Foundation Analysis and Design: Dr.

Amit Prashant

Raft Foundation: Simplified Flexible Method

The subgrade soil is considered as an infinite array of

individual springs unaffected from the deformation of
others.
The spring constant is the modulus of subgrade reaction.
The following conditions are to be satisfied for this
method to be applicable

Relative stiffness factor < 0.5

Variation of adjacent column load is less than 20% of the higher
value.

The rigid analysis gives relatively more conservative

design of the raft against bending moment resulting in
much bigger section. Hence, flexible design is preferable
from the point of view the economy of structure.
Analysis using this approach has been covered under
the course on Soil-Structure Interaction.
40

Foundation Analysis and Design: Dr. Amit Prashant

Raft Foundation: Contact Pressure Distribution for

Simplified Flexible Method

The contact pressure

distribution is assumed
to be linear with its
maximum value below
columns and minimum
at the mid span.
Contact p
pressure under
interior column.

Moment below interior column

41

Foundation Analysis and Design: Dr. Amit Prashant

Raft Foundation: Contact Pressure Distribution for

Simplified Flexible Method

Contact pressure below mid span

Moment at the mid span

42

Foundation Analysis and Design: Dr. Amit Prashant

Raft Foundation: Contact Pressure Distribution for

Simplified Flexible Method

Moment below the exterior column,

Me is taken as the minimum of
following two values

Contact pressure below mid span,

Me is taken from Eq. (a) above:

Contact pressure below mid span, Me is taken from Eq. (b) above:
43

Foundation Analysis and Design: Dr. Amit Prashant

Raft Foundation: General Flexible Method

This method is employed when there is significant

variation is the column spacing or the intensity of column
loads on the raft foundation.
This method is based on the closed form solutions for
plates on Winkler type elastic half space.
The continuity of foundation and its effect on the analysis
is not compromised.
Numerical analysis using finite element or finite
difference approach may be employed.
Moment, shear force, and deflections are calculated for
each column load individually and then the principal of
superposition is used to find out the combined effect of
all the column loads.
44

Foundation Analysis and Design: Dr. Amit Prashant

Raft Foundation: General Flexible Method

Design Steps

Step 1:
Assume thickness of the mat foundation.
Step 2:
Determine Flexural Rigidity D of the mat

Step 3:
Determine the radius of effective stiffness

45

Foundation Analysis and Design: Dr. Amit Prashant

Raft Foundation: General Flexible Method

Design Steps

Step 4:
Determine radial
and tangential
moment due to
column load

46

Foundation Analysis and Design: Dr. Amit Prashant

Design Step 4 Continued.

Deflection at any point and Shear force per unit width of mat

The moment in Cartesian coordinates can be obtained using the

following relationship
y

Mt

My

Mr
Mx

x
47

Foundation Analysis and Design: Dr. Amit Prashant

Design Step 4
Continued.

The value of functions

can be obtained using
the adjacent plot
The influence zone of
a column load reaches
to approximately 4-5
times the radius of
effective
ff ti stiffness.
tiff

48

Foundation Analysis and Design: Dr. Amit Prashant

Design Step 4 Continued.

In case the edges of mat are within the influence zone of

a column load, determine the moment and shear force at
the edges assuming the mat to be continuous and apply
the same magnitude in opposite direction to satisfy the
known boundary conditions.
Th moments,
The
t shear
h
force,
f
and
d deflection
d fl ti calculated
l l t d ffor
each column are superimposed to find their resultant
values at each location.
The reinforcement calculations can be performed
assuming the raft as an inverted beam or slab.

49

Foundation Analysis and Design: Dr. Amit Prashant

Ring Foundations

Used for fairly small and

uniform column spacing
and there is sufficient
bending due to lateral
forces (seismic, wind,
etc.). For example water
t k transmission
tank,
t
i i ttower,
etc.
Sometimes annular slab
with ring beam is used for
more economical design
when the column spacing
is large and/or the soil is
relatively more
compressible.
50

Foundation Analysis and Design: Dr. Amit Prashant

Ring Foundations: Rigid Foundation Analysis

Assumptions:

Foundation is rigid relative to soil and compressible

layer is relatively shallow.
The contact pressure distribution varies linearly
th
throughout
h t th
the foundation
f
d ti

The following conditions are to be satisfied for

this method to be applicable

Relative stiffness factor K > 0.5

Spacing between the columns is less than 1.75xLe

51

Foundation Analysis and Design: Dr. Amit Prashant

Rigid Foundation Analysis:

Annular Raft
b
r

c
a

A uniform distribution of
pressure is assumed
with the magnitude of
p=p1+0.5p
+0 5p2. The load p1
is due to dead load, and
p2 is due to moment in
presence of lateral loads.

p1
p2

52

Foundation Analysis and Design: Dr. Amit Prashant

Rigid Foundation Analysis: Annular Raft

For a particular b/a ratio, the value of c/a ratio at which

the maximum moment are minimum could be obtained
from the following plot. The total area shall also satisfy
the requirement of allowable bearing pressure

