Civil Engineering Department: Foundation Engineering (ECIV 4052)

Chapter 7: Settlement of Shallow Foundations

Introduction
The settlement of a shallow foundation can be divided into two major
categories:
(a) elastic, or immediate settlement and
(b) consolidation settlement.

Immediate, or elastic settlement

Immediate, or elastic settlement of a foundation takes place during or
immediately after the construction of the structure.

Consolidation settlement
Consolidation settlement occurs over time. Pore water is extruded from the
void spaces of saturated clayey soils submerged in water. The total
settlement of a foundation is the sum of the elastic settlement and the
consolidation settlement.
Consolidation settlement comprises two phases: primary and secondary.
The fundamentals of primary consolidation settlement were explained in
detail in Chapter 2.
Secondary consolidation settlement occurs after the completion of primary
consolidation caused by slippage and reorientation of soil particles under
a sustained load. Primary consolidation settlement is more significant than
secondary settlement in inorganic clays and silty soils. However, in organic
soils, secondary consolidation settlement is more significant.

Elastic Settlement of Shallow Foundation on Saturated Clay

(𝝁𝒔 = 0.5)
The average settlement of flexible foundations on saturated clay soils
(Poisson’s ratio, 𝜇𝑠 = 0.5).

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Civil Engineering Department: Foundation Engineering (ECIV 4052)

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Example 7.1
See example 7.1 in textbook, page 340.

Elastic Settlement in Granular Soil

Settlement Based on the Theory of Elasticity

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To calculate settlement at the centre of the foundation, use:

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Civil Engineering Department: Foundation Engineering (ECIV 4052)

To calculate settlement at a corner of the foundation, use:

The elastic settlement of a rigid foundation can be estimated as:

Due to the nonhomogeneous nature of soil deposits, the magnitude of Es

may vary with depth. For that reason, Bowles (1987) recommended using
a weighted average of Es:

Example 7.2
See example 7.1 in textbook, page 309.

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Civil Engineering Department: Foundation Engineering (ECIV 4052)

Settlement of Sandy Soil: Use of Strain Influence Factor

The recommended variation of the strain influence factor Iz for square

(L/B =1) or circular foundations and for foundations with L/B = 10.

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Civil Engineering Department: Foundation Engineering (ECIV 4052)

Note that the maximum value of Iz [ that is, Iz(m) ] occurs at z = z1 and
then reduces to zero at z = z2. The maximum value of Iz can be calculated
as:

where qc = cone penetration resistance

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Civil Engineering Department: Foundation Engineering (ECIV 4052)

Substitute in the equation of Se in order to get the elastic settlement of

sandy soil.

Settlement of Foundation on Sand Based on Standard Penetration

Resistance (Meyerhof Method)
Meyerhof proposed a correlation for the net bearing pressure for
foundations with the standard penetration resistance, N60. The net pressure
has been defined as:

According to Meyerhof’s theory, for 25 mm (1 in.) of estimated maximum

settlement:
In English units:

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Civil Engineering Department: Foundation Engineering (ECIV 4052)

In SI units:

where
Se = settlement, in mm.
N60 = the standard penetration resistance between the bottom of the
foundation and 2B below the bottom.

Later, Meyerhof (1965) suggested that the net allowable bearing pressure
should be increased by about 50%. Bowles (1977) proposed that the
modified form of the bearing equations be expressed as:

In SI units:

where B is in meters and Se is in mm.

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Civil Engineering Department: Foundation Engineering (ECIV 4052)

Example 7.7
See example 7.7 in textbook, page 328.

Effect of the Rise of Water Table on Elastic Settlement

Terzaghi suggested that the submergence of soil mass reduces the soil
stiffness by about half, which in turn doubles the settlement.
In most cases of foundation design, it is considered that, if the ground water
table is located 1.5B to 2B below the bottom of the foundation, it will not
have any effect on the settlement.

The total elastic settlement (S’e) due to the rise of the ground water table
can be given as:

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Civil Engineering Department: Foundation Engineering (ECIV 4052)

The following are some empirical relationships for Cw:

Example 7.9
See example 7.9 in textbook, page 335.

Consolidation Settlement
Primary Consolidation Settlement
Consolidation settlement occurs over time in saturated clayey soils
subjected to an increased load caused by construction of the foundation.

