BUILDING CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS 1

MAIN OBJECTIVES OF BUILDING

FOUNDATION
• To ensure that structural loads are
transmitted to the subsoil safely,
economically and without any
unacceptable movement during the
construction period and throughout
the anticipated life of the structure
.

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MATERIALS FOR FOUNDATION

i.Wood
ii.Steel
iii.Reinforced concrete
iv.Pretensioned Concrete
v.Composite
 FACTORS FOR CONSIDERATION IN
THE CHOICE OF FOUNDATION
 Type of soil/soil conditions:
Subsurface Condition, granular, silty, made-up,
Chemical reaction
Underground Water Level,
Bearing Capacity of the soil
 Type of structure -Framed structure, Load/non-load bearing,
residential, commercial, bungalow, HR
 Structural loading/ loads types-Life load (movable) Dead
Load(structural members-fixed, Wind Load
 Economic factors
 Cost/budget/allocation from the client
 Time factors
 Environmental factors
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Technology/Manpower/Equipment
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FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR FOUNDATIONS
FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR FOUNDATION
FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR FOUNDATION
FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR FOUNDATION
TYPES OF BUILDING FOUNDATIONS
Shallow Foundation Deep Foundation
D≤W, 6 ft depth from the D≥W, More than 3m depth
lowest level from the lowest level
TYPES OF BUILDING FOUNDATION-SHALLOW

Shallow (Open)–D≤W,6 ft depth from the lowest level.

•are those founded near to the finished ground
surface; generally where the founding depth is less
than the width of the footing and less than 3m
othe soil close the ground surface has sufficient
bearing capacity(i.e. sufficiently strong and stiff to
support the imposed loads),
ounderlying weaker strata do not result in undue
settlement.
ounsuitable in weak/highly compressible soils
(poorly-compacted fill, peat).
osimple/light/small to medium structure
TYPES OF BUILDING FOUNDATION-SHALLOW CONT’D
Examples of Shallow
(Open)Foundation
Strip foundations
Pad foundations
(isolated footing),
Raft foundations

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TYPES OF BUILDING FOUNDATION-SHALLOW CONT’D
1.Strip foundations/footings
From the name, formation is in a strip of
linear structure (an enlargement below a
column or a load-bearing) that ultimately
serves to spread the weight across sufficiently
large surface area of the soil, ≤ 3m from the
ground surface.
 Cost(cheap)
Construction(simple, ease)
Materials (concrete)
Labour/Workmanship (no expertise)
TYPES OF BUILDING FOUNDATION-SHALLOW CONT’D
1.Strip foundations/footings: Examples

 Spread footings/Traditional strip

Deep strip or trench fill
Reinforced concrete strip
Continuous column strip.
Strip foundations/footings
TYPES OF BUILDING FOUNDATION-PAD
•Takes, spreads point/concentrated loads safely.
•Preferred if the soil has sufficient strength and is
not too deep to the bearing stratum.
•Thickness generally uniform, upper surface can be
stepped or sloped, generally to transfer
load from structure to ground.
•Designed stiffly so that uniform spreading of the
load to the soil must happen without the
foundation pressure exceeding permissible bearing
stress(reinforcing/depth thus spreading the force
in a predefined angle).
•Economical: design/construction simple
TYPES OF BUILDING FOUNDATION-PAD
Types of Pad Foundations
Series of pads
supporting a continuous
beam
Isolated/Combined
column
TYPES OF BUILDING FOUNDATION-RAFT
•Raft/mat foundations are formed by a
continuous layer of a flat, heavily reinforced
concrete slab(150-300 mm) that covers a wide
area, often the entire footprint of a building.

• They spread the load imposed by a number of

columns or walls over the area of foundation, and
can be considered to ‘float’ on the ground.

•Suitable/ Useful where:

TYPES OF BUILDING FOUNDATION-RAFT
Floor areas are small and structural loadings low, such
as in 2 storey domestic building.
Loads are so heavy or allowable pressure on soil is so
small that individual footings will cover a great area
A basement is required.
Ground conditions are poor (soft clay, alluvial deposits,
compressible fill) and strip or pad foundations would
require significant excavation
The equipment/structure to be supported are
sensitive to settlement-differential.
Impractical to create individual strip/pad foundations
for a large number of individual loads.
If strip/pad would cover 50% of floor area, then a raft .
TYPES OF FOUNDATION-RAFT, TYPES
Solid slab rafts(flat raft mats, wide toe rafts, blanket rafts and slip plane rafts)
Slab beam rafts,
Cellular rafts
 DEEP FOUNDATION
Deep Foundation found deeply below the finished
ground surface for their base bearing capacity to be
affected by surface conditions, this is usually at
depths >3 m below finished ground level.

• Pile- a slender column or long cylinder made of wood,

concrete or steel, used to support the structure and
transfer the load at desired depth either by end bearing or
skin friction

• Piles, caissons, helical piles, geo-piers and earth

stabilizers

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 DEEP FOUNDATION-PILE
Pile-large structures--soil at shallow depth
unsuitable to resist excessive settlement,
resist uplift. Wall/pier supported by
pile(separate/cluster thru length of wall) etc.
Useful
• High groundwater table, rises, falls appreciably .
• Heavy and non-uniform loads from superstructure.
• Other foundation types are costlier/not feasible.
• Soil at shallow depth is compressible.
• Soil excavation not possible up to the desired
depth due to poor soil condition.
• Impractical to keep the foundation trenches dry by
pumping or by any other measure due to heavy
inflow of seepage.
• Raft expen/ impract/imposs
• Sea shore/river bed-scouring action of water
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 DEEP FOUNDATION-PILE
Based on Function or Use-(EBP,FP, COMPP, TENP, ANCP,
BATTP, TENDP)
• End Bearing Piles
Penetrates soft soil, bottom end rests on a strong layer of
soil/rock, rests at a transition layer of a weak and strong layer.
act columns/piers, and safely transfer load to the strong layer.
Soft ground lateral, increased load bearing capacity, support loads
pass through the lower tip of the pile.
Friction Pile
Transfers load from the structure to the soil by the
frictional force between the surface of the pile and the soil
surrounding the pile such as stiff clay, sandy soil, etc.
Friction can be developed for the entire length of the pile
or a definite length of the pile, depending on the strata.
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 TYPES OF PILES

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REPLACEMENT/DISPLACEMENT PILES
 Displacement piles cause the soil to be displaced
radially as well as vertically as the pile shaft is driven
or jacked into the ground.

• With non-displacement piles (or replacement piles),

soil is removed and the resulting hole filled with
concrete or a precast concrete pile is dropped into
the hole and grouted in.

• Displacement Piles which are driven are termed

‘Displacement Piles’ because their installation
methods displace laterally the soils through which
they are introduced.
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