Foundation conditions and buildings

• Foundation design is concerned with ensuring that movements of a foundation are within the limits that
can be tolerated by the proposed structure without affecting its functional requirements.
• 
• The design of a foundation structure requires an understanding of the local geological and groundwater
conditions, as well as various types of ground movement that can occur.
• 
• Foundation movements can occur when the ground is excavated, when the ground is loaded, or
independently of construction operations.
• Total and effective pressures
• The deformability of a soil as a result of either loading or unloading is attributable to deformation that
takes place in the voids, which involves the displacement of pore water.
• 
• The strength of a soil is its resistance to loading.
• 
• Subsurface water is normally under pressure that increases with increasing depth below the water table.
• The efficiency of a soil in supporting a structure is influenced by the
effective or intergranular pressure, that is, the pressure between the
particles of the soil that develops resistance to applied load. In other
words, shear stresses are carried by the soil particles, water having no
shear strength.

• Reduction of the pore water pressure by drainage consequently affords

better conditions for carrying a proposed structure.
• 
• The effective pressure at a particular depth is obtained by multiplying the
unit weight of soil by the depth in question and subtracting the pore
pressure (Fig. 4.1).
• Figure 4.1 Pressure
diagram illustrating
total, effective and
pore water pressures:
(a) water table just
below the surface; (b)
water table has been
lowered and effective
pressure is increased
with a reduction in
pore water pressure.
• This increase in pore water pressure causes water to flow from the area of increased
loading to a steady position of the water table, the final value termed steady-state
pore water pressure.
• 
• The increase in pore water pressure above the steady-state value is called excess pore
water pressure. When excess pore water pressure dissipates completely with
increasing permeability of soil, then soil is described as in drained condition.
• 
• By contrast, the soil is referred to as being in the undrained condition.
• 
• The increased vertical stress is transferred to the soil particles as the excess pore water
pressure is dissipated, then effective pressure increases and the volume of soil is
reduced.
• In the case of partially saturated soils, the void space is occupied by water and air.
• It appeared that pore pressures have no significant influence on rocks.
BEARING CAPACITY
• Deformation and failure of soil under loading
• Movement of foundations under the influence of loading may occur as a result of
overstressing of the ground, which gives rise to plastic deformation in the ground beneath
the foundation structure.
• In extreme cases shear failure may occur.
• The ultimate bearing capacity is value of net loading intensity that causes ground to fail
suddenly in shear. If this is to be avoided, then a factor of safety must be applied to the
ultimate bearing capacity, the value obtained being referred to as the maximum safe
bearing capacity.
• The value of ultimate bearing capacity depends on type of foundation structure as well as
the properties of the ground. For example, for footings the dimensions, shape, depth and
inclination of load and base at which a footing is placed all influence the bearing capacity.
• More specifically the width of the foundation is important in coarse-grained soils, the
greater the width, the larger the bearing capacity whilst in saturated clay soils it is of little
effect.
• With uniform soil conditions the ultimate bearing capacity increases with
depth of installation of the foundation structure. This increase is
associated with the confining effects of the soil, the decreased
overburden pressure and the shear forces.
• 
• When a load is applied to a soil in gradually increasing amounts, the soil
deforms and a load–settlement curve can be plotted (Fig. 4.7). When the
failure load is reached, the rate of deformation increases and the load–
settlement curve goes through a point of maximum curvature.
• The shape of the curve is influenced by the type of soil involved, for
example, dense sand and insensitive clay show a more gradual transition,
associated with progressive failure.
• Figure. Load–settlement curve.