Mat Foundations
Sangam Acharya
Content:
7.1 Introduction and types
7.2 Bearing capacity and settlement
7.3 Compensated Foundation (Floating foundation)
7.4 Conventional method of analysis
7.1 Introduction and types
• A large footing (or RCC slab) which covers the entire area below a structure and
supports arrangement of all wall and column is known as mat foundation.
• A mat or raft foundation is generally used to support structures like residential or
commercial buildings where soil condition is poor, storage tanks, silos, foundations
for heavy industrial equipment is needed, etc.
• A mat foundation is preferred when:
• The soil has a low bearing capacity.
• Individual or any other foundation area would approximately cover 50% of the
total ground area beneath the structure.
• There is a possibility of differential settlement in case individual footing is
used.
• When soil strata are unpredictable and contain pockets of compressible soil.
• Basement is to be constructed.
7.1 Common types of mat foundation
1. Flat plate mat:
• Single slab of uniform thickness
provided throughout the entire area
to support all wall and columns
• Suitable for closely spaced columns
carrying small loads.
7.1 Common types of mat foundation
2. Flat slab thickened under columns
• The slab is thickened just below under each
column to resist maximum shear force and
negative bending moment.
• Used for columns subjected to very heavy
loads.
7.1 Common types of mat foundation
3. Two-way beam and slab:
• Beams are provided along column lines in
both direction and a slab is provided
between the beams.
• Columns are located at intersection of
beams.
• It is used when the column spacing is large
and carries unequal loads.
7.1 Common types of mat foundation
4. Rigid Frame mat:
• It is used when columns carry extremely heavy
loads.
• When the depth of beam exceeds 90 cm in
simple beam and slab mat, a rigid mat is
preferred.
• The basement wall acts as a deep beam
7.1 Common types of mat foundation
5. Piled raft/mat:
• If soil is highly compressible, load is extremely
high, dense layer is founded only at greater
depth or water table is high, a piled raft/mat is
made above a pile group.
7.2 Bearing capacity and settlement
1. Cohesionless soil:
The bearing capacity of a foundation on cohesionless soil depends upon the width
of footing. As the width of a mat foundation is very large, the bearing capacity is
high. The mat is therefore designed according to safe settlement criteria, except for
very loose sand (SPT N<5).
Teng 1962:
And, safe settlement pressure for a settlement of 50 mm is given by,
Where, qns and qnp are in KN/m2,
B = width of footing; Df = depth of foundation;
N = corrected SPT value; Rw1 and Rw2 = water table correction factors
7.2 Bearing capacity and settlement
1. Cohesionless soil:
It has been found that the Teng’s equation for bearing capacity based on allowable
settlement is conservative and hence it is suggested to use the relation of Peck et al
(1974),
The above equation is applicable for 5 ≤ N ≤ 50. For N<5, raft is not feasible and
sand should be compacted or deep foundations should be designed.
7.2 Bearing capacity and settlement
2. Cohesive soil:
7.2 Bearing capacity and settlement
2. Cohesive soil:
If Q is the total load imposed at the base of the raft due to dead load and live load,
and A is the area of the raft, then the gross pressure at the base is Q/A.
In terms of net bearing capacity the gross pressure is,
Hence, Factor of safety = qnu/qns
If a raft is placed at depth Df such that the weight of excavated soil becomes equal
to the gross applied load, the factor of safety becomes infinite. Such raft is known
as “ Floating foundation” or “Compensated Foundation”.
7.3 Compensated foundation (Floating
foundation)
7.3 Compensated foundation (Floating
foundation)
7.3 Compensated foundation (Floating
foundation)
• If the stress due to the load of structure is completely balanced by release of stress
by excavation, such mat is known as fully compensated foundation.
• If the stress due to the load of structure is only partially balanced by release of
stress by excavation, such mat is known as partially compensated foundation.
• However, it is theoretically possible but practically not possible to obtain fully
compensated raft due to the uncertainties involved in estimation of the load or in
the action of surcharge.
• Problems encountered in designing of a floating foundation
1. Excavation
2. Dewatering
3. Bottom heave
7.4 Conventional method of analysis
The basic assumptions of this method are:
• Foundation slab or raft is infinitely rigid as compared with the soil below. Thus, the
actual deflection of the raft does not influence the soil pressure distribution below
the raft.
• The soil pressure distribution is assumed to be uniform such that the centroid of
the soil pressure coincides with the line of action of the resultant of all loads acting
on the raft.
7.4 Conventional method of analysis
1. Calculate the line of action of all the loads acting on the raft.
2. Calculate the pressure below the mat at all points below load.
• If the resultant of all the loads acting on the raft passes through the center of
the raft, the soil pressure is given by: q = Q/A
• If the resultant of all the loads acting on the raft has an eccentricity of e x and ey
in x and y directions respectively the contact pressure is given by,
Where,
The maximum soil pressure should be less than allowable bearing pressure.
3. Divide the mat into number of beam vertically and horizontally as shown in figure and
analyze every beam separately.
4. Calculate qav below the beam.
5. Find the modified column load as shown below:
• Consider the strip carrying column load Q1, Q2 and Q3. Let x1 be the width of strip.
• Average load on strip (Qav) is given by,
)
The modified average soil pressure is given by,
The column load modification factor is given by,
Now, all the column loads for this strip are multiplied by F. Thus, for this strip the
column loads are FQ1, FQ2 and FQ3.
6. Draw shear force and bending moment diagram for the modified column load FQ 1, FQ2
and FQ3, and modified soil pressure .
7. Find the maximum bending moment and shear force.
8. Find the thickness (t) of slab and reinforcement using (BM)max and (SF)max
