FOUNDATION SYSTEMS

Foundation systems

The foundation system for a building is the critical link

in the transmission of building loads down to the
ground.
Bearing directly on the soil, the foundation system
must:
Distribute vertical loads so the settling of a building is either
negligible or uniform under all parts of the building.
Anchor the building's superstructure to prevent uplifting due
to wind and earthquake forces.
 Foundation system

The most critical factor in determining the

foundation system of a building is the type and
bearing capacity of the soil.
Two areas to consider in foundations systems
include:
BUILDING DESIGN
FOUNDATION TYPES
 Design considerations

There are three general concerns with the

design of foundation systems:
SETTLING
WATER
FROST
 Settling

As a building bears down on the supporting soil, some

settlement is to be expected.
A properly designed and constructed foundation
system should minimize settlement Uneven or
"differential" settlement can cause a building to shift
out of plumb causing cracks in the foundation,
structure, or finish.
Extreme differential settlement can lead to failure of a
building's structural integrity.
The cause of settlement is typically due to a reduction
in the volume of air voids in the soil.
 Water

Ground water can create lateral pressure (called

Equivalent Fluid Pressure) and can penetrate
foundation walls and ground slabs below grade,
especially if they lie below the water table.
In cohesive soles, ground water may rise through
capillary action and penetrate a building's ground slab.
Granular base materials and vapor barriers are used

to control capillary action.

Dewatering a foundation site is often required prior to
beginning construction.
Foundation Types
 Foundation Types

Foundations are the building component which

transfers building loads to the soil.
There are two basic types of foundations:
SHALLOW - Shallow foundations transfer the load to soil at
the base of the substructure

DEEP - Deep foundations transfer loads far below the

substructure.
z These foundations penetrate incompetent soil until a
satisfactory bearing stratum is reached.
 SHALLOW FOUNDATIONS

Shallow foundations transfer the load to soil at the

base of the substructure.
Characteristics of shallow foundations are they are
cheap and they require suitable soil.
 Shallow foundations

There are a variety of shallow foundation types used in

the construction of foundations.
Columns
z Combined or Cantilevered

z Mat

z Floating

Wall (strip)
z Spread Footings

z Slab on grade

z Basement crawl space

Mat footing rebar
DEEP FOUNDATIONS
 CAISSON and DRIVEN PILES

Deep foundations transfer loads far below the

substructure.
These foundations penetrate incompetent soil
until a satisfactory bearing stratum is reached.
Used to reach deeper layers with greater
bearing
Used to avoid obstacles in ground (vs walls)
PILES
PILING EQUIPMENT
 UNDERPINNING

Underpinning is a generic term to describe the

process of modifying an existing foundation by
adding support.
This can be done by various means, such as
Piering (installing steel piers), concrete
caissons or piles.
Each have their own advantages and
disadvantages.
Underpinning
 Drilled shafts

Are deep or shallow foundation support

elements formed by creating a borehole into
which structural steel and concrete is cast or
placed.
Drilled Shafts
Drilling Hole
 Caisson Foundation

Concrete cylinders poured into drilled holes

Piers are dug and then filled with concrete.

Differs from columns in that it reaches through strata

of unsatisfactory soil beneath the substructure of a
building until it reaches bearing stratum, such as Rock,
dense sand or gravel.
 Caisson Construction

Constructed by Drilling a hole in ground.

Temporary cylindrical steel casing is usually lowered
around drill as it progresses down to support soil.
Bottom of caisson is "Flared" out to achieve the
required bearing area, and filling the hole with
concrete.
Hand excavated or use "Belling bucket" with
retractable cutters.
Diameters can range up to 8' and more or as little as
18 inches.
 Types of Caissons

Belled Caisson
Bottom of caisson is "Flared" out to
achieve the required bearing area, and
filling the hole with concrete.
Example

Socketed Caisson
Drilled into rock at the bottom rather
than "belled"
Bearing capacity comes from end
bearing on rocks and friction between
caisson on soil or rock
 BORED CAISSION PILING

Piles up to 24 diameter can be constructed

using crane or lorry mounted rotary auger rigs.
Tripod piles are formed by percussive boring
within a temporary casing which supports
unstable ground and seals off water.
Casing Caisson
Tripod piles
Rotary auger bored pile
 Augered Cast-In-Place Pile

An augered hole is bored into the ground to a

specific depth or criteria determined by the
engineer.
Once the criteria is met, fluid concrete grout is
pumped through the hollow auger stem
The auger stem is withdrawn while positive
pressure is maintained to the surface.
The top of the pile is formed and reinforcing steel
is inserted.
Auger Pile
Augered Cast-In-Place Pile
 Auger cast Cutoff Wall

The perimeter of the building was

surrounded by a continuous 12"
diameter x 20' deep auger cast
wall installed from the existing
surface. After excavation and
shotcreting, it became the outer
formwork for the structural walls.
 GROUT INJECTION PILE

Consists of a steel pipe casing attached to a patented

drill trip.
The casing is used as a lining for the concrete, which
is placed after the pile has been installed.
The casing is usually used as a structural element of
the pile.
The drill tip serves as an installation aid, as well as
provides the means through which grout is injected to
produce a soil-cement mixture around the pile.
 STEEL PIPE PILES

