Long-term settlementof a raft Proc.

Insfn
foundation on sand
F. R. Lopes, 0. S. N . Souza and J. E. S. Soares
H The Paper describesdesign considerations
and long-termsettlement observations for
a large structure for diesel power gener-
ators founded on a medium-dense sand
with shell fragments. The subsoil was
investigated by dynamic standard pen-
etration tests (SPTs),cross-hole and
laboratory tests. The observedsettle-
ments of the foundation, a box-type raft,
compare well withthose predicted on the
basis ofSF’T values if the settlements 3
years after the completion of construction
are considered. The measurement records
show that a considerable part ofthe total
settlement occurred inthese 3 years.
Introduction
A new building was needed at the Angra
Nuclear Power Plant in the Stateof Rio de
civ. Engrs
Geotech. Engng.
1994, 107, Jan..
11-16
Ground Panel
Paper 10222
(SPT) values were observed to constitute the Written discussion
beach sand stratum. These were (in order
of closes
descent) 15 March 1994
(Q) fine-to-medium sand, with shell fragments
and N = 22 (sand 1)
( b ) fine silty sand, with many shell fragments
and R = 6 (sand 2)
(c) medium-to-coarse sand, with many shell
fragments and = 8 (sand 3).
The grain-size distributionof these sands is
shown in Fig. 3. As sand 2 caused some concern
with regard to compressibility and liquefaction
potential, cross-hole tests wereperformed.
Typical results are shownin Fig. 4. These
results confirmed previous experience with
sands with many shell fragments,i.e. that N
values sometimes give an impression less
favourable than reality (it can be observed that
the shear velocity does not decrease in sand 2). l I ’

Janeiro, Brazil, to house two large emergency 6. Laboratory (triaxial and oedometer) tests F. R. Lopes,
diesel-power generators. A reinforced concrete performed on reconstituted specimens at esti- Lecturer, COPPE
structure was designed, with a base of mated relative densities (70% for sand 1; 60% Federal University
16.6 X 27 m, a height of 9 m and three external for sand2) produced very low stiffness moduli. ofRio de Janeiro
walls 0.5 m thick (Fig. 1).As the building As there is a widespread opinion that labor-
weight was relativelylow. a raft foundation atory test resultson sands shouldbe con-
was considered. Another reason for not usinga sidered with caution, it was decided to computeI
piled foundation was the existenceof very sen- settlements solelyon the basisof penetration
sitive installations nearby. tests. The design profileis shown in Fig. 5
2. The total weight of the building includ- together with a pressure-increase diagram
ing the power generators and other install- (obtained through the theoryof elasticity). The
ations was55 MN, which would apply an risk of liquefaction was ruled outby cyclic tor.
average pressureof 123 kN/m’. A box-type raft sional shear tests performedon specimens of
4.5 m high was designed(Fig. 2). (The buried sand 2 at relative densities varying from 40%
height of the raft was determined by an earth- to 60%. 0.S. N . Souza.
quake analysis.) Formerly engineer,
Predicted settlements Nuclen SA;
Subsoil conditions 7. Several methods have been proposed to currently with lhe
3. The local subsoil was investigated by predict the settlementof foundations on sand Rio de Janeiro
five bores in which dynamic standard penetrat- based on SPT results. Threeof them were Municipal
ion tests (SPTs) were performed (see Fig. 1). selected. In these computations the foundation Authorities
Through two close bores(EDEB and EDEI), was considered rigid and centrally loaded,
cross-hole testswere performed. Disturbed which corresponds to reality.
samples of sand were obtained for laboratory
tests. Elastic solution with empirical equivalent
4. Thesubsoil profile is shownin Fig. 2. modulus
Initially there wasabout 4 m of a heter- 8. The first method was the use of the
ogeneous sandy fill,which was excavated for expression derivedfrom the theory of elasticity
the constructionof the raft, followed by beach for a plateon a homogeneous elastic half-space
sand with shell fragments.At a depth varying 1-v2
from 7 m to 10 m, residual soil of granitic w=qB-
E I’
origin was found. Soundrock was at around 1.E. S. Soares,
15 m. The water table was4.3 m deep. where W is settlement, Q is average foundation Engineer,
5. Three sand layers of different grain-size pressure, B is the least dimensionof the foun- Furnas Cenfrais
distribution, shell fragment content andN dation, v is Poisson’s ratio,E is Young’s Eletricas SA
11
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 LOPES, SOUZA
AND 'SOARES

