Shallow Foundations

Course : CV 321 Foundation and Pavement Design

Week 3 – Lecture 2
Thomas Kishore
To Basic Criteria for Design of Foundation

1. Shear Failure or Bearing Capacity Criteria

2. Settlement Criteria
Shear Failure or Bearing Capacity Criteria
• The foundation should be designed such that the soil below does not fail in Shear
𝑸𝒈 = 𝑸 𝒄 + 𝑾 𝒇 + 𝑾 𝒔

• Where
• 𝑄𝑐 = wt. of super structure

• 𝑊𝑓 = wt. of footing

• 𝑊𝑠 = wt. of soil /fill

The gross pressure of the gross load intensity(qg)

𝑸𝒈
𝒒𝒈 =
𝑨
• Ultimate Bearing Capacity (qu) : The maximum gross intensity of loading
that soil can support before it fails in shear

• Net Ultimate Bearing Capacity (qnu): The maximum net intensity of

loading at the base of the foundation that the soil can support before fail
in shear
𝒒𝒏𝒖 = 𝒒𝒖 − 𝜸𝑫𝒇

• Net Safe Bearing Capacity (qns) : The maximum net intensity of loading
that the soil can safely support without the risk of shear failure
𝒒𝒏𝒔 = 𝒒𝒏𝒖 /𝑭
• F = Factor of Safety
• Gross Safe Bearing Capacity (qs) : The Maximum gross
intensity of loading that soil can carry safely without failing
in shear
𝑞𝑠 = 𝑞𝑛𝑠 + 𝛾𝐷𝑓
𝑞𝑛𝑢
𝑞𝑠 = + 𝛾𝐷𝑓
𝐹
𝑞𝑢 − 𝛾𝐷𝑓
𝑞𝑠 = + 𝛾𝐷𝑓
𝐹
 Settlement Criterion
• Safe Bearing Capacity : The maximum net intensity loading that can
be allowed on the soil without the settlement exceeding the
permissible value

• Allowable bearing Pressure (qa-net) : The maximum net intensity of

loading that can be imposed on the soil with no possibility of shear
failure or the possibility of excessive settlement. It is the smaller of
the net safe bearing capacity (shear failure criterion) and safe bearing
pressure (settlement criterion )
 General Shear Failure

• A well defined failure surface

• A bulging of ground surface

adjacent to the foundation

• Ultimate load can be located

 Local Shear Failure

• Well defined wedge and slip surface

only beneath the foundation

• Slight bulging on the ground surface

adjacent to the ground surface

• Local settlement curve does not

indicate ultimate load clearly

• Significant compression of soil directly

beneath footing
 Punching Shear Failure
• Poor defined shear planes

• Soil zones beyond the loaded area being little affected

• Significant penetration of a wedge shaped soil zone beneath the

foundation

• Ultimate load can not be clearly recognized

 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 Factors
For sandy soil (c’=0)
• f ≥ 36˚- Pure general shear failure, f ≤ 29˚ - Pure local shear failure
• f between this range represents the mixed state of general local and local shear
failure

For c= ∅ soil
• Failure of soil specimen occur at a relatively small strain (less then 5%)- General
Shear Failure
• If stress – strain curve does not show peak and has a continuously rising pattern upto
a strain of 10-20% - Local Shear Failure
Ultimate Bearing Capacity of Strip, Square, Circular and Rectangular
Footing

𝑞𝑢 = 𝛼1 𝑐𝑁𝑐 + 𝛾𝐷𝑓 𝑁𝑞 + 𝛼2 𝛾𝐵𝑁𝛾

• For Strip footing : 𝛼1 = 1.0, 𝛼2 = 0.5

• For Square footing : 𝜶𝟏 = 1.3, 𝜶𝟐 = 𝟎. 𝟒
• For Circular footing : 𝜶𝟏 = 1.3, 𝜶𝟐 = 𝟎. 𝟑

0.2𝐵
• Rectangular Footing : 𝛼1 =1+0.3B/L, 𝛼2 = 0.5(1 − )
𝐿
Ultimate bearing capacity in purely cohesion less soil (c = 0)

𝑞𝑢 = 𝛾𝐷𝑓 𝑁𝑞 + 𝛼2 𝛾𝐵𝑁𝛾

Ultimate bearing capacity in purely cohesive soil (ϕ= 0)

𝑞𝑢 = 𝛼1 𝑐𝑁𝑐 + 𝛾𝐷𝑓
 Bearing Capacity Equation for Water Table
• Equations (3.3) and (3.7) through (3.11) give the ultimate bearing
capacity, based on the assumption that the water table is located
well below the foundation

• However, if the water table is close to the foundation, some

modifications of the bearing capacity equations will be necessary
 Effect of Water Table
𝑞𝑢 = 𝑐𝑁𝑐 + 𝑞𝑁𝑞 + 0.5𝛾𝐵𝑁𝛾

• For φ =0 (saturated clay), qnu = 5.7cu

• The effect of submergence is to reduce the undrained

shearing strength cu due to a softening effect. The shear
strength parameter should be determined in the laboratory
under saturated condition
Case I
 Water table located above the base of footing
The effective surcharge is reduced as the effective weight below the water table is equal to the submerged unit weight.

𝑞 = 𝐷1 𝛾 + 𝐷2 𝛾′

𝐷2 = 𝐷𝑓 -𝐷𝑤 𝑞 = 𝐷𝑓 𝛾′ + 𝐷1 (𝛾 − 𝛾′)

𝑞𝑢 = 𝐶𝑢 𝑁𝑐 + 𝛾 ′ 𝐷𝑓 − 𝛾 − 𝛾 ′ 𝐷1 𝑁𝑞 + 0.5𝛾′𝐵𝑁𝛾

If 𝐷1 =0

𝑞𝑢 = 𝐶𝑢 𝑁𝑐 + 𝛾 ′ 𝐷𝑓 𝑁𝑞 + 0.5𝛾′𝐵𝑁𝛾

If D2 = 0

𝑞𝑢 = 𝐶𝑢 𝑁𝑐 + 𝛾 𝐷𝑓 𝑁𝑞 + 0.5𝛾′𝐵𝑁𝛾
Case II
Water table located at a depth d below the
base of footing
• In this case, the surcharge term is not affected. However, the unit
weight in the third term of bearing capacity equation is modified as

𝑑
𝑞𝑢 = 𝐶𝑢 𝑁𝑐 + 𝛾𝐷𝑓 𝑁𝑞 + 0.5𝐵[𝛾 ′ + 𝛾 − 𝛾 ′ ]𝑁𝛾
𝐵

• If d = 0, i.e., W/T at the base,

𝑞𝑢 = 𝐶𝑢 𝑁𝑐 + 𝛾𝐷𝑓 𝑁𝑞 + 0.5𝐵𝛾′𝑁𝛾

• If d = B, i.e., W/T at depth below B

𝑞𝑢 = 𝐶𝑢 𝑁𝑐 + 𝛾𝐷𝑓 𝑁𝑞 + 0.5𝐵𝛾𝑁𝛾
Case III