CONSTRUCTION

TECHNOLOGY EV103

CHAP 5
FOUNDATIONS
 MAJOR BUILDING PARTS

Superstructure

Substructure

Foundation
 FOUNDATION LOADS

 Dead Load
 Live Load

 Wind Load

 Horizontal Pressure

 Structural Member Forces

 Uplift

 Earthquake

WHERE DOES IT
COME FROM??
 LOAD DISTRIBUTION

SLAB ROOF

BEAM ROOF BEAM

COLUMN

FOUNDATION
 TYPES OF FOUNDATIONS

Shallow Deep Foundations

Foundations (High cost , heavy loads, poor soils)
(low cost, light loads)

Caisson Socketed End Friction

Individual Drilled Pier Caisson bearing Pile
Combined
footings Pile
Footings

Wall
Footings Mat
Foundations
(Raft)
WHY DO WE NEED FOUNDATION??

A foundation is provided for the following purposes:

 To distribute the total load coming on the structure on a larger
area.
 To support the structures.
 To give enough stability to the structures against various
disturbing
forces, such as wind and rain.
 To prepare a level surface for concreting and masonry work.
 PRIMARY FACTORS THAT
AFFECTS FOUNDATION CHOICE

 Subsurface soil – WHY? Undisturbed soil or engineered

fill
 Ground Water Conditions – WHY?

 Structural Requirements – WHY?

 Bearing Capacity – WHY? Suitable soil bearing capacity

IMPORTANT!!!
GROUND WATER CONTROL

 Care must be taken when excavating soil

as it is possible to reach the ‘water table’
level. This point where the water level
stands naturally in the ground.

 High water ground may typically have a

lower water table.
 PROBLEM CAUSED BY SUBSOIL WATER
 Can cause problems during excavation works by its natural
tendency to fill in excavations due to “hydrostatic” pressure.
 Excessive flooding of the site (and the finished works) during wet
periods/rainy season.
 Increase in humidity around completed substructures of
buildings.
 Construction in waterlogged trenches is difficult and may result
in weakness in the substructures.
 Thus the contractor must resist the
ingress of water as much as possible
using pump.
SECONDARY FACTORS THAT AFFECTS
FOUNDATION CHOICE

 Construction access, methods & site conditions

 Environmental factors

 Building Codes & Regulations

 Impact on surrounding structures

 Construction schedule
IMPORTANT!!!
 Construction risks
 BEARING CAPACITY
It is defined as the maximum load per unit area
which the soil will resist safely without displacement.

The bearing capacity of the soil can be found by

loading the soil, noting the settlement and by dividing
the maximum load by the area on which the load is
applied.

Safe bearing capacity of soil = [Ultimate bearing

capacity of soil] / [Factor of safety].

On completion of a structure there may be some

displacement in the position of the foundation.
 TYPICAL CALCULATION

 Size of footing :
 The area of footing can be determined from the actual external
loads, such that the allowable soil pressure is not exceeded.

Total load including self - weight 

Area of footing 
allowable soil pressure
 ARTIFICIAL METHODS TO IMPROVE
BEARING CAPACITY OF SOIL

 By increasing the depth of foundation.

 By draining the sub-soil water.
 By compacting the soil.
 By confining the soil mass.
 By cement grouting.
 By injecting chemicals like silicates etc.

Essential requirements of a good foundation:

 The foundation should be so located that it is able to resist any unexpected
future influence which may adversely affect its performance.
 The foundation should be stable or safe against any possible failure.
 The foundation should not settle or deflect to such an extent that will
impair its usefulness.
 SETTLEMENT OF FOUNDATIONS

NO SETTLEMENT * TOTAL SETTLEMENT * DIFFERENTIAL SETTLEMENT

Uniform settlement is usually of little consequence in a building, but
differential settlement can cause severe structural damage
 DISTRIBUTION OF SOIL PRESSURE

Soil pressure distribution in non- Soil pressure distribution in

cohesive soil (Sandy) cohesive soil.
FOUNDATION DESIGN FOR OPTIMAL COST

Controlled by many factors:

(i) Integrated decision-making and functioning of
architects, structural engineers and foundation engineers;
(ii) Building below the water table level is costly and
sometimes damaging to the building;
(iii) Building close to an existing structure to be
avoided (any digging activity on either sites will affect one
another and can lead to costly repairs);
(iv) Column or wall load becoming more than that which
can be supported by a shallow foundation (deep foundations
are expensive);
(v) Uncertainties can be avoided by using larger
factors of safety in design of foundations over soils.
FOUNDATIONS
Shallow Foundations
 WHAT IS SHALLOW FOUNDATION?

1. Every engineering structure, whether it is a building, bridge, highway

pavement or railway track, consists of a superstructure (above
ground) and a foundation
2. The function of the foundation
is to transmit the load from the
superstructure to the soil or
rock below the foundation.

3. Df/B<1 for shallow foundations

and Df/B > 1 for deep
foundations.

Depth of foundation is LESS or

EQUAL to its width
 WHAT IS SHALLOW FOUNDATION?

 A foundation which transfers building loads to

the earth very near to the ground level
compared to deep foundation.

 A footing - below the base of the wall or column

for the purpose of distributing the structural-load
over wide area.
 SHALLOW FOUNDATION?

 The real difference between shallow and deep foundations is

based on the structural response as well as the depth to which the
foundation is taken.

 Bending (flexure) is the predominant structural action in the case of

shallow foundations.

