is relative, because the
degree of settlement allowed for a structure depends on
several considerations.)

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Introduction
 Shallow foundation are provided when top soil
strata are strong enough to take structure load and
not susceptible to large settlement .

 When load are not too large (May be small or

medium in magnitude).

 If loads from the structure are too large as in case of

multi storied building and the soil is not strong
enough then the choice of the foundation is deep
foundation. In this case loads are transferred to
lower strata of the soil.
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1.1 Spread footing
 spread the super-imposed load of column or wall over
a larger area spread footings support either a column
or wall

 Types of spread footings

 Single footing
 Stepped footing
 Sloped footing

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d) Simple wall Footing e) Stepped Footing
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(a) Square Footing (b) Circular Footing (c) Square Footing (d) Sloped Footing
with Pedestal

Figure-1 Types of spread footings

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Conditions that require the use of Isolated footing

 From isolated footings, square shape are common and

usually most economical, but rectangular shapes are used
if space is limited in one direction, or when loads are
eccentric in one direction.
 Stepped or sloped footing are most commonly used to
reduce the quantity of concrete away from the column
where the bending moments are small and when the
footing is not reinforced.
 It is usually used for reinforced concrete Skelton type of
buildings.

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1.2 Combined footing
 A spread footing which supports two or more columns is
termed as combined footing. The combined footing may
be of the following types.
i. Rectangular combined footing
ii. Trapezoidal combined footing
iii. Combined column – wall footings

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Conditions that require the use of Combined footing

a. It is also used when two adjacent column of a building

are close to each other that their footings overlap.
b. When there is a property line/boundary line/restriction
and there exists a column along the boundary line and
use of isolated footing is not possible.
 Rectangular Combined footings are used:
 When case(a) is encountered and the spacing between
the columns is less than 6m-7m and/or,
 When case (b) is encountered and the outer column,
which is the one along the boundary line, carries a
larger load as compared to the inner column (the one
to be combined with the outer column).
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Cont …
 Trapezoidal combined footings: are used when case (b) is
encountered and the inner column carries a larger load as
compared to the load carried by the column along the
boundary line.

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1.3 Strap Footing
 If the independent footings of two columns are
connected by a beam, it is called a strap footing.

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Conditions that require the use of Strap footing

 It is used when the distance between the columns is so

great that a combined trapezoidal footing becomes quite
narrow, with high bending moments. In this case the
column is provided with its independent footings and a
beam is used to connect the two footings.
 Strap footing may be used in lieu of a combined
rectangular or trapezoidal footing when the spacing
between the columns is large (say greater than 6m – 7m).
 When the allowable soil pressure is relatively large so
that the addition of footing area is not needed.

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Conditions that require the use of Strap footing

 A strap footing should be considered only after a

carefully analysis shows that rectangular or trapezoidal
combined footings even if oversize will not work.
 The strap beam doesn’t remain in contact with soil, and
thus doesn’t transfer any pressure to the soil.
 The strap, assumed to be infinitely stiff, serves to
transfer the column loads on the soil with equal and
uniform soil pressure under both footings.

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1.4 Mat (raft) Foundation
 A raft or mat is a combined footing that cover the entire
area beneath a structure and support all the walls and
columns
Based on design and construction Rafts may be
 solid slab
 Beam slab
 cellular system

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Figure: Common types of mat foundations. (a) Flat plate: (b) plate thickened
under columns: (c) waffle-slab: (d) plate with pedestals: (e) basement walls as
part of mat.

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Conditions that require the use of Mat/Raft footing

 Mat foundation will be used when:

 the allowable soil pressure is low
 the building loads are heavy
 use of spread footing covers more than the one half the
area.
 On grounds with very low bearing capacity or where
excessive variations in ground conditions would lead to
unacceptable differential settlement.
 It is common to use mat foundations for deep basements
both to spread the column loads to a more uniform
pressure distribution and to provide the floor slab for the
basement.
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2. Deep Foundations
 Deep foundations are those in which the depth of the
foundation constructed by ordinary methods of open pit
excavations or deep drilling excavation.
 Deep Foundations transfer loads from structures to
acceptable bearing strata at some distance below the ground
surface.