Table 1 . Elastic moduli of the soil layers

Sea /'" Sand 1

Sand 2
Sand 3
Soil I
I
&'
22
6
8
I
I
E : MN/mZ

44
12
16
Residual soil 20 40

Diesel generator

EDE4
- ! EDE'
modulus and Z, is a shape factor. Equation(1)

" can be extended to compute the settlementof a

foundation on a layerof limited thickness by
multiplication of the result by a factor Z,(values
of Z, are given in Ref. 1, for example).
9. Equation (1) can be used with an equiva-
lent modulus of elasticity E based on experi-
ence gathered from back-analysisof plate load
= 4 -m
27.00 tests (interpreted with the same equation at
sites where SPTswere performed). The equiva-
lent modulus of elasticity of recently deposited
Fig. l . Plan of reinforced concrete structure sands (no pre-compression) canbe estimated
roughly from
E
1.5 - <(MN/mZ)
2 (2)
N
Adopting E = 2N (MN/m2), sinceN values in
these sands are underestimated dueto the shell
fragments, the moduli given in Table 1 are
obtained.
10. An equivalent modulus can be obtained
by weighted average, usinga s weighting
the area of the pressure-increase diagram at
each layer (Fig.5). An average modulus of
1450 32 MN/m2 was obtainedin this way. Using the
I net foundation pressure (123- 73 = 50 kN/m2)
l in equation (l),with E = 32 MN/mZ,v = 0.4
and 1, X Z, = 0.66,' a settlement of 1.5 cm is
obtained.

Alpan's method
11. A second method is that of Alpan.2 An
average N value of 16 was obtained through a
weighted average (as above). The method sug-
gests a correction in theN value for the
overburden pressure, which increases it to22
(using ,:a = 130 kN/m2 at an arbitrary depth of
B/2). This N value gives a modulusof sub-
grade reaction for the 1 in X 1 in plate of
k,, = 12.5 MN/m3.The settlement of such a
plate would be W , = q / k , , = 0.4 cm (consider-
ing again the net foundation pressure). Alpan
recommends the use of Terzaghi and Peck's
correction3 for the dimensionof the foundation

WB = Wb[&Y (3)

and his own correction for the shape of the

- 12
Fig. 2. Section A - A
foundation
w B ~ L= w B , B l s (4)

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 SETTLEMENT OF A
RAFT FOUNDATION
ON SANn

With B = 16.60 and b = 0.30, equation (3)

yields wB = 3 . 8 5 ~ With
~ . B = 16.60 and
L = 27.00, Alpan gives I, = 1.24 from equation
(4). The estimated settlementof the raft is
therefore 1.9 cm.

Burland and Burbidge's method

12. The third method is that proposed by
Burland and B ~ r b i d g e . ~ Tsettlement
he can be
estimated from

0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10

Grain size: mm

where q is the total applied pressure Fig. 3. Grain-size distributionof sands l , 2 and 3
(123 kN/mZ),. a is the precompression stress
:
(73 kN/m2),N is the averageN value over the
depth of influence (Zl), I, is a shape factor(1.17
a s LIB = 1.6) and I,is a stratum thickness
factor (1.0 a s H > Z1).
13. The average N value, computed over the
depth of influence 2, = 8.0 m, was 14. The set-
SPT Cross-hole test
tlement of the raft obtained with equation(5) Shear-wave m/s
was 2.4 cm. Burland and Burbidge regard this - velocity: -
0 1 200 300 400
as an immediate settlement and suggest that +5.00 -
+5.0
the settlement may increase by about30% in
the first 3 years. They also suggest that the set-
tlements may stilloccur after 3 years but at a Fill
reduced rate, accordingto the following expres-
sion (valid for static loads)
W, = w1[1 + 0.3 + 0.2 log ( t / 3 ) ] (6) Yater tab1
+l
where t is the timein years after completion of
construction ( t being 23). 0.0'

