2.

FOUNDATION TYPES
AND THEIR SELECTIONS

1
  Definition: The lowest artificially built part of a
structure which transmits the load of the
structure to the ground is called foundation.
 The foundation of a structure is always
constructed below ground level to increase
the lateral stability of the structure.
 Every building consists of two basic Components:
The super structure
The sub structure (Foundation)

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 firm
ground

bed rock weak soil

bed rock

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  The basic function of foundation is to transmit
the dead load (weight of walls, partitions,
floors, roofs, & other permanent structures)
Super imposed load (Live loads) eg. People,
furniture, machines etc.
wind load
 Generally foundation is the part of the structure
which is in direct contact with the ground to
which the loads are transmitted.

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  Foundation should be sufficiently strong to
prevent excessive settlement as well as
differential settlement.
 Differential settlement may be caused by
i. weak sub soils
ii. Shrinkable and expansive soils (clay)
iii. frost action
iv. movement of ground water and uplift pressure
v. Excessive vibration, slipping of strata on slopping
etc.

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 Purposes Of Foundations
i. To distribute the load of the structure over a
large bearing area so as to bring intensity of
loading within the safe bearing capacity of the
soil lying underneath.
ii. To load the bearing surface at a uniform rate so
as to prevent unequal settlement.
iii. To prevent the lateral movement of the
supporting material.
iv. To secure a level and firm bed for building
operations.
v. To increase the stability of the structure as a
whole.
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 Types of Foundations
 Foundations can be broadly classified into the
following two categories:
i. Shallow foundations
ii. Deep foundations
i. Shallow Foundations :- The foundations provided
immediately beneath the lowest part of the
structure, near to the ground level are known as
shallow foundations.
 Shallow foundations are further classified
into the following types:
a) Spread or Isolated footings
b) Combined footing
c) Cantilever footing
d) Continuous or wall footing
e) Raft foundation
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 …Types of Foundations
a) Spread or Isolated Footings: used to support
individual column.
 the most common type of foundation, because of their
cost and ease of construction.
 most often used:
 in small to medium size structures,
 on sites with moderate to good soil conditions,
 on some large structures when they are located at
sites underlain by exceptionally good soil or shallow
bedrock.
 Isolated footings are stepped type, simple type or slope
type

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 b) Combined Footing:
 supports two or sometimes three column in a row.
 is used when property lines, equipment locations,
column spacing or other considerations limit the
footing clearance at the column locations.
Combined footing can be:
 rectangular in shape if both the columns carry
equal loads, or
 trapezoidal if there is a space limitation and they
carry unequal loads.

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 A
A C
C

b b1 b2

a
a
Plan
Plan
Columns Columns
Footing
Footing

D D

a a

Section A.A Section C.C

Combined footing (rectangular) Combined footing (trapezoidal)

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13 Foundation Engineering ASTU
c) Cantilever or Strap Footing:
 consists of two individual footings connected by
a beam called a strap.
 Cantilever footing may be used:
 where the distance between the columns is so
great that a trapezoidal combined footing
becomes quite narrow, with resulting high
bending moments.
 The strap beam does not remain in contact with
soil so a strap doesn’t transfer any pressure to
the soil.
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15 Foundation Engineering ASTU
 A
A

a1 a2

b1 b2

Strap beam

D1 D2

b1 b2

Property line Section A-A

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 d) Continuous or wall footing or strip
footing:
 In this type of footing, a single continuous
reinforced concrete slab is provided as
foundation of load bearing wall.
 A strip footing is also provided for a row of
columns which are so closely spaced that their
spread footings overlap or nearly touch each
other.

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 Columns
A
C

Wall b b

A
Plan C Plan

Wall
Column
Footing Footing

D D
b
b

Section A.A Section C-C

Wall on footing Columns on footing

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19 Foundation Engineering ASTU
 e) Mat (Raft) Foundation:
 It is a combined footing that covers the entire area
beneath a structure and supports all the columns.
 Foundation engineers often consider mats when
dealing with any one of the following conditions:
 The structural loads are so high or the soil condition is
so poor that spread footings would be exceptionally
large.
As a general rule of thumb, if spread footings would
cover more than 50 percent of the building footprint
area, a mat or some type of deep foundation will
usually be more economical.
 The soil is very erratic and prone to excessive
differential settlement.
 The structural loads are erratic, and thus increase the
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likelihood of excessive
Foundation Engineering
ASTU
differential settlement.
 The lateral loads are not uniformly distributed through
the structure and thus may cause differential
horizontal movement in spread footings.
 The uplift loads are lager than spread footings can
accommodate.
 The bottom of the structure is located below ground
water table, so waterproofing is an important concern.
Because mats are monolithic, they are easier to
waterproof.

