Spread Footings:

Structural Design

Structural Design Process

for Reinforced Concrete foundation
o

Selecting a concrete with an appropriate strength

Selecting an appropriate grade of reinforcing steel

Determining the required foundation thickness, T.

Determine the size, number, and spacing of the

reinforcing bars

Designing the connection between

superstructure and the foundation

the

Cross section of spread footing showing

applied loads, reinforcing steel and
relevant dimensions.

2/52

Structural Design Process

for Reinforced Concrete foundation
o

Selection of materials

Basis for design methods

Design loads

Minimum cover
dimensions

Square footings

requirement

and

standard

Concrete Protection for Reinforcement

o

NSCP specifies the minimum amount of

concrete cover that must be present around
all steel reinforcing bars

this cover distance is measured from the

edge of the bars, not the centerlines.

it provides proper anchorage of the bars

and corrosion protection

It also allows for irregularities in the

excavation and accommodates possible
contamination of the lower portion of the
concrete.

In square spread footings, the effective depth is

the distance from the top of the concrete to the
contact point of the flexural steel.

= 75mm
d is the effective depth
t is the thickness of the footing
db is the nominal diameter of the steel bars

Concrete Protection for Reinforcement

(NSCP 2010)
407.8.1 Cast-in-place concrete (non-prestressed)
Unless a greater cover is required by Section 407.8.6 or
407.8.8 specified cover for reinforcement shall not less
than the following:
1. Concrete cast against and permanently exposed to earth . . .

75 mm

2. Concrete exposed to earth or weather:

f20 mm bar through f36 mm bar

50 mm

f16 mm bar, MW200 or MD200 wire, and smaller

40 mm

Designing for Shear

o

ACI defines two modes of shear

failure
one-way shear (also known as
beam shear or wide-beam
shear)

two-way shear (also known as

diagonal tension shear)

The two modes of shear failure: (a) one-way

shear, and (b) two-way shear.

Two-Way Shear
o

Two-way shear is a measure of the

diagonal tension caused by the
effect of the column load on the
footing.

Incline cracks may occur at a

distance d/2 from the face of the
column on all sides.

The critical section is located at a

distance d from the face of column

Designing for Shear

The footing design is satisfactory for shear when it satisfies the
following condition on all critical shear surfaces:
where:
Vuc = factored shear force on critical surface
Vnc = nominal shear capacity on the critical surface
f = resistance factor for shear = 0.85

The nominal shear load capacity, Vnc, on the critical surface is:
where:
Vc = nominal shear load capacity of concrete
Vnc = nominal shear load capacity of reinforcing steel

For spread footings, VS is neglected.

Two-Way Shear
The footing may be subjected
to Pu, Mu and Vu all of which
produce shear forces on the
critical shear surfaces
To visualize the Vuc, caused by
Pu, divide the footing into two
blocks, one inside the shear
surface and one outside.

Two-Way Shear
o

Pu, applied to the top of the inner block, is

transferred to a uniform pressure acting on
the base of both blocks

Some of this load is transferred to the soil

beneath the inner block, while the remainder
must pass through the critical shear surface
and enters the soil beneath the lower block

Only the later portion produces a shear force on the critical surface

The percentage of Pu that produces shear along the critical surfaces is the
ratio of the base area of the outer block to the total base area.

Two-Way Shear
o

if an applied moment load Mu, is present, it

produces an additional shear force on two
opposing faces of the inner block

The shear force on one of the faces acts in the

same direction as the shear force induced by the
normal load

while the that on the other face acts in the

opposite direction

The face with both forces acting in the same

direction has the greatest shear force, and thus
controls the design

Distribution of shear forces on the

critical shear surfaces for two-way
shear when the footing is subjected
to both normal and moment loads.

Two-Way Shear
The factored shear force on the critical vertical surfaces, Vuc, is
as follows:

where:
Vuc = factored shear force on most critical surface
B = footing width
c = column width or diameter or base plate width for steel columns
d = effective depth
Pu = applied normal load
Vu = applied shear load

Distribution of shear forces on the

critical shear surfaces for two-way
shear when the footing is subjected
to both normal and moment loads.

