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9.2. Example Problems

 Online Lecture Notes On Soil Mechanics , Shallow Foundations

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Contents [hide]
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1. Problem 9.1
2. Problem 9.2
3. Problem 9.3
4. Problem 9.4
5. Problem 9.5

Apr, 29, 2020 | Education

Foundation Design /
Problem 9.1 Construction

A square footing of width 2.25m is founded at depth of 1.5m on a sand layer which has the following shear strength
properties: c=0, φ=38͒. Determine the total ultimate bearing capacity qαστ of the footing if a) the water table is below Apr, 21, 2020 | Education
the embedment depth b) the water table is at the ground surface. Laboratory Testing

Given: Unit weight of sand above the water table; γ=1.84 t/m³

Saturated unit weight of sand: γκ=2.04 t/m³

Solution
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a) Using equation (2) for B=L and c=0
To :find out more about the cookies we use and how to delete them visit our Cookies page. Jan, 01, 2021 | Education
 7.4. Types of Retaining
Structures
From Fig.3 (b), Nγ=70, Νq=62 for φ=38͒

It is also: B=2.25m, γ=1,84 t/m³ and Df=1.5m so:

May, 29, 2019 | Education
Lime Stabilization

b) When the water table is at the ground surface, qαστ is given by:

Where:

Jul, 02, 2024 | Education

Soil Nails

Thus, in the second case, the ultimate bearing capacity is reduced by:

Problem 9.2
May, 24, 2023 | Education

9.2. Example Problems

A strip footing will transfer 80t/m at an embedment depth of 1m below the ground surface with unit weight γ=1.8 t/m³.
Shear strength properties of the soil are: c=1.5 t/m² and φ=30°. Determine the width of the footing using a factor of
safety 3 assuming shear failure.
May, 21, 2019 | Education
Solution
Borehole Logging
If B is the footing width, the ultimate bearing capacity is given by the equation (1):

From Fig.3 (b), Nγ=20, Νq=22, Nc=37 for φ =30°

It is also that: γ=1.8 t/m³, c=1.5 t/m², Df=1.0m so:

Mar, 21, 2024 | Education

CPT Interpretation: Soil

The net bearing capacity will be:
Behavior Type (SBT)

The effective stress that the footing applies to the foundation level is:

(We assume that the 80t load to be transferred includes the footing weight as well as the weight of the ground above)

Using a factor of safety of 3, then: Sep, 30, 2024 | Education

CPT Interpretation: Soil
Parameters N60, γ, su

From the solution of the equation above: B=1.82m

Problem 9.3

A 1.5m-wide strip footing is founded at a depth of 0.75m below ground level on a sand layer having unit weight of
1.8t/m³. The water table is well below the foundation level. Shear strength properties are: c=0, φ=38°. The strip footing
transfers to the soil a load of 50 t/m². Determine the factor of safety against shear failure: a) if the load is vertical b) if
load has an inclination of a=10° with respect to the vertical axis.

Solution

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a) The total ultimate bearing capacity is given by the equation (1):

From Fig.3 (b), Nγ =70, Νq=60 for φ =38͒

Net bearing capacity will be:

The effective stress that the footing transfers to the soil is:

(Assuming that the 50t/m² load to be transferred includes the footing’s weight)

The factor of safety is:

b) Ultimate bearing capacity is given by the equation:

(c=0)

where iγ, iq are the correction factors that Meyerhof recommends for the case of inclined loading:

o
(a=10 )

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To applies
The effective stress q that the footing find outto
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The factor of safety is:

Therefore, the bearing capacity was reduced by almost 33% as a result of the angle between the load and the vertical
axis.

Problem 9.4

A square footing with a width of 2.5m transfers a stress of 40 t/m² at a depth of 1m, to a sand layer. The saturated unit
weight of the sand is γκ = 2.0 t/m³, while its buoyant unit weight is γ=1.7 t/m³. Shear strength properties are: c=0,
φ=40⁰. Determine the factor of safety against shear failure for the cases:

a) The water table is 6m below the ground surface

b) The water table is 1m below the ground surface

c) The water table is at the ground surface with a vertical seepage of hydraulic gradient i=0.2

Solution

a) The water table is 6.0-1.0 = 5.0m > 2.5m below the footing base, so the bearing capacity is not affected. The total
ultimate bearing capacity is given by the equation (2) for B=L and c=0:

The effective stress that the footing applies on the foundation soil is:

(Assuming that the 40 t/m² load includes the footing weight and the weight of the soil above)

The factor of safety is:

b) The water table is located at the foundation level, so bearing capacity is given by the equation:

where,

The effective stress that the footing applies to the foundation level is the same as a) question: q=38.3 t/m²

The factor of safety will be:

c) In one-dimensional flow, the flow force per unit volume of soil is given by the equation: j = i*γw , where i is the
hydraulic gradient of the flow. Thus, a force equal to j = 0,2*1.0 = 0.2t will be applied to every unit volume (ex. 1m³).
Thus, the unit weight input in the bearing capacity equation is:

Total Ultimate bearing capacity is:

The effective stress that the footing applies on the foundation soil is:

(Assuming that the 40 t/m² load includes the footing weight and the weight of the soil above. Unit weight γκ was used
to take into account the difference between water pressure in the foundation level and the ground surface.)

Factor of safety is:

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Problem 9.5

A steel plate load test was conducted on a dense and non-cohesive sandy soil of unit weight 1.76 t/m³. The size of the
plate is 30x30 cm. From the load-settlement diagram, the curve asymptotically approaches the vertical for a 1600 kg
load. Determine the internal friction angle φ of soil.

Solution

The point where the curve approaches asymptotically towards a vertical line corresponds to the ultimate bearing
capacity of the soil. Thus, we have:

qαστ is also given by the equation 2 for c=0 and Df=0, with B=L=0.30m

From Fig.3 (b), for Nγ=98.9, the internal friction angle φ is 39.5°

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