Bearing capacity

In geotechnical engineering, bearing capacity is the capacity of soil to support the loads applied to the ground.
The bearing capacity of soil is the maximum average contact pressure between the foundation and the soil which
should not produce shear failure in the soil. Ultimate bearing capacity is the theoretical maximum pressure which
can be supported without failure; allowable bearing capacity is the ultimate bearing capacity divided by a factor
of safety. Sometimes, on soft soil sites, large settlements
may occur under loaded foundations without actual shear
failure occurring; in such cases, the allowable bearing capacity is based on the maximum allowable settlement.

pacity for the general shear failure case in 1943. The

equations are given below.
For square foundations:

qult = 1.3c Nc + zD
Nq + 0.4 BN

For continuous foundations:

qult = c Nc + zD
Nq + 0.5 BN

There are three modes of failure that limit bearing capac- For circular foundations:
ity: general shear failure, local shear failure, and punching
shear failure.

qult = 1.3c Nc + zD
Nq + 0.3 BN

Introduction

where

A foundation is the part of a structure which transmits the

weight of the structure to the ground. All structures constructed on land are supported on foundations. A foundation is, therefore, a connecting link between the structure
proper and the ground which supports it.

Nq =

e2(0.75 /360) tan

2 cos2 (45+ /2)

Nc = 5.7 for ' = 0

Nc =
N =

Nq 1
tan

tan
2

for ' > 0

(
)
Kp

1
2

cos

c is the eective cohesion.

General shear failure

zD is the vertical eective stress at the depth

the foundation is laid.

The general shear failure case is the one normally analyzed. Prevention against other failure modes is accounted for implicitly in settlement calculations.[1] There
are many dierent methods for computing when this failure will occur.

is the eective unit weight when saturated or

the total unit weight when not fully saturated.
B is the width or the diameter of the foundation.
is the eective internal angle of friction.

Terzaghis
Theory

Bearing

Kp is obtained graphically. Simplications

have been made to eliminate the need for Kp.
One such was done by Coduto, given below,
and it is accurate to within 10%.[1]

Capacity

N =

Karl von Terzaghi was the rst to present a comprehensive

theory for the evaluation of the ultimate bearing capacity
of rough shallow foundations. This theory states that a
foundation is shallow if its depth is less than or equal to
its width.[2] Later investigations, however, have suggested
that foundations with a depth, measured from the ground
surface, equal to 3 to 4 times their width may be dened
as shallow foundations.[2]

2(Nq +1) tan

1+0.4 sin 4

For foundations that exhibit the local shear failure mode

in soils, Terzaghi suggested the following modications
to the previous equations. The equations are given below.
For square foundations:

Nq + 0.4 BN
Terzaghi developed a method for determining bearing ca- qult = 0.867c Nc + zD

For continuous foundations:

qult =

c Nc + zD
Nq + 0.5 BN
3

For circular foundations:

qult = 0.867c Nc + zD
Nq + 0.3 BN

Nc , Nq andNy , the modied bearing capacity factors,

can be calculated by using the bearing capacity factors
equations(for Nc , Nq , andNy , respectively) by replacing the eective internal angle of friction ( ) by a value
equal to : tan1 ( 23 tan ) [2]

Factor of Safety

Calculating the gross allowable-load bearing capacity of

shallow foundations requires the application of a factor of
safety(FS) to the gross ultimate bearing capacity, or:
qall =

qult [2]
FS

Meyerhofs Bearing Capacity

theory

In 1951, Meyerhof published a bearing capacity theory which could be applied to rough shallow and
deep foundations.[3] Meyerhof (1951, 1963) proposed a
bearing-capacity equation similar to that of Terzaghis but
included a shape factor s-q with the depth term Nq. He
also included depth factors and inclination factors. For
more information click here.

See also
Geotechnical engineering
Foundation (architecture)
Soil mechanics

References

[1] Coduto, Donald (2001), Foundation Design, PrenticeHall, ISBN 0-13-589706-8

[2] Das, Braja (2007), Principles of Foundation Engineering
(6th ed.), Stamford, CT: Cengage Publisher
[3] {{|publisher=CRC Press LLC|id=|}}

EXTERNAL LINKS

8 External links
Bearing Capacity Factors related to the angle of internal friction

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