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When to Use Deep Foundations?
 Upper soils are weak (has poor bearing capacity), structural
loads are high and its distribution is uneven; Required
spread footings are too large;
 The sub soil water level is high so that pumping of water
from the open trenches for the shallow foundations is
difficult and uneconomical.
 When there is large fluctuations in sub soil water level
 Upper Soils are subject to scour or undermining;
 Foundation must penetrate through water;
 Need large uplift capacity;
 Need large lateral load capacity;
 Canal or deep drainage lines exist near the foundations.
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Types of Deep Foundations
2.1 Pile Foundation
 Piles are structural members that are made of steel,
concrete, or timber, used to transmit surface loads to lower
levels in the soil mass.
 This may be by vertical distribution of the load along the
pile shaft or a direct application of load to the lower
stratum through the pile point.
 A vertical distribution of the load is made using a friction,
or “floating,” pile and a direct load application is made by
a point, or “end bearing,” pile.
 They are used to build pile foundations, which are deep
and which cost more than shallow foundations. Despite the
cost, the use of piles often is necessary to ensure structural
safety.
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 2.1.1 Classifications of piles
 Pile may classified in a number of ways based on different
criteria. 2. Based on Composition and
1) Based on function or action material.
 End bearing piles  Timber piles
 Friction pile  Steel pile
 Concrete pile
 Tension or up lift pile
 Composite pile
 Compaction piles
 Anchor pile 3. Based on Installation
 Sheet piles  Driven pile
 Batter pile  Cast in situ pile
 Laterally loaded pile  Driven and cast in situ pile

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Classification of piles based on function

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 Classification of piles based on function
 End bearing piles: Used to transfer load through water or
soft soil to a suitable bearing stratum. Such piles are used
to carry heavy loads safely to hard strata.
 Friction piles: used to transfer load to a depth of a friction
– load- carrying material by means of skin friction along
the length of the pile. Generally used in granular soil
where the depth of hard stratum is very great.
 Combined end bearing: Some times the super imposed
load is transferred both through and friction side friction
as well as end bearing.
 Compaction piles: Used to compact loose granular soils,
thus increasing their bearing capacity.
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Conditions that require the use of Pile footing
1. When one or more upper layers are highly compressible and
too weak to support the superstructure loads.
2. When super structure is subjected to horizontal forces it can
resist the forces by bending, (high earth quake or wind load).
3. When expansive and collapsible soils present at the site of a
proposed structure.
4. Where uplift forces is catastrophic problem under the base of
the structure. Such as offshore platforms, and basement mats
below the water table.
5. Bridge abutments and piers are usually constructed over pile
foundations to avoid the loss of bearing capacity that a shallow
foundation might suffer because of soil erosion at the ground
surface.
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 2.2 Pier Foundation
 Pier is a single unit which supports heavy loads from
superstructure and transfers them to deep – seated layers
of soil or rock.
 It’s a vertical bridge support.
 It’s a foundation for carrying a heavy structural load.
 Pier foundations transfer the load only through bearing.
 Pier foundation is shallower in depth than pile foundation

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 2.4 Well Foundations (Caissons)
 Caissons are made of steel, reinforced concrete or both. It’s
a prefabricated hollow box or cylinder.
 It is sunk into the ground to some desired depth and then
filled with concrete or sand and left in position to form an
integral part of the foundation.
 The massive weight of the caisson aids in its sinking.
 These are used for major foundation works, such as;
 bridge piers and abutments in rivers, lakes, etc
 wharves, quay, walls, docks (related to ships)
 Break waters and other structures for shore protection.
 large water front structures such as pump houses
 Well foundations are not used for building.
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3.Foundation in Expansive Soil
 In black cotton soil and other expansive type of soils,
building often cracks due to relative ground movements.
This is caused by alternate swelling and shrinkage of the
soil due to changes in its moisture content.
A. Strip or pad foundation
 Strip foundation and pad foundation may be provided
with care for medium loads.
B. Pier foundation with arches
 The piers may rest on good bearing strata and connected
by concrete or masonry arch, over which the wall is
constructed.

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Cont…
C. Under- reamed pile foundation
 The bulb is provided at a level lower than the critical
depth of moisture movement in expansive soils, the
foundation will be anchored to the ground and it would
not move with the swelling and shrinkage of the soil.

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 Wall

Plinth beam Flouring

Plinth
protection
Sand

30 30

60 cm

Sand
Fig10 Simple sand fill

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The End !
Questions - ?

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