Steel pipe are used for piling and drilled shaft

projects.
The pipe is produced to ASTM A-252 in Grade
2 and Grade 3 and with 50,000-psi minimum
yield, in sizes ranging from 8 5/8" OD to 144"
OD.
Lengths to 100 and the ability to attach end
plates, conical points, reinforcing bands and
other fabrications.
Steel Pipe Pile
DRIVEN PILES
 Pile Types

Distinguished from caissons by being "driven"

into the earth rather than drilled
Classified by Pile material, method of
placement, and method of load transfer
 Pile Drivers

Drop hammer
Hammer drops on piling
Mechanical
Piston actuated by steam or compressed air
Vibratory hammer
 Load Transfer Characteristics
Bearing Piles
transfers load through the unstable surface soils to the denser
soils below such as bedrock
Friction Piles
Depends on friction resistance between the soil it passes
through and the surface of the pile.
Used in clay soils
Driven Piles & Concrete Caissons use this methods
Sheet Piles
Designed to resist Horizontal pressures
Used to hold back earth embankments and sides of excavation
Bearing Caps

Steel reinforced concrete

structures, normally
square or rectangular, of
a thickness which
combine piles in groups
to support singular
columns above.
 Pile Materials

Wood Pile
Steel H-Pile
Steel Pipe Pile
Site cased pile
Precast Concrete Pile
Composite Piles (Wood & Steel)
Pile Materials
Wood Piling
Steel H-Piling
 Timber Piles

Were the first tapered piles.

Using the trunk as a pile must have come easily to
ancient pile drivers
placing the small end down was obviously a better
way to drive a tree trunk into the ground.
 DRIVEN PILING

Precast top driven piles.

Large crane or restricted headroom (5.0) rigs are available for
200mm and 250mm square sections.
Driven Tube
Full ranges of permanently steel cased piles are available from
150mm tp 405mm diameters.
These can be top or bottom driven.
Pile size can be varied to provide the most economical
solution for different pile loads.
Depth to 80 feet
 DRIVEN PRECAST

10 x 10 square precast
Depth 60 feet
 Permanent steel cased

Concrete infilled bottom driven piles.

Driven Piles
 Tapered Piles

Taper increases the apparent friction on the side of the

pile.
The load creates both horizontal and vertical reactions
in the soil as the tapered surface is pushed down.
For vertical-sided piles all horizontal compaction of the
soil is done during driving, before working load is
applied, but for a tapered pile to settle, some
additional side compaction must occur.
 Tapered Pile

Most of the tapered products produced as tubular steel

piles
Configured with a 25 long tapered section having a
bottom diameter of 8, top diameter of 18
A cast steel point was welded to the bottom of the
taper, and the polygonal shape was mechanically
circularized at the top of the taper.
 Advantages of a Tapered Piles

Some soil conditions that would otherwise not

carry much load using a straight-sided pile will
carry a substantially higher load when the pile
is tapered.
The combination of bearing and frictional
resistance produced by the wedge shape of
the taper is greater than the side friction and
end bearing of a cylindrical pile.
 Monotube Pile

For fully embedded

foundation piles the
most commonly used
diameters are 12 and
14 inches with design
loads up to 150 tons,
contingent on soil
capacity.
Taper tube cast steel conical tip
Pile driver lifting a Tapered tube
 Tapered pile

A 25 bottom section can easily be matched, on the job,

with a 50 top section to produce a 75 pile and no over
length trucks or permits are required.
A large diameter tip can be used to take advantage of
weaker soils while retaining a smaller diameter upper
portion of the pile.
For instance, a pile using an 8 tip 25 long and tapering up to
18 could be extended with a 14 top.
Taper pile being positioned into pile leads.
Tapertube being driven to splicing level.
Pipe being spliced to driven section of Taper
tube.
 Helical Piers

Are hydraulically twisted or turned into the soil much

like a corkscrew.
The piers contain one or more "flights" that pull the
pier into the soil.
These piers are screwed down until they reach soil
that is thick enough to support the desired result.
Since they are screwed in, they cannot be pushed or
pulled out.
They can be used to either support a structure or to
keep a structure from coming away from the soil such
as a retaining wall or a home on a hillside.
 Helical Screw Pile

A circular hollow section of steel

(shaft) with one or more tapered
steel plates (helix's) strategically
welded to the shaft which is in turn
wound into the ground using rotary
hydraulics for the purpose of
compression piles and tension
anchors.
 Screwpile Technology

Screwpiles work in both sand or clay conditions.

Screwpiles are screwed into the ground much like
giant self tapping screws through the use of rotary
hydraulics attached to earthmoving equipment such as
mini excavators, bobcats, proline crane borers or large
excavators depending on the capacity and size of
screwpile required.
During and at completion of the Screwpile installation
the installer monitors the installing torques to ensure
that sufficient load capacities are achieved.
 Advantages of Screwpiling

Vibration free installation

Very fast installation
No de-watering
No concrete
No Reinforcement
No spoils
No liners
Versatile
Re-Usable
The Environmental Choice