For the following cases, determine the allowable gross vertical load-bearing capacity of the foundation.

Use Terzaghi’s equation and assume general shear failure in soil. Use FS = 4

A square column foundation has to carry a gross allowable load of 1805 kN (FS = 3) Given: Df = 1.5 m, y =
15.9 kN/m^3, φ’ = 34°, and c’ = 0 .Use Terzaghi’s equation to determine the size of the foundation (B).
Assume general shear failure.
Use the general bearing capacity equation [Eq. (3.19)] to solve the following:

a. Problem 3.1a
b. Problem 3.1b
c. Problem 3.1c
The applied load on a shallow square foundation makes an angle of 15° with the vertical. Given: B = 5.5
ft, Df = 4 ft, y = 107 lbs/ft^3, φ’ = 25°, and c’ = 350 lbs/ft^2. Use FS = 4 and determine the gross allowable
load. Use Eq. (3.19).

For a square foundation is B x B in plan, Df = 3 ft, vertical gross allowable load, Qall = 150 000 lb, y = 115
lbs/ft^3, φ’ = 40°, c’ = 0; and FS = 3. Determine the size of the foundation. Use Eq. (3.23) and bearing
capacity, shape, and depth factors given in section 3.6
A column foundation (Figure P3.5) is 3 x 2 m in plan. Given: Df = 2 m, φ’ = 25°, and c’ = 50 kN/m^2. Using
Eq. (3.19) and FS = 4, determine the net allowable load [see Eq. (3.15)] the foundation could carry. Use
bearing capacity, shape, and depth factors given in section 3.6.

A foundation is measuring 8 ft x 8 ft has to be constructed in a granular soil deposit. Given: Df = 5 ft and

y = 110 lb/ft^3. Following are the results of a standard penetration test in that soil.

a. Use eq. 2.25 to estimate an average friction angle φ’ , for the soil. Use Pa = 14.7 lb/in^2
b. Using Eq. 3.23, estimate the gross ultimate load the foundation can carry. Use bearing capacity,
shape, and depth factors given in section 3.6.
For the design of a shallow foundation, given the following:

Soil: φ’ = 20°, c’ = 72 kN/m^2, Unit weight y = 17 kN/m^3

Modulus of elasticity Es = 1400 kN/m^2, Poisson’s ratio µs = 0.35

Foundation: L = 2 m, B = 1 m, Df = 1m

Calculate the ultimate bearing capacity. Use eq. (3.43)

An eccentrically loaded foundation is shown in Figure P3.9. Use FS of 4 and determine the maximum
allowable load that the foundation can carry. Use Meyerhof’s effective area method and the bearing
capacity, shape, and depth factors given in section 3.6.

Repeat problem 3.9 for the foundation shown in figure P3.10

An eccentrically loaded foundation is shown in Figure P3.11. Determine the ultimate load Qu that the
foundation can carry. Use the theory presented in section 3.13

A square footing is shown in Figure P3.12. Use FS = 6 and determine the size of the footing. Use the
theory given in section 3.13
The shallow foundation shown in Figure 3.14 measures 4 ft x 6 ft and is subjected to a centric load and a
moment. If eB = o.4 ft, eL = 1.2 ft, and the depth of the foundation is 3 ft, determine the allowable load
the foundation can carry. Use a factor of safety of 4. For the soil, we are told that unit weight y = 115
lb/ft^3, friction angle φ’ = 35° and cohesion c’ = 0. Use the bearing capacity, shape, and depth factors
given in section 3.6.

Redo problem 3.13 with eL = 0.06 ft and eB = 1.5 ft.

Mat foundation

1. Determine the net ultimate bearing capacity of mat foundations with the following characteristics:

a. Cu = 120 kN/m^2, Φ = 0, B = 8 m, L = 18 m, Df = 3 m
b. Cu = 2500 lb/ft^2, Φ = 0, B = 20 f, L = 30 ft, Df = 6.2 ft

2. The following are the results of a standard penetration test in the field (sandy soil):

Estimate the net allowable bearing capacity of a mat foundation 6.5 m x 5 m in plan. Here Df = 1.5 m
and allowable settlement = 50 mm. assume that unit weight of soil, y = 16.5 kN/m^3.

3. Repeat Problem 6.2 for an allowable settlement of 30 mm.

4. A mat foundation on a saturated clay soil has dimensions of 20 m x 20 m. given: dead and live load =
48 MN, Cu = 30 kN/m^2, and yclay = 18.5 kN/m^3.

a. Find the depth, Df, of the mat for a fully compensated foundation.

b. What will be the depth of the mat (Df) for a factor of safety 2 against bearing capacity failure?