Sand

Observed settlements
14. The settlements of the building have
been recorded since July 1987, when the struc- - -3.4c
ture reached ground level (elevation 5.60). Set-
tlements were measured through precise
(survey) levelling of eight reference pins. Fig.6 -5.0
Sand :
shows the load-settlement-time diagram. As
the measurements started after the raft was
completed, the observed settlements are due to
the dead weight of the structure above ground -7.4c -
level plus the equipment installed in the build-
ing (about 55% of the total load). Fig. 6 shows
that the front partof the structure (where the Sand :
power generators were installed) settled less
than the rear part. Thisis due to the increase in
thickness of the sand stratum towards the rear
-'10.6( -
-1o.a Boulders

part (seaward side) and to the fact that this

part is loaded solely by dead weight, which
occurs first. Residu
soil

1
15. Most of the construction was completed
in 1987 and only installations, including the
power generators, were added to the building in
the first half of 1988. Construction can be con-
sidered to have ended in February1988, i.e. 200 - 15.0 l
days after the beginningof the settlement mea-
surements. At thistime, the average settlement
observed was around0.6 cm. Considering that Fig. 4 . Typical test results
13
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 LOPES. SOUZA
AND 'SOARES

N (SPT) A 9
l D
- +5.00 - +5.0

Fill

- +1.30-
((///////

0.0 -

Sand 1 N = 22

- -3.40

Sand 2
-

- 5.0-
rL
I =: 6

- -7.40 -

Sand 3 N = B

-i
10.0
-10.60 -

lesidual Soil N = 20

-----
Weathered
Rock
15.0

Fig. 5 . Design profile and pressure-increase diagram

this was due to about 55% of the total load, the
total settlement (at the raft baselevel) should
be around 1.1cm. Three years after that, the
average settlement had increasedby 0.9 cm.
16. The settlement development with time
is also shown in the logarithmic plot in Fig. 7.
Predicted and observed settlements arecom-
pared in Table 2.
1
Conclusions
17. Considering the settlement after 3 years
of construction a s the reference settlement, rea-
sonable predictions of settlements were
obtained through semi-empirical methodsbased
on SPTs and net foundation pressure. These
results illustrate the advantageof field
(penetration and cross-hole) tests over labor-

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 SETTLEMENTOF A
RAFT FOUNDATION
ON SAND

Dead weight 47.0 MN

generators
Diesel 1.5 MN

-
Power
generators
Other
installations 4.0 MN
Storage,
occupation,
etc. 2.5 MN
Structure Total 55.0 MN
at elevation 5.60

1991 1990 1989

B Time

E
E

1 2 3 4

'A A
EA lA
5 6 7 8
Location of Dins

Fig. 6. Load-settlement-time diagram

log t: t in days
l 1, I rc + 3 years
10 100 1c
'C I
10 000

Fig. 7. Settlement plotted against logarithm of time

15
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 LOPES, SOUZA
AND SOARES

atory tests in the assessmentof settlements of Acknowledgements

foundations on granular deposits. Predictions 18. The Authors are grateful to Nuclen-
made with Burland and Burbidge’s method4 Nuclebras Engenharia SA and Furnas Centrais
were too high for the settlementat the endof ElCtricas SA for permission to publish the field
construction, but were remarkablygood for the data.
time-dependent phase.
Table 2. Comparison of predicted and observed References
settlements 1. HARRM. E. Foundations of theoretical soil rnecha-
nics. McGraw Hill, New York.
I W: cm 2. ALPANI. Estimating the settlementsof founda-
tions on sands,Civ. Engng Public Works Rev.,
Elastic
solution, E =1.52N 1964,59,1415-1418.
Alpan’ 3. TERZAGHI K. and R. B. PECK.Soil mechanics in
Burland
and
Burbidge4
2.4 + 0.7 = 3.1 engineeringpractice. 1st edition, J. Wiley, & Sons,
New York.
Observed ( t = 3 years) 0.5* + 0.6 + 0.9 = 2.0 4. BURLAND J. B. and BURBIDGE M. C. Settlements of
foundation on sand and gravel.Proc. Instn Civ.
* Estimated before measurement. Engrs, Part 1,1985, 78,1325-1381.

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