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On the basis of the one-dimensional consolidation settlement equations

are:

𝜎′𝑜 + ∆𝜎′𝑎𝑣 > 𝜎′𝑐

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Civil Engineering Department: Foundation Engineering (ECIV 4052)

Correlations for Cc and Cs

∆𝑒
𝐶𝑐 =
log⁡(𝜎2 /𝜎1 )
𝜎1 = 𝜎′𝑜
1
𝜎2 = 𝜎′𝑜 + ∆𝜎′𝑎𝑣 = 𝜎′𝑜 + (∆𝜎 ′ 𝑡 + 4∆𝜎 ′ 𝑚 + ∆𝜎′𝑏 )
6
𝐶𝑐 = 0.009(𝐿𝐿 − 10)
1 1
𝐶𝑠 = ( − ) 𝐶𝑐
5 10

Secondary Consolidation Settlement

At the end of primary consolidation (i.e., after the complete dissipation of
excess pore water pressure) some settlement is observed that is due to the
plastic adjustment of soil fabrics. This stage of consolidation is called
secondary consolidation.
A plot of deformation against the logarithm of time during secondary
consolidation is practically linear as shown in the figure below.
The magnitude of the secondary consolidation can be calculated as:

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where
C’α = Cα / (1+ ep) (varies between 0.0005 to 0.001)
ep = void ratio at the end of primary consolidation
Hc = thickness of clay layer

From the figure, the secondary compression index can be defined as:

where
Cα = secondary compression index
∆e = change of void ratio
t1, t2 = time

Secondary consolidation settlement is more important in the case of all

organic and highly compressible inorganic soils. In overconsolidated
inorganic clays, the secondary compression index is very small and of less
practical significance.

Example 7.11
See example 7.11 in textbook, page 343.

Field Load Test (Plate Load Test)

The ultimate load-bearing capacity of a foundation, as well as the allowable
bearing capacity based on tolerable settlement considerations, can be
effectively determined from the field load test, generally referred to as the
plate load test.
The plates that are used for tests in the field are usually made of steel and
are 25 mm (1 in.) thick and occasionally, square plates that are 305 mm X
305 mm (12 in. X 12 in.) are used.

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To conduct a plate load test, a hole is excavated with a minimum diameter

of 4B (B is the diameter of the test plate) to a depth of Df, the depth of the
proposed foundation.
The plate is placed at the centre of the hole, and a load that is about 1/4 to
1/5 of the estimated ultimate load is applied to the plate in steps by means
of a jack.
During each step of the application of the load, the settlement of the plate
is observed on dial gauges. At least one hour is allowed to elapse between
each application. The test should be conducted until failure, or at least until
the plate has gone through 25 mm (1 in.) of settlement.

For tests in clay:

where
qu(Fd) = ultimate bearing capacity of the proposed foundation
qu(Pd) = ultimate bearing capacity of the test plate

For tests in sandy soils:

where
BF = width of the foundation
BP = width of the test plate
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The allowable bearing capacity of a foundation, based on settlement

considerations and for a given intensity of load, qo, is:

Problems
Problem (1)
Find the size of the square footing, using Bowles theory, that carry
allowable load of 1000 KN, given that:
N60 = 10
Se(all) = 25 mm

Solution:
The load is relatively large, so assume that B > 1.22 m
𝑁60 𝐵 + 0.3 𝑆𝑒
𝑞𝑛𝑒𝑡(𝑎𝑙𝑙) = ( ) 𝐹𝑑 ( )
0.08 𝐵 25
𝑁60 𝐵 + 0.3 1.5 𝑆𝑒
𝑞𝑛𝑒𝑡(𝑎𝑙𝑙) = ( ) (1 + 0.33× ) ( )
0.08 𝐵 𝐵 25
1000 10 𝐵 + 0.3 1.5 25
= ( ) (1 + 0.33× ⁡) ( )
𝐵2 0.08 𝐵 𝐵 25
Solving the previous equation for B:
B = 2.3 m

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Civil Engineering Department: Foundation Engineering (ECIV 4052)

Problem (2)
Refer to the following figure, determine the average stress increase in the
clay layer below the centre of the foundation due to the net foundation load
of 50 ton. After that, determine the primary consolidation settlement for
the clay layer.
Solution:

First of all, you have to determine the average stress in the clay layer below
the centre of the foundation, and then you can calculate the settlement using
the appropriate equation:
𝐻2 𝐼𝑎(𝐻2 ) − 𝐻1 𝐼𝑎(𝐻1 )
∆𝜎𝑎𝑣 = 4𝑞𝑜 [ ]
𝐻2 − 𝐻1
𝑄 50
𝑞𝑜 = = = 2⁡𝑡𝑜𝑛/𝑓𝑡 2 = 4409.2⁡𝑝𝑠𝑓
𝐴 5×5
𝐵′ 𝐵/2 5/2
𝑚2 = = = = 0.83
𝐻1 𝐻1 3
𝐿′ 𝐿/2 5/2
𝑛2 = = = = 0.83
𝐻1 𝐻1 3
𝐼𝑎(𝐻1 ) = 0.21 (Figure 6.11, page 280 in textbook)