Two-Way Shear
o

if an applied shear load Vu, is present and it acts

in the same direction as the moment load, it
produces a shear force on the other two faces

Assuming the applied shear force is evenly

divided between these two faces, the shear force
on each face is

=

+
2

Distribution of shear forces on the

critical shear surfaces for two-way
shear when the footing is subjected
to both normal and shear loads.

Two-Way Shear
o

The factored shear force on the critical vertical surfaces, Vuc, is

a follows:

where:
Vuc = factored shear force on most critical surface
B = footing width
c = column width or diameter or base plate width for steel columns
d = effective depth
Pu = applied normal load
Vu = applied shear load

Two-Way Shear
o

The nominal two-way shear capacity is

= = 40
Metric system

where:
Vnc = nominal two-way shear capacity on the critical section
Vc = nominal two-way shear capacity of concrete
bo = length of critical shear surface
c = column width
d = effective depth
fc = 28-day compressive strength of concrete

English system

One-Way Shear
o

Two-way shear governs the design of square

footings subjected only to vertical loads

There is no need to check one-way shear in

such footings

If applied shear and/or moment loads are

present, both kinds of shear need to be
checked

The critical section is located at a distance d

from the face of column

One-Way Shear
o

The factored shear force on the critical vertical

surfaces, Vuc, is a follows:
2
=

where:
Vuc = shear force on critical surface
B = footing width
c = column width
d = effective depth
Pu = applied normal load
Mu = applied moment load
Vu = applied shear load

6
+

+ 2

One-Way Shear
o

The nominal one-way shear capacity is

= = 2
Metric system

where:
Vnc = nominal one-way shear capacity on the critical section
Vc = nominal one-way shear capacity of concrete
bw = length of critical shear surface = 2B
c = column width
d = effective depth
fc = 28-day compressive strength of concrete

English system

Example Problem
(Metric Units)
A 0.6 m square reinforced concrete column carries a
vertical dead load of 1690 kN and a vertical live load of
1200 kN. It is to be supported on a square spread
footing that will be founded on a soil with an allowable
bearing pressure of 300 kPa.
The GWT is well below the bottom of the footing.
Determine the required width B, thickness T, and
effective depth d.
Use fc = 28 MPa and fy = 420 MPa. Design the
required flexural steel.

Example Problem
(English Units)
A 21-inch square reinforced concrete column carries
a vertical dead load of 380 k and a vertical live load of
270 k. It is to be supported on a square spread footing
that will be founded on a soil with an allowable bearing
pressure of 6500 psf.
The GWT is well below the bottom of the footing.
Determine the required width, B, thickness, T, and
effective depth, d. Use fc = 4000 psi and fy = 60 ksi.
Design the required flexural steel.

Designing for Flexure

Flexural Design Principles
o Nominal moment capacity of a RC flexural member

=
2

=
0.85

=
1.176

2.353

Designing for Flexure

Factored bending moment at the critical
section, Muc, is:

2 2
=
+
2

where:
Muc = factored moment at critical section for bending
Pu = factored compressive load from column
Mu = factored moment load from column
l = cantilever distance (from table)
B = footing width
(a) A spread footing is actually a two-way
slab, bending in both the north-south and
east-west directions; (b) for purposes of
analysis engineers assume that the footing is
a one-way slab that bends in one axis only.

Designing for Flexure

Location of critical section for
bending

Design cantilever distance for use in

designing reinforcement in spread
footings

Type of column

(a) with a concrete column; (b) with a masonry column; and

(c) with a steel column

Concrete

(B c)/2

Masonry

(B c/2)/2

Steel

(2B (c + cp))/4

Designing for Flexure

Reinforcing steel
o

Grade 40 bars which have a yield strength fy, of

40 ksi (280 Mpa)

Grade 60 bars which have a yield strength fy, of

60 ksi (420 Mpa)

Steel Reinforcement Information

(NSCP 2010)
ASTM Standard

Philippine Standard

Nominal
Diameter, mm

Nominal
Area, mm2

Nominal mass,
kg/mm2

Bar Size
Designation

Nominal
Area, mm2

Nominal mass,
kg/mm2

9.5

71

0.560

10

79

0.618

12.7

129

0.994

12

113

0.890

15.9

199

1.552

16

201

1.580

19.1

284

2.235

20

3144

2.465

22.2

387

3.042

NA

NA

NA

25.4

510

3.973

25

491

3.851

28.7

645

5.060

28

616

4.831

32.3

819

6.404

32

804

6.310

35.8

1006

7.907

36

1019

7.986

43.0

1452

11.380

42

1385

10.870

57.3

2581

20.240

58

2642

20.729

Shrinkage and Temperature Reinforcement

407.13.2.1 Area of shrinkage and temperature reinforcement
shall provide at least the following ratios of reinforcement
area to gross concrete area, but not less than 0.0014:
o