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 Flat plate mat foundation Two-way beam and slab
(Ribbed mat)

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23 Foundation Engineering ASTU
 2. Deep Foundations:
 When the soil at or near the ground surface is not
capable of supporting a structure, deep foundations are
required to transfer the loads to deeper strata.
 Deep foundations are, therefore, used
when surface soil is unsuitable for shallow foundation, and a
firm stratum is so deep that it cannot be reached economically
by shallow foundations.
 The most common types of deep foundations are:
 Piles,
 Piers and
 Caissons.
 Pile: is a slender structural member made of steel,
concrete or wood.
It is either driven into the soil or formed in-situ by excavating a
hole and filling it with concrete.
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25 Foundation Engineering ASTU
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  Pier: is a vertical column of relatively large cross-
section than a pile.
 A pier is installed in a dry area excavating a cylindrical
hole of large diameter to the desired depth and then
backfilling it with concrete.
 Caisson: A caisson is a type of foundation of the
shape of hollow prismatic box, which is built above
the ground and then sunk to the required depth as a
single unit.
 It is a watertight box or chamber used for laying
foundation under water.
 A pier and caisson differ basically only in the method
of construction

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28 Foundation Engineering ASTU
 GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF FOUNDATION DESIGN

The usual approach to a normal foundation

engineering problem is:
 To prepare a plan of the base of the structure
showing the various columns, load-bearing walls
with estimated loads, including dead load, live load,
moments and torques coming into the foundation
units.
 To study the tentative allowable bearing pressures
allocated for the various strata below the ground
level, as given by the soil investigation report.
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 To determine the required foundation depth. This
may be the minimum depth based on soil strength
or structural requirement considerations.
 To compute the dimensions of the foundation
based on the given loading and allowable bearing
pressure.
 To estimate the total and differential settlements of
the structure.
If these are excessive the bearing pressure will have to
be reduced or the foundation taken to a deeper and less
compressible stratum or the structure will have to be
founded on piles or other special measures taken
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 Loads on Foundation
A foundation may be subjected to two or more of
the following loads.
i. Dead load: Weight of structure
 All material permanently attached to structure
 Static earth pressure acting permanently against the
structure below ground surface.
 Water pressure acting laterally against basement walls
and vertically against slab.
ii. Live load: temporary loads expected to
superimpose on the structure during its
useful life.

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iii. Wind load: lateral load coming from the action of
wind. Local building codes provide magnitude of design
wind pressure.
iv. Earth-quake load: lateral load coming from earth-
quake motion.
The total lateral force (base shear) at the base of a
structure is evaluated in accordance with local building
code.
v. Dynamic load: load coming from a vibrating object
(machinery).
In such case, separate foundation should be provided.
The impact effect of such loads should be considered
in design.
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 Pressure Distribution Beneath Foundations
 This is the distribution of the pressure between the
base of the foundation and the ground.
 The pattern of the distribution varies according to
the stiffness of the foundation.

b)
a)

Pressure distribution under a rigid footing

a) On cohessionless soil

33
b)Foundation
On cohesive
Engineering soil
ASTU
 a) b)

Pressure distribution under a flexible footing

a) On clay soil
b) On granular soil

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 Approximate contact pressure
distribution
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 Eccentric Loads or Moments

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 Eccentric Loads or Moments

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 Two-way Eccentric Loads or
Moments

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 ea
.
b eb

a
max
 = P/ab (16eb/b 6ea/a)
min
For contact pressure to remain (+) ve
everywhere,
6eB 6eL
  1.0
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B L
 •Settlement of Foundations
l1 l2 l3

Ground Level
Original foundation level

1
 max
2 3
1,2,3 = Differential sett.,  = Greatest differential sett.
max = maximum total sett., l1,l2,l3= Bay width, /l = angular distortion
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 NO SETTLEMENT * TOTAL SETTLEMENT * DIFFERENTIAL
SETTLEMENT
Uniform settlement is usually of little consequence in a building, but
differential settlement can cause severe structural damage

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  From statistical analysis Skempton and MacDonald
concluded that as long as the angular distortion , /l
of a building is less than 1/300, there should be no
settlement damage.
1. Recommendation of Skempton and MacDonald
i) Settlements on sand
a) isolated footings /l = max/600, max  2inches
b) rafts /l = max/750, max  2.5 inches
ii) Settlements on clay
a) isolated footings /l = max/1000, max  3.3inches
b) rafts /l = max/1250, max  4 .25 inches

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 2. Recommendation of Bowles

Types of soil Type of foundations

Isolated Rafts

Sand 3.8cm 3.8-6.4cm

Clay 6.4cm 6.4cm-10.2cm

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 3. Recommendation of EBCS7-1995

Types of Isolated rafts

soils
Sand 5.0cm 5.0cm
clay 7.5cm 7.5cm

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 Selection of Foundation Type
 In selecting the foundation type the following
points must be considered
 Function of the structure
 Loads it must carry
 Subsurface conditions
 Cost of foundation in comparison with the cost of
the superstructure.
 Having these points in mind one should apply
the following steps in order to arrive at a
decision.
 Obtain at least approximate information
concerning the nature of the superstructure and
the loads to be transmitted to the foundation
 Determine the subsurface condition in a general
way.

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 Consider each of the usual types of foundations in order
to judge whether or not
 They could be constructed under existing conditions.
 They are capable of carrying the required load.
 They experience serious differential settlements.
 The types that are found to be unsuitable should then be
eliminated.
 Undertake a detailed study of the most promising types.
Such a study may require additional information on
loads and subsurface conditions.
 Determine the approximate size of footing or the
approximate length and number of piles required
 Prepare an estimate for the cost of each promising type
of foundation.
 Select the type that represents the most acceptable
compromise between performance and cost.
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 The End

?
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