CE 481 - Shallow Foundation Design

Important Information

Information you should already know (i.e. I shouldn't have to give you this information in an
exam situation).
Acceleration Due to Gravity (g):
g = 9.81 meters per second squared (m/s2)
g = 32.2 feet per second squared (ft/s2)
Newton (N):
N = 1.0 kilogram - meter per second squared (kg m/s2)
Unit Weight and Density of Water (w and w):
w = 9,810 Newtons per cubic meter (N/m3)
w = 9.81 kilo Newtons per cubic meter (kN/m3)
w = 62.4 pounds per cubic foot (lb/ft3 or pcf)
w = 1.0 gram per cubic centimeter (g/cm3)
w = 1.0 mega-gram per cubic meter (Mg/m3)
w = 1,000 kilograms per cubic meter (kg/m3)
Weights in English Units:
1,000 pounds equals 1 kip
2,000 pounds equals 1 ton
Useful Conversions:
1 inch equals 2.54 centimeters
1 foot equals 0.3048 meters
1 mile equals 5,280 feet
1 yard equals 3 feet
1 kilogram mass equals 2.2046 pounds force
1 cubic foot equals 7.48 gallons
Newton's Law:
Force equals mass times acceleration (F=ma)
Geometry:
Circumference of a circle = 2r where r equals the radius of the circle
Area of a circle = r2 where r equals the radius of the circle
Area of a triangle equals one-half the base times the height (bh)
Typical Unit Weights:
Concrete: 150 pcf
Soil: 120 pcf
Specific Gravity (Gs):
Gs = m / w where m is the unit weight of the material of interest
Pascals (Pa):
Pascal, Pa = N/m2
kilo-Pascal, kPa = kN/m2