Slabs where Grade 280 and Grade 520 deformed bars are . 0.0020
used

Slabs where Grade 415 deformed bars or welded wire . 0.0018

fabric (smooth or deformed) are used

Slabs where reinforcement with yield stress exceeding

. 0.0018 x 415/fy
415 MPa measured at a yield strain of 0.35% is used

Minimum Reinforcement
of Flexural Members
410.6.4 For structural slabs and footings of uniform thickness, the
minimum area of tensile reinforcement in the direction of the
span shall be the same as that required by Section 407.13.2.1.
Maximum spacing of this reinforcement shall not exceed the
lesser of three times the thickness, nor 450 mm.

Maximum steel ratio, r

fc (MPa)
fy (MPa)
300

420

20

25

30

35

40

rb

0.0321

0.0401

0.0482

0.0536

0.0582

0.75rb

0.0241

0.0301

0.0361

0.0402

0.0436

0.50rb

0.0161

0.0201

0.0241

0.0268

0.0291

0.35rb

0.0112

0.0140

0.0169

0.0187

0.0204

rb

0.0202

0.0253

0.0304

0.0338

0.0367

0.75rb

0.0152

0.0190

0.0228

0.0253

0.0275

0.50rb

0.0101

0.0126

0.0152

0.0169

0.0183

0.35rb

0.0071

0.0089

0.0106

0.0118

0.0128

Code Requirements
NSCP 407.7 Spacing limits
407.7.1 - the minimum clear spacing between parallel bars in a layer
shall be db but not less than 25 mm.
403.4.2 nominal maximum size of coarse aggregate shall not be
larger than:
(a) 1/5 the narrowest dimension between sides of forms,
nor
(b) 1/3 the depth of slabs, nor
(c) the minimum clear spacing between individual
reinforcing bars or wires, bundles of bars, individual
tendons, bundled tendons, or ducts

Development of Deformed Bars

and Deformed Wires in Tension
NSCP 412.3.2 For deformed bars or
deformed wire, ld shall be

=
1.1 +

where

and

+
2.5

40
=

where:
Atr = total cross-sectional area of all transverse
reinforcement which is within the spacing s and
which crosses the potential plane of splitting
through the reinforcement being developed (may
conservatively be taken to be zero)
cb = spacing or cover dimension = the smaller of the
distance from the center of the bar to the nearest
concrete surface or one-half the center-to-center
spacing of the bars
db = nominal diameter of bar
fy = specified yield strength of non-prestressed
reinforcement, MPa
fc = specified compressive strength of concrete, Mpa
ktr = transverse reinforcement index (for spread footings,
use Ktr = 0 which is conservative)
ld = minimum required development length
s = maximum center-to-center spacing of transverse
reinforcement within ld
l = modification factor = 1.0

Development of Deformed Bars

and Deformed Wires in Tension
t = reinforcement location factor
= 1.3 for horizontal reinforcement with more than 300 mm (12) of fresh
concrete below the bar
= 1.0 for all other cases

e = reinforcement coating factor

= 1.5 for epoxy coated bars or wires with cover less than 3db or clear
spacing less than 6db
= 1.2 for other epoxy coated bars or wires
= 1.0 for uncoated bars or wires

s = reinforcement size factor

= 0.8 for #6 and smaller bars
= 1.0 for #7 and larger bars

Required Development Length

o

The development length is

measured from the critical
section for bending to the end
of the bars as shown below.

Thus,
the
supplied
development length is:

= 75( 3")

where:
(ld )supplied = supplied development length
l = cantilever distance

(a) with a concrete column; (b) with a masonry

column; and (c) with a steel column

Example Problem
(English Units)
A 21-inch square reinforced concrete column carries
a vertical dead load of 380 k and a vertical live load of
270 k. It is to be supported on a square spread footing
that will be founded on a soil with an allowable bearing
pressure of 6500 psf.
The GWT is well below the bottom of the footing.
Determine the required width, B, thickness, T, and
effective depth, d. Use fc = 4000 psi and fy = 60 ksi.
Design the required flexural steel.

