Plate Bearing Test

 used to simulate a foundation

 a 1.5 m square test pit is dug

Sowers & Sowers, 3rd Ed.

Plate Bearing Test (Cont’d)

 then a 1 foot
square (300mm x
300mm) steel
plate is loaded in
increments and
the corresponding
settlements
measured
Peck, Hanson, Thornburn, 2nd Ed.
 Plate Bearing Test Results
 a load-settlement curve is produced

Sowers & Sowers, 3rd Ed.

 Modulus of Vertical Subgrade
Reaction, Kv
 Kv is taken
from straight line
portion of this
curve

McCarthy, 6th Ed.

 Q plate  Splate = Plate settlement

   kN 
 A   2 Qplate = Plate Load
pressure  plate   m 
Kv    Aplate = Area of plate
settlement S plate m
Aplate  0.3m  0.3m  0.09m 2
 Design Kv Values
Representative
Relative Density, Values of Kv*
Condition Values of Dry Unit
% (1000 kN/m3)
Weight (kN/m3)
Loose < 35 < 14.0 15
Medium Dense 35 - 65 14.0 - 17.0 25 - 50
Dense 66 - 85 17.1 - 20.0 55 - 85
Very dense > 85 > 20.0 95 - 110
B
*These are for the case
where the water table is at
a depth greater than 1.5B.

D
0.5K v

Dw
If the water table is at the

1.5B
base of the foundation use   Dw  D 
0.5Kv. Use linear 0.5  0.5 1.5B  D  K v
interpolation for   
intermediate locations of Kv
the water table. McCarthy, 6 Ed.
th
 Settlement Calculation
For cohesionless soils where D < B < 6.1m:
4Q
S
K v  ( B  0.3) 2
where S = expected foundation settlement (m)
Q = column load (kN)
B = footing width (m)
Kv = modulus of vertical subgrade
reaction (kPa/m or kN/m3)*
 Q plate 
 
*Remember, when calculating Kv from A 
 plate  Q plate
plate test data, plate area (Aplate) is 0.09m2! K v  S 
0.09  S plate
plate
 Beware!
The Plate Bearing Test results are extrapolated
for the design of the foundation!

Craig, 6th Ed.