Bearing Capacity of

Foundation
Prof. E.Saibaba Reddy
B.Tech, M.E.(Hons) Roorkee, Ph.D (Nottingham, UK)
Post Doc,(Halifax Canada), Post Doc (Birmingham UK)
&
Eadala Rakesh Reddy
B.Tech (JNTUH), M.Tech (VSSUT-Gold Medal),

4
(Ph.D)- Andhra University-DST-Inspire Fellow
Chief Consultant –EE Engineering Construction Services
 Reference
s Code Requirements
ACI 318M-14Building
for Structural Concrete ( ACI 318M -14) and
Commentary, American Concrete Institute,
ISBN 978-0-87031-283-0.
Bowles , J.,E.,(1996) “Foundation Analysis and
Design” -5th ed. McGraw-Hill, ISBN 0-07-
912247-7.
Das, B., M. (2012), “ Principles of Foundation
Engineering ” Eighth Edition, CENGAGE
Learning,
ISBN-13: 978-1-305-08155-0.
2
 Bearing Capacity of
Foundation
The soil must be capable of carrying
the loads from any engineered
structure placed upon it without a
shear failure and with the resulting
settlements being tolerable for that
structure.
This lecture will be concerned with
evaluation of the limiting shear
resistance, or ultimate bearing
capacity quSt of the soil under a
3
foundation load.
 Bearing Capacity of Foundation

It is necessary to investigate
both base shear resistance
and settlements for any
structure.
In many cases settlement criteria
will control the allowable bearing
capacity; however, there are also
a number of cases where base
shear (in which a base punches 4

into the ground - usually with a

 Bearing Capacity of
Foundation
Structures such as liquid storage
tanks and mats are often founded on
soft soils, which are usually more
susceptible to base shear failure than
to settlement.
Base shear control, to avoid a
combination base punching with
rotation into the soil, is often of
more concern than settlement for
these foundation types.
5
 Allowable Bearing
Capacity
The recommendation for the
allowable bearing capacity qaSS to
be used for design is based on the
minimum of either :
1.Limiting the settlement to a
tolerable amount
2.The ultimate bearing capacity, which
considers soil strength, as computed
in the following sections
6
 Allowable Bearing
Capacity
The allowable bearing capacity
based on shear control qaSS is
obtained by reducing (or dividing)
the ultimate bearing capacity quSt
(based on soil strength) by a
safety factor SF thatq ult is (2-
deemed
qaSS = S.F
adequate to avoid a base 1) shear
The safety factor is based on the type of soil
failure to
(cohesive obtain
or cohesionless), reliability of the
soil
parameters, structural information (importance,
use, etc.), and consultant caution.
7
 Allowable Bearing
Capacity
Most building codes provide
an allowable settlement limit
for a foundation, which may
be well below the settlement
derived
corresponding to qaSS given by
equations( 2-1). Thus, the bearing
capacity corresponding to the
allowable settlement must also be
taken into consideration.
8
 BEARING-CAPACITY
EQUATIONS
Terzaghi’s Bearing Capacity Theory
Terzaghi (1943) was the first to present a
comprehensive theory for the evaluation
of the ultimate bearing capacity of rough
shallow foundations. According to this
theory, a foundation is shallow if its
depth, Df (Figure slid 11), is less than or
equal to its width. Later investigators,
however, have suggested that foundations
with Df equal to 3 to 4 times their width
may be defined as shallow foundations.
9
 BEARING-CAPACITY
EQUATIONS
Terzaghi’s Bearing Capacity Theory
Terzaghi suggested that for a continuous, or
strip, foundation (i.e., one whose width-to-
length ratio approaches zero), the failure
surface in soil at ultimate load may be
assumed to be similar to that shown in
Figure on Slide 11.
The effect of soil above the bottom
of the foundation may also be assumed
to be replaced by an equivalent surcharge, q = y ∗ Dƒ

(where y is the unit weight of 10

soil).
 BEARING-CAPACITY
EQUATIONS
Terzaghi’s Bearing Capacity Theory
The failure zone under the
foundation can be separated
into three parts (see Figure 4.6):
1.The triangular zone ACD
immediately under the foundation
2.The radial shear zones ADF and
CDE, with the curves DE and DF
being arcs of a
logarithmic spiral
3.Two triangular Rankine passive 11

zones AFH and CEG

 BEARING-CAPACITY
EQUATIONS
Terzaghi’s Bearing Capacity Theory
The angles CAD and ACD are assumed to
be equal to the soil friction angle ∅u.
Note that, with the replacement of the soil
above the bottom of the foundation by
an equivalent surcharge q, the shear
resistance of the soil along the
failure surfaces GI and HJ was neglected.

12
 BEARING-CAPACITY
EQUATIONS
Terzaghi’s Bearing
Capacity Theory

Dr. Abdulmannan Orabi IUST 13

 BEARING-CAPACITY
EQUATIONS
Terzaghi’s Bearing
Capacity Theory

14
 BEARING-CAPACITY
EQUATIONS
Terzaghi’s Bearing Capacity Theory
The ultimate bearing capacity, quSt, of
the foundation now can be obtained by
considering the equilibrium of
the triangular wedge ACD shown in Figure
below

15
BEARING-CAPACITY
EQUATIONS

16
BEARING CAPACITY EQUATIONS
As per IS 6403:1981
BEARING CAPACITY EQUATIONS
BEARING CAPACITY EQUATIONS
Types of Failure in Soil
General Shear Failure
Local Shear Failure
Punching Shear Failure
Punching Shear Failure
Modes of Failure in Sand
Effect of Water Table on Bearing Capacity

31
Effect of Water Table on Bearing Capacity
Effect of Water Table on Bearing Capacity
Effect of Water Table on Bearing Capacity
Effect of Water Table on Bearing Capacity
Effect of Water Table on Bearing Capacity
Foundation Settlements
Foundation Settlements
Foundation Settlements
Foundation Settlements
Foundation Settlements
Foundation Settlements
Foundation Settlements
Foundation Settlements
Foundation Settlements
Plate Load Test
Plate Load Test
Plate Load Test
Plate Load Test
Plate Load Test
Plate Load Test
Plate Load Test
Plate Load Test
Bearing Capacity From SPT
Bearing Capacity From SPT
Bearing Capacity From SPT
Effect of Footing Size on Settlements
Bearing Capacity From SPT
BEARING-CAPACITY of Mat
Foundation
The net allowable soil
bearing capacity q uSt(net)
qaSS (net) =
S. F

For mats on clay, the factor of safety

should not be less than 3 under dead
load or maximum live load.
Under most working conditions, the
factor of safety against bearing
capacity failure of mats on sand is
very large. 61
BEARING-CAPACITY of Mat
Foundation
Bearing Capacity from SPT

The net allowable bearing capacity for mats

constructed over granular soil deposits can
be adequately determined from the
standard penetration resistance numbers
N55 Se (nn)
qaSS (net) = Fd
0.08 25
Se (n n )
qaSS (net) = 16.63 N55
25

62
Foundations on Sloped Ground
Foundations on Sloped Ground
Foundations in Adjacent Structures