Solution
A 21-inch square reinforced
concrete column carries a vertical dead
load of 380 k and a vertical live load of
270 k. It is to be supported on a square
spread footing that will be founded on a
soil with an allowable bearing pressure
of 6500 psf. The GWT is well below the
bottom of the footing.
Determine the required width, B,
thickness, T, and effective depth, d. Use
fc = 4000 psi and fy = 60 ksi.
Design the required flexural steel.

determine l

calculate Muc

calculate As

check minimum steel requirement

determine no. of bars

check spacing

Check ld

Example Problem
(Metric Units)
A 0.6 m square reinforced concrete column carries a
vertical dead load of 1690 kN and a vertical live load of
1200 kN. It is to be supported on a square spread
footing that will be founded on a soil with an allowable
bearing pressure of 300 kPa.
The GWT is well below the bottom of the footing.
Determine the required width B, thickness T, and
effective depth d.
Use fc = 28 MPa and fy = 420 MPa. Design the
required flexural steel.

Solution
A 0.6 m square reinforced concrete
column carries a vertical dead load of
1690 kN and a vertical live load of 1200
kN. It is to be supported on a square
spread footing that will be founded on a
soil with an allowable bearing pressure
of 300 kPa. The GWT is well below the
bottom of the footing.
Determine the required width, B,
thickness, T, and effective depth, d. Use
fc = 28 Mpa and fy = 420 MPa.
Design the required flexural steel.

determine l

calculate Muc

calculate As

check minimum steel requirement

determine no. of bars

check spacing

Check ld

Continuous Footings
(Designing for Shear)
The factored shear force acting on a unit
length of the critical shear surface is:

where:
Puc /b = factored shear force at critical surface per unit length
of footing
Pu/b = factored applied compressive load per unit length of
footing
c = width of wall
b = unit length of footing (usually 1 ft or 1 m)
B = footing width

Location of idealized critical

shear surface for one-way shear
in a continuous footing.

Continuous Footings
(Designing for Shear)
The factored shear force acting on a unit length of the critical
shear surface is:

Metric system
where:
b = unit length of footing (usually 1 ft or 1 m)
B = footing width
c = width of wall
d = effective depth
fc = 28-day compressive strength of concrete
Pu/b = applied vertical load per unit length of footing
f = resistance factor = 0.85

English system

Continuous Footings
o

Place a nominal amount of longitudinal steel in

the footing
0.0018Ag to 0.0020Ag

If large differential heaves or settlements are

likely, use additional longitudinal reinforcement

If the entire base is within a 45o frustum, there

is no need for transverse steel
For wider footings, transverse steel is designed
to resist flexural stresses at the critical section.

zone of compression in lightlyloaded footings

0.5dbl

d
db
75 mm

75 mm

Continuous Footings
(Designing for Flexure)
The factored moment at the critical section is:

where:
Muc /b = factored moment at critical surface per unit length of footing
Pu/b = factored applied compressive load per unit length of footing
Mu /b = factored applied moment load perpendicular to wall per unit length of footing
b = unit length of footing (usually 1 ft or 1 m)
B = footing width
l = cantilever distance

Example Problem
A 200-mm wide concrete block wall carries a vertical
dead load of 120 kN/m and a vertical live load of 88
kN/m. It is to be supported on a continuous spread
footing that is to be founded at a depth of at least 500
mm below the ground surface.
The allowable bearing pressure of the soil beneath
the footing is 200 kPa and the GWT is at a depth of 10 m.
Develop a structural design for this footing using fc =
15 MPa and fy= 300 Mpa.

Rectangular Footings
Rectangular footings with width B and Length L that
support only one column are similar to square footings and
are designed as follows:
o

Check both one-way shear and two-way shear as shown.

Determine the minimum required d and T to satisfy
both.