5. Repeat problem 4 part b for Cu = 20 kN/M^2

6. A mat foundation is shown in figure 6.6. The design considerations are L = 12 m, B = 10 m, Df = 2.2 m,
Q = 30 MN, x1 = 2m, x2 = 2m, x3 = 5.2m, and preconsolidation pressure σ’c = 105 kN/m^2. Calculate the
consolidation settlement under the center of the mat.

7. For the mat foundation in problem 6, estimate the consolidation settlement under the corner of the
mat.
8. For the mat foundation shown in fig. 8, Q1 = Q3 = 40 tons, Q4 = Q5 = 60 tons, Q2 = Q9 = 45 tons, and
Q7 = Q8 = 50 tons. All columns are 20 in. x 20 in. in cross section. Use the procedure outlined in section
6.8 to determine the pressure on the soil at points A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H.
9. The plan of a mat foundation is shown in figure 6.9. Calculate the soil pressure at points A, B, C, D, E,
and F. (note: all column sections are planned to be 0.5 m x 0.5 m.)
10. Divide the mat shown in figure 6.9 into three strips, such as AGHI (B1= 4.25 m ), GHIJH (B1 = 8m),
and ICDJ ( B1 = 4.25 m ). Use the result of problem 6.9, and determine the reinforcement requirements
in the y direction. Here, f’c = 20.7 MN/m^2, and the load factor is 1.7
11. From the plate load test (plate dimension 1 ft x 1 ft) in the field, the coefficient of subgrade reaction
of a sandy soil is determined to be 55lb/in^3. What will be the value of the coefficient of subgrade
reaction on the same soil for a foundation with dimensions of 25 ft x 25 ft?

12. Refer to problem 6.11. If the full-sized foundation had dimensions of 70 ft x 30 ft, what will be the
value of the coefficient of subgrade reaction?

13. The subgrade reaction of a sandy soil obtained from the plate load test (plate dimensions 1 m x 0.7
m ) is 18 kN/m^3. What will be the value of k on the same soil for a foundation measuring 5 m x 3.5 m ?
1. Which statement is true for purpose of soil exploration
- The Occurrence and extent of soil and rock strata needed
- Nature and engineering property of soil and rock information is needed
- The location of ground water and its variation needed
- All of these
2. ____ is to provide reliable, specific, and detailed information about the soil and ground water
conditions of soil
- Soil exploration
3. Which of the ff type of sampler is preferred to collect an undisturbed sample (UDS) on
cohesionless soils
- Piston samplers
4. To obtain a good quality undisturbed soil the area ratio of the sampling tube should be\
- 8%
5. Shelby tube is one of the most widely used devices for
- Collecting undisturbed soil samples
6. The type of soil sample collected using wash boring technique is

- Zero-representative
7. Auger boring is suited for which of the ff exploratory strata

- Partly saturated sands, silts and medium to stiff cohesive soils

8. Undisturbed soil samples are obtained by

- Thin-walled samplers
9. Which of the ff has proved to be useful, ongoing over the site?

- Excavation
- Escarpments
- Flood marks
- All of the above
10. The methods of site investigation are dependent upon:
- Nature of engineering project
11. The information that should be yielded on site exploration is

- Rock formation
12. In site exploration, depth up to which the increase in pressure is likely to cause shear failure is
known as:
- Significant depth
13. Depending upon the details, the site exploration may be classified as

- General and detailed

14. What are the methods used for general exploration?
- Subsurface exploration
15. Exploratory borings in general exploration is carried out by using

- auger
16. The process of identifying the layers of deposits that underlie a proposed structure and their
physical characteristics is generally referred to as
- Subsurface exploration
17. This step involves obtaining information regarding the type of structure to be built and its
general use

- Site investigation
18. The simplest method of making exploratory boreholes
- Auger boring
19. A procedure by which rapidly rotating drilling bits attached to the bottom of drilling rods cut and
grind the soil and advanced the borehole

- Rotary drilling
20. It is used to obtained disturbed representative sample when the soil deposits are sand mixed
with pebbles
- Scrapper bucket
21. Thin-walled tubes are sometimes referred as
- Shelby tubes
22. It is a versatile sounding method that can be used to determine the materials in a soil profile
and estimate their engineering properties
- CPT
23. It is an in-situ test conducted in a borehole. It was originally developed by Menard (1956) to
measure the strength and deformity of soil

- PMT
24. The standard penetration test is useful to measure
- Shear strength of sands
25. In-situ vane shear test is used to measure shear strength of
- Very soft and sensitive clays