HERIOT - WATT UNIVERSITY

School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society

Foundation Engineering
CLASS EXAMPLE

A proposed long*, displacement-type footing, 3.5m wide (B), is to transmit a gross

pressure (qgross) of 215kN/m2. The footing will be founded in a layer of granular soil
which is 6.0m thick which is underlain by a layer of soft clay 3.0m thick; beneath the
clay is a deep layer of dense, granular soil. Determine the maximum depth, D, at
which the footing may be founded in the granular soil in order to insure that the
increase in vertical stress at the centre of the clay layer does not exceed 70kN/m2. You
can assume that the bulk unit weight of the granular soil is 19kN/m3 and that Fadum's
chart applies.
* i.e. L/B >> 10, hence assume the footing is infinitely long.

B
Note: To calculate the stress distribution use the net increase in stress at founding
depth i.e. qnet = qgross overburden removed

Variation of influence factor with m and n

0.26

m=
m = 2.0

0.24

m = 1.8

Area covered with

uniform normal load

0.22

m = 1.4
m = 1.2

m = 1.6

m = 1.0

0.20

m = 0.9
m = 0.8

0.18
Influence Factor, po

m = 0.7

0.16

m = 0.6

0.14

m = 0.5

0.12
0.10

m = 0.4

Note: m and n
are
interchangable

m = 0.3

0.08
m = 0.2

0.06
0.04

m = 0.1

0.02
0
0.1

1
n

10

SOLUTION