Ain Shams University

Faculty of Engineering
Structural Engineering Dept.
Geotechnical Group
3rd Year Civil

Bearing Capacity of Shallow

Foundations

1
Dr. Sayed Mohamed Elaraby
 Table of Contents
Part 1: Review of Soil Compressibility and Shear Strength
Part 2:
1. Introduction
2. Geotechnical Design Criteria for Foundations
3. Modes of Shear Failures
4. Bearing Capacity Equations
5. Effect of the Groundwater Table
6. Effect of the Load Eccentricity
7. Bearing Capacity of Multi-layers Soils

Textbook: Braja M. Das, "Principles of Geotechnical Engineering", 7th Ed. 2

Code: Egyptian Code of Practice for Soil Mechanics and Foundations
Part 3 : Shallow Foundations - 2001
 Part 1
Review of Soil Compressibility
and Shear Strength

3
 CD/ Sand = Soil Shear Strength

Traxial Tests Other tests

Unconfined + direct shear
CD or CID
CU or CIU
UU

UU/Clay = & =

CU/NC Clay =
CD/OC Clay
= + =
NC Clay 4
 5

ECP-Part 3
ECP-Part 3

6
 Soil Compressibility

Tests: Odometer & Triaxial

=

Sand & Clay : = =
Di

Clay (NL): = log 1 + D

1 + 0 0 7

Clay (OC): = log 1 +
1 + 0 0
ECP-Part 3

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 Part 2

1. Introduction

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 Foundation Types:

Shallow foundations
a. Spread Isolated footings
(square, circular,
rectangular, strip footings)
a. Combined Footings
b. Mat or Raft Foundations

Deep foundations
a. Bored piles (drilled piers)
b. Driven piles
c. Caissons
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 Shallow Foundations

Strip
Spread/Isolated Footings Rafts

Basics
Depth of foundation twice
the foundation width.
11
Shear resistance of the soil
Combined above the foundation level is
Footings ignored.
 Geotechnical engineers have two ways of defining bearing pressure:
gross bearing pressure qgross and net bearing pressure qnet.
+
= = + Q

Where

=

q=g1 Df
= 1 W

= + qgross
=

Ultimate gross bearing capacity qu,gross (or simply qu) is the

maximum gross pressure between the foundation and the soil which
will produce shear failure in the soil.
12
Ultimate net bearing capacity qu,net
, =
 Allowable bearing capacity qall is what is used in geotechnical design, and is
the ultimate bearing capacity divided by a factor of safety. It usually defined
in terms of the net stress.

Factor of safety Fb. In order to determine the allowable bearing pressure qall ,
the ultimate bearing capacity qult is divided by a factor of safety.

,
= =

For dense sands and stiff clays

13
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ECP-Part 3
2. Geotechnical Design Criteria
for Foundations

15
 Foundation must be
safe against shear
failure.
Transcona grain elevator Farm Silo Foundation Failure
failure (1913) (1976)
Foundation must not
settle excessively.

The differential
settlement must not
cause distress to the
structure. Pisa Tower, Italy

Cost
Time 16
Other considerations Silos, Winnipeg,
Canada
Contact Pressure

Allowable Pressure
17
Footing Width
ECP-Part 3

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ECP-Part 3
3. Modes of Shear Failures

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General Shear Failure
There is a continuous shear failure of the
soil (solid lines) from below the footing to
the ground surface.
When the load is plotted versus
settlement of the footing, there is a
distinct load at which the foundation fails
(solid circle), and this is designated Qult.
The value of Qult divided by the footing
area is considered to be the ultimate
bearing capacity qult of the footing.