Rectangular Footings
o

Design the long steel by

substituting L for B in the
previous equations

Distribute
this
steel
evenly across the footing

Rectangular Footings
o

Design the short steel

Proportion the short steel

according to the formula below:

where:
E = portion of steel in center section
B = footing width
L = footing length

Other types of footings

Combined footings
o Footings that carry more than one column
o

The loading and geometry is more complex, so a more

rigorous structural analysis is required

Lightly-loaded footings
o If Pu < 400 kN (90k) or Pu/b < 150 kN/m (10 k/ft), dmin
150 (6) controls
o Shear analysis is not required

Other types of footings

Lightly-loaded footings
o If Pu < 130 kN (30k) or Pu/b < 60 kN/m (4 k/ft), minimum
steel requirements (rmin = 0.0018) governs
o

flexural analysis is not required

If entire base of the footing is within a 45o frustum, no

reinforcement is required.

Other types of footings

Square footings
o If bottom of footing is completely within the zone of
compression no reinforcement required
o

If bottom of footing extends beyond the zone of

compression as determined by flexural analysis,
provide 12.7 mm dia. at 500 mm. o.c. each way)

Other types of footings

Continuous footings
o Longitudinal reinforcement

Minimum two 12.7 mm dia. bars

o Lateral reinforcement

If bottom of footing is completely within the zone of

compression no reinforcement required

If bottom of footing extends beyond the zone of compression

as determined by flexural analysis, provide 12.7 mm dia. at 500
mm. o.c. each way)

Minimum reinforcement helps accommodate unforeseen stresses,

temperature and shrinkage stresses, and other phenomena

Connections with the Superstructure

o

Connections with columns

Concrete or Masonry columns

Steel Columns

Wood Columns

Connection with walls

Bearing Strength

Bearing Strength
Check factored column load versus, nominal bearing
capacity

where:
Pu = factored column load
Pnb = nominal column bearing capacity
fc = 28-day compressive strength of concrete
s = (A2 /A1 )0.5 if the frustum fits entirely
within the footing
s = 1 if the frustum does not fit entirely
within the footing

A1 = cross-sectional area of the column = c2

A2 = (c + 4d)2
c = column width or diameter
f = resistance factor = 0.7

Design for Moment Loads

If moment loads are present, then the dowels must
be embedded at least one development length into
the footing as shown.

1200

english

100

metric

where:
T = footing thickness (mm)
ldh = development length for 90o hooks (mm)
db = bar diameter (mm)
fc = 28-day compressive strength of concrete (MPa)

Design for Moment Loads

The development length computed from the previous
equation may be modified by the following factors:
o

For standard reinforcing bars with yield strength other

than 60,000 psi: fy / 60,000

For a metric reinforcing bars with yield strength other

than 420 psi: fy / 420

If at least 50 mm (2) of cover is present beyond the

hook: 0.7

Design for Shear Loads

If the column imparts a shear load, Vu, onto the footing, the
connection must be able to transmit this load. The minimum
required dowel steel area is:

where:
As = minimum required dowel steel area
Vu = applied factored shear load
f = resistance factor = 0.85
fy = yield strength of reinforcing steel
m = 0.6 if the cold join not intentionally roughened or 1.0 if the cold join is roughened by
heavy raking or grooving

Summary
o

The plan dimensions and minimum embedment depth of a

spread footing are governed by geotechnical concerns, and
are determined using the unfactored loads.

The thickness and reinforcement of a spread footing are

governed by structural concerns. Structural design is
governed by the NSCP code and therefore the analyses are
based on the factored load.

The structural design of spread footings must consider both

shear and flexural failure modes.

Summary
o

A shear failure consists of the column or wall punching

through the footing, while a flexural failure occurs when the
footing has insufficient cantilever strength

Since stirrups (shear reinforcement) are not used, shear

analysis is conducted first and the effective depth d is
determined, so that the footing provides enough shear
resistance (concrete only) to resist shear forces induced by
the applied load.

Shear strength of the flexural steel is ignored.

Summary
o

Conduct flexural analysis to determine the amount of steel

required to provide flexural strength.

For square footings, use the same flexural steel in both

directions.

For continuous footings, the lateral steel is based on flexural

analysis

Use nominal longitudinal steel for non-uniformities in the

load and inconsistencies in the soil bearing pressure

Summary
o

Design rectangular footings similar to square footings,

but place a greater portion of the short steel near the
center.

Check the following superstructure connections

bearing strength

dowel development length for moment and shear

loads