Foundations

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 Definition

Foundation (substructure) of a building is the

part of the structure which is in direct contact
with the ground to which the loads are safely
transmitted.

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 Purpose of Foundation
• To distribute the load of the structure over a large bearing area so as to bring the
intensity of load within the safe bearing capacity of soil.

• To load the bearing surface at a uniform rate to avoid differential settlement.

• To prevent the lateral movement of supporting material.

• To attain a level and firm bed for building operations.

• To increase the stability of the structure as a whole.

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 Bearing capacity of Soil P (Load)
Foundations should be designed to satisfy two essential
conditions
(i) It must have specified safety against ultimate
failure
(ii) The settlement under working loads should not
exceed the allowable limits for the superstructure
Bearing Capacity = The supporting power of a soil.
The bearing capacity of soil is determined on the basis of
the above two criteria
• Ultimate Bearing Capacity (UBC): Maximum load per
unit area (pressure intensity), which the soil will resist
safely without failure or Minimum load per unit area
(pressure intensity) at which soil fails in shear Bearing
• Safe bearing capacity: The maximum pressure which Area, Ab
Pressure
the soil can carry safely without the risk of shear Intensity (q)
failure 4
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 Bearing capacity of soil (contd.)
• Type of soil and its physical properties such as density, shear strength etc.

• Amount of allowable total and differential settlement.

• Position of ground water table.

• Physical features of foundation such as : Type, Size, Shape, Depth, Rigidity

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 Methods of determining bearing capacity

• Analytical Methods (Terzaghi Analysis, Meyerhoff Method)

• In-situ tests
• Direct determination
Plate Load Test

• Indirect determination
Standard Penetration Test (SPT)
Cone Penetration Test (CPT)
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Plate Load Test (IS 1888) Standard Penetration Test (ASTM D 1586/IS 2131)

The resistance is empirically correlated with some of the

engineering properties of soil such as density, bearing
capacity etc. 7
 Methods of improving bearing capacity
1. Increasing the depth of foundation

2. Compaction of Soil

3. Drainage of water from Soil

4. Confining the soil

5. Grouting

6. Chemical Treatment

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 Types of Foundation: Shallow and Deep

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 Shallow Foundation

Foundation systems consisting of Monolithic concrete foundation

footings under the building’s entire footprint

Slab-on-ground
Strip footings foundation

Isolated footings Mat foundation

Combined footing Raft foundation

Grillage Foundation 10
Strip Footings - Load Bearing Walls

Simple Footing Stepped Footing

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 Strip - Stepped Foundation

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Isolated Footings

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Infinite Corridor – Foundation Construction Sequence

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Combined Footing

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 Grillage Foundation

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Grillage foundation for Steel Columns Grillage foundation for Walls 18
Slab-on-ground foundation

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Mat Foundation

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Raft Foundation (Type of Mat Foundation)

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 Deep Foundations
Piles Piers Caissons

Steel Reinforced Concrete

Timber

Pre-Cast Concrete
Elements

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 Piles and Piers

Piles Piers

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 Purpose of Deep Foundation
• Deep foundations are used where shallow foundations cannot be used because
the pressure imposed by the structural elements is too large (e.g., under the
columns of a tall building) for the soil’s bearing capacity at shallow depths.

• Deep foundations are also used in low-rise, lightly loaded buildings in situations
where the soil near the surface is unstable.

• Because the settlement of deep foundation systems is relatively small, deep

foundations are also used in buildings that house items or instruments sensitive
to even small amounts of settlement, which is likely to occur in shallow
foundations.

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Driven Piles

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Pile Action

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 Steel Piles

Hollow Piles H- Piles

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 Pre-Cast Concrete Piles

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Wooden Piles

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Pile Caps

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 Pile Driving

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Drilled Piers

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 Cast in-situ Concrete piers

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Pier Action

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Construction of Piers

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Casting sequence of driller piers/piles

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The use of a tremmie for placing concrete into a
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pier hole.
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 Driven Piles v/s Drilled Piers
Piles
• Piles are ideally suited for marine and coastal sites, where drilled piers are not suitable
because of the presence of water, a high water table, or the presence of a sandy soil
with cave-in potential.
• Piles can be used immediately, with no wait time for the concrete to cure.
• However, pile driving is noisy and requires heavier equipment. It also disturbs the
surrounding area with vibrations caused by the driving operations.
Piers
• Piers are particularly suited for urban locations where vibrations and noise from pile
driving are unacceptable.
• They can cast for larger diameter to support relatively higher load than a pile.
• Alignment is ensured. 39
 Well Foundation (Caisson)

Caisson is a cylinder or hollow box that is sunk into the ground to a specified depth
by auguring a deep hole into the strata. The cylinder or box is then back filled with
concrete, thus creating the foundation.

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References
1. M. Mehta, W. Scarborough and D. Armpriest, Building Construction- Principles, Materials and
Systems, Pearson Education, Inc..
2. B. Punmia, A. K. Jain and A. K. Jain, Building Construction, Laxmi Publications (P) Ltd..

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