Shallow Foundations

Course : CV 321 Foundation and Pavement Design

Lecture Notes for Week 3
Thomas Kishore
 Introduction
• A foundation is a integral part of the structure which transfer the load of
the superstructure to the soil. A foundation is that member which provides
support for the structure and it's loads.
• It includes the soil and rock of earth's crust and any special part of
structure that serves to transmit the load into the rock or soil.
• If the soil conditions immediately below the structure are sufficiently strong
and capable of supporting the required load, then shallow spread
footings can be used to transmit the load.
• On the other hand, if the soil conditions are weak, then piles or piers are
used to carry the loads into deeper, more suitable soil.
Introduction
 Introduction
• To perform satisfactorily, shallow foundations must have two main
characteristics:
1. They have to be safe against overall shear failure in the soil that
supports them
2. They cannot undergo excessive displacement, or settlement.
(The term excessive is relative, because the degree of
settlement allowed for a structure depends on several
considerations.)
• The load per unit area of the foundation at which shear failure in soil
occurs is called the ultimate bearing capacity
 Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages Disadvantages

Cost (affordable) Settlement

Construction Procedure (simple) Irregular ground surface (slope, retaining wall)

Materials (mostly concrete) Foundation subjected to pullout, torsion, moment

Labor (does not need expertise)

 Spread Footing
• It is circular, square or rectangular
slab of uniform thickness

• Sometimes, it is stepped or
hunched to spread the load over a
larger area

• When spread footing is provided to

support an individual column, it is
called Isolated footing
 Strap Footing
• It consists of two isolated footings connected with a structural strap
or a lever.
• The strap connects the footing such that they behave as one unit.
• The strap simply acts as a connecting beam.
• A strap footing is more economical than a combined footing when
the allowable soil pressure is relatively high and distance between
the columns is large.
 Combined Footing
• It supports two columns as shown
• It is used when the two columns are so
close to each other that their
individual footings would overlap.
• A combined footing is also provided
when the property line is so close to
one column that a spread footing
would be eccentrically loaded when
kept entirely within the property line.
• By combining it with that of an interior
column, the load is evenly distributed.
A combine footing may be
rectangular or trapezoidal in plan.
• Trapezoidal footing is provided when
the load on one of the columns is
larger than the other column.
 Strip/Continuous Footings
• A strip footing is another type of
spread footing which is provided for a
load bearing wall.
• A strip footing can also be provided
for a row of columns which are so
closely spaced that their spread
footings overlap or nearly touch each
other.
• In such a cases, it is more economical
to provide a strip footing than to
provide a number of spread footings
in one line. A strip footing is also
known as “continuous footing”.
 Mat or Raft Footings
• It is a large slab supporting a number of columns and walls under
entire structure or a large part of the structure.

• A mat is required when the allowable soil pressure is low or

where the columns and walls are so close that individual footings
would overlap or nearly touch each other.

• Mat foundations are useful in reducing the differential

settlements on non-homogeneous soils or where there is large
variation in the loads on individual columns

• In this there are two types

1. Conventional Method
2. Buoyancy Type
General Concept
Concept 1 – Dense Sand or Stiff Cohesion Soil

• Consider a strip foundation with a width of B resting on the

surface of a dense sand or stiff cohesive soil

• If a load is gradually applied to the foundation, settlement will

increase.
• The variation of the load per unit area on the foundation (q)
with the foundation settlement
Concept 1 – Dense Sand or Stiff Cohesion Soil

• At a certain point—when the load per unit area equals —

a sudden failure in the soil supporting the foundation will
take place, and the failure surface in the soil will extend to
the ground surface
• This load per unit area qu, is usually referred to as the
ultimate bearing capacity of the foundation.
• When such sudden failure in soil takes place, it is called
general shear failure.
 Concept 2 – Sand or Clayey Soil of Medium
Compaction
• If the foundation under consideration rests on sand or clayey soil
of medium compaction