53

Foundation Analysis and Design: Dr. Amit Prashant

Rigid Foundation Analysis: Annular Raft

Circumferential and radial moments

For r < c

M t1 =

pa 2 b 2 a 1 c 2 b 2 3b 2
r 2 4b 2 r a 2 + r 2 b 2 a
+ 3 2 2 ln 2 2 2 ln
4 1 + ln +
+
16 r 2 c 2 2a 2 a 2 r 2
a a a a r r
b

M r1 =

pa 2
16

b 2 a 1 c 2 b 2 b 2
r 2 4b 2 r a 2 r 2 b 2 a
4 1 2 ln + 2 3 2 + 2 + 1 2 2 ln 2 2 2 ln
r
a a a a r r
b
r c 2 2a a

For r > c
M t 2 = M t1 +

pa 2 b 2 c 1 c 2
4 1 ln +

16 a 2 r 2 2r 2

M r 2 = M r1 +

pa 2 b 2 c 1 c 2
4 1 ln +

16 a 2 r 2 2r 2
54

Foundation Analysis and Design: Dr. Amit Prashant

Rigid Foundation Analysis:

Annular Raft with Ring Beam

The condition of maximum

pressure not exceeding
allowable bearing pressure
and non-negative minimum
pressure are satisfied if

a = e.x +

( e.x )

b = a2 +

x=
A=

A
2

qa net ( o q1 )

W+A.o

qa net + ( o q1 )
qa net

c
a

e
q1

qa-net+o

2W
( o q1 )

55

Foundation Analysis and Design: Dr. Amit Prashant

Rigid Foundation Analysis: Annular Raft with Ring Beam

W = Total weight of the structure above ground

e = Eccentricity of vertical load on base due
to lateral loads

A = Area of annular raft

o = Overburden pressure due to depth
of foundation

q1 = Minimum net soil pressure desired

For a given number of columns the ring beam will have

less moment when the ring perimeter is small.

Curve A and B in the figure on next slide give the most

economical location of ring beam under uniform and
linearly varying pressure conditions.
56

1.0Analysis and Design: Dr. Amit Prashant

Foundation
B (For linearly varying pressure)

c/a for minimum moment

0.8

A (For uniform pressure)

0.6
C (Centroid of Ring
element)
0.4
Centroid
Ring beam
0.2

0
0

0.2

0.4

0.6
b/a

0.8

1.0
57

Foundation Analysis and Design: Dr. Amit Prashant

Rigid Foundation Analysis: Annular Raft with Ring Beam

Tangential moments are critical at

the inner edge, under bearing and
outer edge.
Radial moment are critical under
the ring beam for sagging and at
some point in the raft for sagging

b c
a

po

58

Foundation Analysis and Design: Dr. Amit Prashant

Rigid Foundation Analysis: Annular Raft with Ring Beam

Tangential and radial moments for uniform pressure conditions

For r < c

M t1 =

4b2 r a 2 + r 2 b2 b
po a 2 b2 1
c c 2 r 2 b 2 3b 2
4 1 + ln 2 + 2 + 2 2 3 2 ln 2 2 2 ln
a 2a a
a
r
a
16 r 2 2
a a a b r

M r1 =

4b 2 r a 2 r 2 b 2 b
po a 2 b 2 1
c
c2 r 2 b2 b2
4 1 ln 2 + 3 2 2 + 2 3 2 ln 2 2 2 ln
16 r 2 2
ae 2a a a
r
a
a a a b r

For r > c
M t 2 = M t1 +

pa 2 b 2 c 1 c 2
4 1 ln +

16 a 2 r 2 2r 2

M r 2 = M r1 +

pa 2 b 2 c 1 c 2
4 1 ln +

16 a 2 r 2 2r 2

59

Foundation Analysis and Design: Dr. Amit Prashant

Rigid Foundation Analysis: Annular Raft with Ring Beam

Tangential and radial moments for varying pressure conditions

For r < c

p 2b 4 2 2 8 4
5 2 2 a2 2 2 4

2 4
4
4

3a b r 5 + 2r r + 3b a r + 3 2 + 1 a c r + 3b cos
96ar 3 b2 + a 2
3
3
c

a2 2 2 4 4
p 2b 4
4
2 2
2
2 2
4
4
2

Mr =
5
8
r
3
a
b
2
r
5
a
r
5
r
3
b
3
3
1
a
c
r
b
cos

+
+

3
2
96ar b + a 2
c

Mt =

)(

)(

For r > c

2b 4 2 2 8 4
5

3a b r 5 + 2r 2 r 4 + 3b 4 a 2 r 2
2
2
3
3

p b +a
cos
Mt =
4
4 2
96ar 3
+ r 4 + 3a 4 3b c 2 2a 2 r 4 + 3b4 3a 2 r 2 + 3b r

2
2
a
c

2b
5 8r 4 3a 2b2 2r 2 5a 2 r 2 5r 4 3b 4
2
2
p b +a
4
96ar 3
+3 a 4 r 4 c 2 3b 6 a 2 r 2 a 2 r 2 b 4

c2

Mr =

)(

cos

60