 The behaviour of deep foundations could result in axial and lateral

loads besides bending moments and torsional moments.

 The deep foundation–soil interaction needs a detailed analysis.

 CRITICAL SECTIONS

 Shear
 Punching Shear

 Bending
DESIGN OF SHALLOW FOUNDATION
 The design of foundation system consists of two
phases. These are referred to as:
1. Geotechnical (GT) design and
2. Structural design.

 The aim of GT design essentially is to arrive at the

plan dimensions of the foundation, satisfying the
soil design parameters, bearing capacity and
settlement.

 The structural design is taken up only after its GT

design is completed, which determines the footing
thickness and also the quantum and location of
reinforcement.
 Types of Shallow
Foundations

COMBINED STRAP MAT OR RAFT

STRIP SPREAD
FOOTING FOOTING FOOTING FOUNDATION FOOTING

COMPARISON!!
IMPORTANT!!!
 1. SPREAD/PAD FOOTING

For single loads which are transmitted down a brick pier, concrete column,
the most common foundation is a square or rectangular block of concrete of
uniform thickness known as “pad” foundation.

In order to spread the load over a greater area,

it is necessary either to make the pad thicker
or used reinforced concrete.

If load increases or the bearing capacity of

the ground is poor, a larger foundation pad
will be required.
 1. SPREAD/PAD FOOTING

Stepped
footing

Sloped Single
footing footing
SPREAD
FOOTING

Wall grillage
footing foundation
 1. SPREAD/PAD FOOTING

Single Footing Single Footing

 1. SPREAD/PAD FOOTING

Wall/Strip Footing Wall/Strip Footing

A wall footing or strip footing is a

continuous strip of concrete that serves
to spread the weight of a load-bearing
wall across an area of soil
1. SPREAD/PAD FOOTING

Combination of Spread and

Strip Footing
1. SPREAD/PAD FOOTING

Typical Rebar
Arrangement

COMPARISON!!
IMPORTANT!!!
 CRITICAL SECTIONS

 Shear
 Punching Shear

 Bending
 2. COMBINED FOOTING

Combined Footing is a single footing,

which supports two columns.

When the columns are very near to

each other, so that their footing
overlap.

Centre of gravity (CG) of the footing

area should coincide with the C.G. of
the combined loads of the two
columns.

A combined footing may be

rectangular or trapezoidal in plan.
 2. COMBINED FOOTING
 Constructed when two columns are close together
it is sometimes necessary or convenient to
combine their footings to form a continuous base.

 Shape of footing may be rectangular or

trapezoidal.

 Trapezoidal disadvantage – detailing and cutting

of varying lengths of rebar.

 This type of footing is adopted when the space

between two columns is so small that the
foundation for individual columns will overlap.
2. COMBINED FOOTING

COMPARISON!!
IMPORTANT!!!

Typical Rebar
Arrangement
 3. STRAP FOOTING
 Are used when base for an exterior column must
not project beyond the property line.
 Constructed between the exterior footing and the
adjacent interior footing – basically to restrain
the overturning force due to the eccentric load on
the exterior footing.
 Beam does not stand

On the soil.
 3. STRAP FOOTING

Strap Footing• A strap footing consists of two or more footing of

individual columns, connected by a beam,

The strap beam, connecting the spread footing of the two

columns, does not remain in contact with soil and thus does not
transfer any pressure to the soil.
3. STRAP FOOTING

COMPARISON!!
IMPORTANT!!!

Typical Rebar
Arrangement
3. STRAP FOOTING

COMPARISON!!
IMPORTANT!!!
 4. MAT/RAFT FOUNDATION

A Raft or mat is a combined footing, which

covers the entire area below the whole building
or structure and supports all the wall and
columns.•

Raft foundation consists of thick reinforced

concrete slab covering the entire area of the
bottom of the building or structure like a floor

When the allowable soil pressure is low for

a lightly loaded buildings that allow a little
settlement.
 4. MAT/RAFT FOUNDATION

 A raft foundation transmits the loads to the ground by

means of a reinforced concrete slab that is continuous
over the base of the structure.
 Covers whole of the floor and wall area of the
structure, thus the floor slab is generally thickned out
substantially under all the walls and loads from walls
are subsequently transferred into the whole slab.

 The raft is able to span over any areas of weaker soil

and it spreads the loads over a wide area.
 Common area – (i) settlement problem area – WHY?
(ii) Heavy and closely spaced footings
 4. MAT/RAFT FOUNDATION

A raft foundation is basically a slab of concrete

containing a steel reinforcement to prevent cracking
and with a toe or thickening at each end, normally
sitting on top of the ground. It is a foundation and
ground floor slab combined.
4. MAT/RAFT FOUNDATION
 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF
USING SHALLOW FOUNDATION

1. ADVANTAGES OF USING SHALLOW FOUNDATION

1- Cost (affordable)
2- Construction Procedure (simple)
3- Materials (mostly concrete)
4- Labor (does not need expertise)

2. DISADVANTAGES OF USING SHALLOW FOUNDATION

1- Settlement
2- Limit Capacity * Soil * Structure
3- Irregular ground surface (slope, retaining wall)
4- Foundation subjected to pullout, torsion, moment.
 TYPICAL FAILURE OF FOUNDATIONS

 Strip foundations can fail due to cracking at their

base induced by bending of the foundations, or
due to shear cracking when it becomes
overloaded.
 SOLUTION??

 Foundation can be reinforced by inserting rebars.

This will reduce the tendency of the foundation to
crack or bend.
Thank You

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