A general shear failure ruptures and pushes up the soil on

both sides of the footing. For actual failures in the field, the
soil is often pushed up on only one side of the footing with
subsequent tilting of the structure.
21
A general shear failure occurs for soils that are in a dense or
hard state.
Local Shear Failure

The failure pattern is observed only immediately below the footing (a wedge and slip
surfaces originating at the edges of the footing).
There is soil bulging on both sides of the footing, but the bulging is not as significant
as in general shear.
The load-settlement curve does not show a clear peak as in the general shear failure.
When the load per unit area equals qult, the movements are accompanied by jerks
(sudden movements).
Local shear failure can be considered as a transitional phase between general shear
and punching shear. Because of the transitional nature of local shear failure, the
bearing capacity could be defined as the first major nonlinearity in the load-
settlement curve (open circle) or at the point where the settlement rapidly increases 22
(solid circle).
The vertical compression under the footing is significant
Local Shear Failure

The failure pattern is not easy to observe (unlike in the failure modes discussed
earlier). The soil outside the loaded area remains relatively uninvolved and there is
minimal movement of soil on both sides of the footing.
The process of deformation of the footing involves compression of soil directly below
the footing as well as the vertical shearing of soil around the footing perimeter.
the load settlement curve does not have a dramatic break and for punching shear,
the bearing capacity is often defined as the first major nonlinearity in the load- 23
settlement curve (open circle). A punching shear failure occurs for soils that are in a
loose or soft state.
The vertical compression under the footing is significant.
 Shallow
foundations

Deep
foundations
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4. Bearing Capacity
Equations

25
Terzaghis Method

1
Radial Active
Passive wedge wedge
wedge

26
Local Shear Failure
= 0.67 27
= tan1 0.67 tan
 Example 1: Strip footing on cohesionless soil

Friction Angle: 36 degree

Unit weight of soil: 18 kN/m3
Footing dimension: B = 2 m
Depth of foundation: Df = 1m
Factor of safety: Fb = 3

q = 1 * 18 = 18 kPa Nq = 47 Ng = 54

qu = 18 * 47 + 0.5 * 18 * 2 * 54 = 1818
qu,net = 1818-18 = 1800 kPa
qall,net = 1800/3 = 600 kPa 28

qall,net = 600 + 18 = 618 kPa

 Example 2: Strip footing on cohesive soil
Undrained shear strength : 75 kPa
Unit weight of soil: 18 kN/m3
Footing dimension: B = 2 m
Depth of foundation: Df = 1m
Factor of safety: Fb = 3
q = 1 * 18 = 18 kPa Nq = 5.7 Nq = 1 Ng = 0

qu = 75 * 5.7 + 18 * 1 = 446

qu,net = 446 - 18 = 428 kPa

qall,net = 428/3 = 143 kPa the unconfined strength (2*75 = 150 kPa) 29

qall,gross = 143 + 18 160 kPa

ECP-Part 3

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Inclination Factors

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 5. Effect of the
Groundwater Table

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 2
Zone 1

Groundwater
Zone 2 Consideration g1 d

Zone 3
B g2
Zone 4

Zone 1 g1= g1,sub q = Df g1,sub Zone 2 q = d g1,b + (Df d)g1,sub

g2= g2,sub g2= g2,sub

Zone 3 g1= g1,b q = Df g1,b Zone 4 g1= g1,b q = Df g1,b

36
g2= g2,sub+ (g2,b- g2,sub ) (d-Df )/B g2= g2,b
 37

ECP-Part 3
6. Effect of Eccentricity

38
 B - eB

B B

M1

M2

1 2
= =
39

= 2 = 2
Example 3:
For the square footing shown in the figure, determine the ultimate load
using the ECP and assuming a one-way eccentricity of 0.15 m and a
local shear failure.

B = 1.5 2*0.15 = 1.2 m

L = 1.5 m
GWT
lq = 1 + 0.3 * 1.2/1.5 = 1.24
lg = 1 - 0.3 * 1.2/1.5 = 0.76

flocal failure = tan-1 ( 0.67 * tan 30) = 21 deg.

Nq = 7 qu = 0.7 * 18 * 7* 1.24 + 8 * 1.2 * 2.5 * 0.76 = 128 kPa

Ng = 2.5 qu,net = 128 0.7 * 18 = 115 kPa
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Qu = 115 * 1.2 * 1.5 200 kN
7. Bearing Capacity of
Multi-layers Soils

41
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ECP-Part 3
Thank you

Questions ?

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