Session 7 – 8

SETTLEMENT OF SHALLOW FOUNDATION

 SHALLOW FOUNDATION
Topic:
• General
• Immediate Settlement
• Consolidation Settlement
 GENERAL
The settlement of shallow foundation may be divided into three
broad categories:
1. Immediate settlement, which is caused by the elastic
deformation of dry soil and of moist and saturated soils
without any change in the moisture content. Immediate
settlement are generally based on equations derived from
the elasticity theory
2. Primary consolidation settlement, which is the result of a
volume change in saturated cohesive soils because of
expulsion of the water that occupies the void spaces.
3. Secondary consolidation settlement, which is observed in
saturated cohesive soils and is the result of the plastic
adjustment of soil particles.

This course will focus at immediate and primary consolidation settlement only.
IMMEDIATE SETTLEMENT
 IMMEDIATE SETTLEMENT

General Equation (Harr, 1966)

• Flexibel Foundation
• At the corner of foundation Se 
B.qo
Es
 
1   s2

2
• At the center of foundation
Se 
B.qo
Es

1   s2  
• Average
Se 
B.qo
Es

1   s2 av 
1   1  m 2  m   1  m 2  1  L
  ln  m. ln 
; m ; H=
   1  m 2  m   1  m 2  1 
  B

• Rigid Foundation

Se 
B.qo
Es

1   s2 r 
Es = Modulus of elasticity of soil
B = Foundation width L = Foundation length
IMMEDIATE SETTLEMENT
 IMMEDIATE SETTLEMENT

If Df = 0 and H < , the elastic settlement of foundation can

be determined from the following formula:

Se 
B.qo
Es

1  s
2
  
2

1   s2 F1  1   s  2 s2 F2   (corner of rigid foundation)

Se 
B.qo
Es
     
1   s2 1   s2 F1  1   s  2 s2 F2 (corner of flexible foundation)

The variations of F1 and F2 with H/B are given in the graphs of next slide
IMMEDIATE SETTLEMENT
IMMEDIATE SETTLEMENT
EXAMPLE

Problem:
A foundation is 1 m x 2 m in plan and carries a net load per unit area,
qo = 150 kN/m2. Given, for the soil, Es = 10,000 kN/m2, s 0.3. Assuming
the foundation to be flexible, estimate the elastic settlement at the
center of the foundation for the following conditions:
a. Df = 0 and H = 
b. Df = 0 and H = 5 m
EXAMPLE
Solution:
Part a.
Se 
B.qo
Es
 
1   s2 

For L/B = 2/1 = 2    1.53, so

Se 
(1)(150)
10,000
 
1  0.32 (1.53)  0.0209m  20.9mm

Part b.

Se 
B'.qo
Es
     
1   s2 1   s2 F1  1   s  2  s2 F2

For L’/B’ = 2, and H/B’ = 10  F1  0.638 and F2  0.033, so

Se 
(0.5)(150)
10,000
     
1  0.32 1  0.32 (0.638)  1  0.3  2(0.3) 2 (0.033) x 4  0.0163m  16.3mm
 IMMEDIATE SETTLEMENT

General Equation (Bowles, 1982)

1   s2
S e  qo .B'. .F1 M
L'
Es B'

1  
1  M2  1 M2  N2 
M  M2  1 1  N2  
 
F1  M . ln  ln  H
  N
M 1 M  N 1
2 2
M  M  N  1 
2 2
B'

Es = Modulus of elasticity of soil

H = effective layer thickness, ex. 2 - 4B below foundation

L B
At the center of Foundation L'  B'  and F1 time by 4
2 2

At the corner of Foundation L'  L B'  B and F1 time by 1

IMMEDIATE SETTLEMENT

• For saturated clay soil

qo .B
S e  A1 . A 2
Es
IMMEDIATE SETTLEMENT

• For sandy soil

 
z2
Iz
S e  C1 .C2 q  q  z
0 Es

where:
• Iz = factor of strain influence
• C1 = correction factor to thickness of embedment
foundation = 1 – 0.5x[q/(q-q)]
• C2 = correction factor due to soil creep
= 1+0,2.log(t/0,1)
• t = time in years
• q = stress caused by external load
• q =  . Df
IMMEDIATE SETTLEMENT

Young Modulus

Circle Foundation or L/B =1

z=0  Iz = 0.1
z = z1 = 0,5 B  Iz = 0.5
z = z2 = 2B  Iz = 0.0

Foundation with L/B ≥ 10

z=0  Iz = 0.2
z = z1 = B  Iz = 0.5
z = z2 = 4B  Iz = 0.0
EXAMPLE

A shallow foundation 3 m x 3 m (as shown in the following drawing). The subgrade is

sandy soil with Young modulus varies based on N-SPT value (use the following correlation:
Es = 766N)

Determine the settlement

occur in 5 years (use strain
influence method)
EXAMPLE
 EXAMPLE

Depth z Es Iz Iz
z
Es
(m) (m) (kN/m2) (average) (m3/kN)
0.0 – 1.0 1.0 8000 0.233 0.291 x 10-4
1.0 – 1.5 0.5 10000 0.433 0.217 x 10-4
1.5 – 4.0 2.5 10000 0.361 0.903 x 10-4
4.0 – 6.0 2.0 16000 0.111 0.139 x 10-4
 1.55 x 10-4
 q   17.8x1.5   t   5 
C1  1  0.5   1  0.5   0.9 C2  1  0.2. log    1  0.2. log    1.34
 q  q   160  17.8 x1.5   0.1   0.1 

 
2B
Iz
S e  C1.C2 . q  q  .z
0 Es
S e  (0.9)(1.34)(160  17.8 x1.5)(1.55 x10  4 )
S e  24.8mm
CONSOLIDATION SETTLEMENT
CONSOLIDATION SETTLEMENT

• Normal Consolidation
po  p
pc  po or
pc
1 Sc 
Cc
.Hc . log
po 1  eo po

• Over consolidation
pc  po or
pc
1
po

po + p < pc Cs p  p
Sc  .Hc . log o
1  eo po
Cs p Cc p  p
po < pc < po+p Sc  .Hc . log c  .Hc . log o
1  eo po 1  eo pc
CONSOLIDATION SETTLEMENT

where:
• eo = initial void ratio
• Cc = compression index
• Cs = swelling index
• pc = preconsolidation pressure
• po = average effective pressure on the clay layer before the construction of the
foundation
=  ’.z
• p = average increase of pressure on the clay layer caused by the foundation
construction and other external load, which can be determine using method of 2:1,
Boussinesq, Westergaard or Newmark.
Alternatively, the average increase of pressure (p) may be approximated by:

p  pt  4pm  pb 

1
6
pt = the pressure increase at the top of the clay layer
pm = the pressure increase at the middle of the clay layer
pb = the pressure increase at the bottom of the clay layer
CONSOLIDATION SETTLEMENT
EXAMPLE
A foundation 1m x 2m in plan is shown in the following figure.
Estimate the consolidation settlement of the foundation.
Assume the clay is normally consolidated.
EXAMPLE

Cc po  p
Sc  .Hc . log
1  eo po

po = (2.5)(16.5) + (0.50)(17.5-10) +(1.25)(16-10) = 52.5 kN/m2

qo .B.L
p  2:1 method
B  z L  z 
150.1.2
p   13.45 kN / m 2
1  3.252  3.25

0.32 52.5  13.45

Sc  2.5 x log  44 mm
1  0.8 52.5
ALLOWABLE SETTLEMENT