• An increase in the load on the foundation will also be

accompanied by an increase in settlement.
• However, in this case the failure surface in the soil will gradually
extend outward from the foundation
 Concept 2 – Sand or Clayey Soil of Medium
Compaction
• When the load per unit area on the foundation equals qu(1)
movement of the foundation will be accompanied by sudden
jerks.
• A considerable movement of the foundation is then required
for the failure surface in soil to extend to the ground surface
• The load per unit area at which this happens is the ultimate
bearing capacity, qu.
• Beyond that point, an increase in load will be accompanied
by a large increase in foundation settlement
• The load per unit area of the foundation, is referred to as the
first failure load (Vesic, 1963).
• peak value of q is not realized in this type of failure, which is
called the local shear failure in soil.
 Concept 3 – Fairly Loose Soil
• If the foundation is supported by a fairly loose soil, the load–
settlement plot will be

• The failure surface in soil will not extend to the ground surface
• Beyond the ultimate failure load, the load–settlement plot will
be steep and practically linear
• This type of failure in soil is called the punching shear failure.
• It is important to note from this figure that, for about𝐷𝑟 ≥ 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡
70%, the general shear type of failure in soil occurs
• Vesic (1963) conducted several
laboratory load-bearing tests on
circular and rectangular plates
supported by a sand at various
relative densities of compaction, Dr.

• The variations of 𝑞𝑢 1 /0.5𝛾𝐵 and

𝑞𝑢 /0.5𝛾𝐵 were obtained from the test
Where
• B = Diameter of circular plate or width of a
rectangular plate
• 𝛾 = dry unit weight of sand
• On the basis of experimental results, Vesic (1973)
proposed a relationship for the mode of bearing
capacity failure of foundations resting on sands.
• Figure 3.3 shows this relationship, which involves
the notation
𝐷𝑟 = 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑑
𝐷𝑓 = 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒

2𝐵𝐿
𝐵∗ =
𝐵+𝐿
Where
B= width of foundation
L = length of the foundation

Note: L is always greater than B

For square foundations, B= L;

For Circular Foundation , B=L = diameter, so

𝐵∗ = B
• Figure 3.4 shows the settlement S of the
circular and rectangular plates on the
surface of a sand at ultimate load,
• The figure indicates a general range of with
the relative density of compaction of sand.
• So, in general, we can say that, for
foundations at a shallow depth (i.e., small
Df / B*), the ultimate load may occur at a
foundation settlement of 4 to 10% of B.
• This condition arises together with general
shear failure in soil; however, in the case of
local or punching shear failure, the ultimate
load may occur at settlements of 15 to 25%
of the width of the foundation (B)
Design Criteria
 Design Considerations

• Must not settle excessively.

• Must be placed at depth sufficient to prevent damage

from surface environmental effects (frost, swelling and
shrinkage, erosion and scour).

• Must not cause failure of supporting soil (Bearing Capacity

criteria).
 Bearing Capacity Theory
• Terzaghi (1943) was the first to present a comprehensive theory for the evaluation
of the ultimate bearing capacity of rough shallow foundations.

• According to this theory

1. Depth of foundation is less than or equal to its width.
2. Base of the footing is rough.
3. Soil above bottom of foundation has no shear strength; is only a surcharge load against
the overturning load
4. Surcharge up to the base of footing is considered
5. Load applied is vertical and non-eccentric.
6. The soil is homogenous and isotropic.
7. L/B ratio is infinite.
 Bearing Capacity Theory
• The failure zone under the foundation can be separated
into three parts
1. The triangular zone ACD immediately under the foundation
2. The radial shear zones ADF and CDE, with the curves DE and DF
being arcs of a logarithmic spiral
3. Two triangular Rankine passive zones AFH and CEG
 Bearing Capacity Theory
• The angles CAD and ACD
are assumed to be equal
to the soil friction angle ∅'.
• the replacement of the
soil above the bottom of
the foundation by an
equivalent surcharge q,
the shear resistance of the
soil along the failure
surfaces GI and HJ was
neglected.
Bearing Capacity Theory
 Bearing Capacity Theory
• Terzaghi’s bearing capacity equations have now been
modified to take into account the effects of the
foundation
1. shape (B/L),
2. depth of embedment (Df)
3. load inclination.

• Many design engineers, however, still use Terzaghi’s

equation, which provides fairly good results considering
the uncertainty of the soil conditions at various sites.
Thank you