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INTRODUCTION
BUILDING FOUNDATIONS
A ll engineering structures must be supported in some
way on geologic materials; this is the inevitable
connection between geological conditions and
foundation design and construction. This great group
of miscellaneous structures can cause just as many
trials and difficulties as large projects, especially
difficulties related to foundation problems. The
supporting elements of this great miscellaneous group
of structures can be broadly described as “ building
foundations.”
 IMPORTANT NOTE:
Design of the foundation is
completely dependent on the nature
of the ground underlying the building
site.
 FOUNDATION DESIGN CONSISTS OF
THREE ESSENTIAL OPERATIONS
1 2 3

Calculating Designing a
Determining the the loads to be foundation
exact nature of transmitted by structure to fit
the foundation the foundation the conditions
beds that are to structure to the ascertained as
act as a support, strata the result of
supporting operations (1)
it. and (2).
 INFLUENCE OF
GEOLOGICAL CONDITIONS ON DESIGN
Bedrock may lie at ground surface or so close
1 to the surface that the building may be
founded directly upon it.

Bedrock may occur at a distance below

2 ground surface which makes possible direct
transfer of building loads by the foundation.

The nearest rock stratum may be so far below

the surface that the structure will have to be
3 founded upon the unconsolidated material
overlying the rock.
 TYP E S OF
D AT IO N S
FOUN
 FOUNDATIONS
ON BEDROCK
Here, geology first serves to estimate the
soundness of the rock, along with
determination of the significance of
structural features, and possibly with a
determination of seismic risk. Rarely will
there be a question of whether the bearing
capacity of rock is sufficient to withstand
building loads, but if compression tests of the
rock are made, great care should be taken to
see that they are made with specimens loaded
in a direction corresponding to that at the
site.
 FOUNDATIONS
CARRIED TO BEDROCK
If bedrock lies within a reasonable depth below the
surface, exploratory drilling and, if necessary,
geophysical surveying should be utilized to
determine accurate contours of top-of-rock
surface, as well as the groundwater surface. The
word reasonable, although frequently
objectionable, is here used to express the many
local variables that may affect this economic
depth. A variety of engineering methods is
available for transferring the building load down
through the overburden to bedrock. Choice of the
method will depend upon economics and feasibility
of alternatives.
 FOUNDATIONS
ON SOIL
Soil foundations are the most common of all load-
bearing situations. Adequate subsurface
investigations are imperative. Soil structure
interaction transmits foundation loads to
unconsolidated strata in two general ways: (1) by
constructing a continuous raft, or spread footing,
which rests directly on a near-surface stratum; and
(2) by driving piles or casting piers into the soil or by
constructing piers therein. The first method is
commonly varied so that the load is distributed
through a number of isolated footings. The strength
of the second method may depend on end bearing at
a reasonably hard stratum, or it may be the result of
skin friction.
 GROUNDWATER

Groundwater conditions govern the success of

many building sites. The problem of falling
groundwater levels is not peculiar to Boston; it is
one of the most widespread problems of civil
engineering works. One method, followed in some
building regulations, is to make sure that all piles
are either cut off or embedded in concrete at a
level well below the minimum elevation possible
for the local groundwater. An alternative method
is to use “ composite” piles of protected sections
within the range of water-level variation and
timber below this level.
 PILED
FOUNDATION
With the wide variety of pile types, available choices
are usually driven by economics. Bearing piles, when
situation. Bearing piles, when circumstances require
their use, can serve as excellent foundation units;
buildings all over the world testify to this. In some
exceptional cases piles has, however, actually
weakened the foundation bed intended for use. If for
example, site investigations show that the building
area is underlain with sensitive clay, then pile driving
must be viewed with extreme caution, since in many of
these clays the vibrations set up by pile driving are
enough to reduce their effective bearing capacity by
partial "liquefaction.”
 METHOD 1
Individual footings under columns.
METHOD 2
continuous raft, or spread footing,
under either a complete building or
one section of it.
METHOD 3
End-bearing piles driven to depths
of safe load transmission.
METHOD 4
excavated cylindrical shafts in
which concrete piers can be formed
to transmit the loads from footings
to a safe bearing stratum
THAN
K YOU