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Civil Engineering Department: Foundation Engineering (ECIV 4052)

𝐵′ 𝐵/2 5/2
𝑚2 = = = = 0.23
𝐻2 𝐻2 11
𝐿′ 𝐿/2 5/2
𝑛2 = = = = 0.23
𝐻2 𝐻2 11
𝐼𝑎(𝐻1 ) = 0.11 (Figure 6.11, page 280 in textbook)
(11)(0.21) − (3)(0.11)
∆𝜎𝑎𝑣 = 4(4409.2) [ ] = 1278.67⁡𝑝𝑠𝑓
11 − 3
𝜎𝑐 = 2000⁡𝑝𝑠𝑓
𝜎𝑜 = 100×4.5 + (122 − 62.4)×3 + 4(120 − 62.4) = 859.2⁡𝑝𝑠𝑓
𝜎𝑜 + ∆𝜎𝑎𝑣 = 859.2 + 1278.67⁡𝑝𝑠𝑓
Note that:
𝜎𝑜 < 𝜎𝑐 < 𝜎𝑜 + ∆𝜎𝑎𝑣
So that:
𝐶𝑠 𝐻𝑐 𝜎𝑐 𝐶𝑐 𝐻𝑐 𝜎𝑜 + ∆𝜎𝑎𝑣
𝑆𝑐 = log ( ) + log ( )
1 + 𝑒𝑜 𝜎𝑜 1 + 𝑒𝑜 𝜎𝑐
0.06×8 2000 0.25×8 2137.87
𝑆𝑐 = log ( )+ log ( )
1 + 0.7 859.2 1 + 0.7 2000
𝑆𝑐 = 0.137⁡𝑓𝑡 = 1.65⁡𝑖𝑛

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Civil Engineering Department: Foundation Engineering (ECIV 4052)

Problem (3)
Refer to the following figure, the net load per unit area at the level
foundation is 3200 Ib/ft2. Assume that the foundation is rigid, determine
the elastic settlement that the foundation will undergo based on the theory
of elasticity.
Solution:

Solution:
𝐿 10
𝑚′ = = = 1.54
𝐵 6.5
𝐻 𝐻 32
𝑛′ = ′ = = = 9.85
𝐵 𝐵/2 6.5/2
𝐹1 = 0.5874 (Table 7.2, page 305 in textbook)
𝐹2 = 0.0247 (Table 7.3, page 307 in textbook)
1 − 2𝜇𝑠
𝐼𝑠 = 𝐹1 +
1 − 𝜇𝑠
1 − 2(0.3)
𝐼𝑠 = 0.5874 + = 0.016
1 − (0.3)
𝐷𝑓 𝐿
𝐼𝑓 = 𝑓 ( , 𝜇𝑠 , ) = 0.828 (Table 7.4, page 309 in textbook)
𝐵 𝐵

𝑞𝑜 𝐵′ 𝛼
𝑆𝑒(𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑥𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒,𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟) = (1 − 𝜇𝑠2 )𝐼𝑠 𝐼𝑓
𝐸𝑠
𝑞𝑜 𝐵′ 𝛼
𝑆𝑒(𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑥𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒,𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟) = (1 − 𝜇𝑠2 )𝐼𝑠 𝐼𝑓
𝐸𝑠

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Civil Engineering Department: Foundation Engineering (ECIV 4052)

3200 6.5
( ) ( 2 ) (4)
𝑆𝑒(𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑥𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒,𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟) = 6.5×10 (1 − 0.32 )(0.016)(0.828)
(3200)
= 0.4914⁡𝑖𝑛
𝑆𝑒(𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑑) = 0.93×𝑆𝑒(𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑥𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒,𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟)
𝑆𝑒(𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑑) = 0.93×(0.4914) = 0.457⁡𝑖𝑛

Problem (4)
For the following figure, determine the settlement of the foundation shown.
Solution:

Solution:
𝐻 3
= =2
𝐵 1.5
𝐿 3
= =2
𝐵 1.5
𝐴1 = 0.66 (Figure 7.1, page 300 in textbook)
𝐷𝑓 1.2
= = 0.8
𝐵 1.5
𝐴2 = 0.93 (Figure 7.1, page 300 in textbook)
𝑞𝑜 𝐵
𝑆𝑒 = 𝐴1 𝐴2
𝐸𝑠
(150)(1.5)
𝑆𝑒 = (0.66)(0.93) = 0.230175⁡𝑐𝑚
(600)

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