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Chapter 4: Shallow Foundations: Ultimate Bearing Capacity: Part 2: Foundation Analysis
Chapter 4: Shallow Foundations: Ultimate Bearing Capacity: Part 2: Foundation Analysis
Introduction
This chapter aims at grasping:
Fundamental concepts for ultimate bearing capacity of shallow
foundations.
Effect of water table and soil compressibility on ultimate bearing
capacity
Bearing capacity of shallow foundations subjected to vertical
eccentric loading and eccentrically inclined loading.
Generally speaking, shallow foundations must have two main
satisfactorily characteristics:
(1) They have to be safe against overall shear failure in the soil that
supports them.
(2) They cannot undergo excessive displacement, or settlement.
(The term excessive is relative, because the degree of settlement
allowed for a structure depends on several considerations.)
NB: if you were given a soil friction angle of local shear failure, you
would, at first, transfer it to its corresponding value of that soil general
shear failure by means of the following equation:
2
𝜙′𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙 = tan1 ( tan(𝜙′𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑎𝑙 ))
3
Factor of Safety, FS
It is a term used to describe the load carrying capacity of a system beyond
the expected or actual loads, and can be defined as the ratio of the
maximum stress that a foundation can withstand to the maximum stress
estimated for it.
Allowable bearing capacity, 𝒒𝒂𝒍𝒍
It is the maximum bearing stress that can be applied to the foundation
such that it is safe against instability due to shear failure and the
maximum tolerable settlement is not exceeded.
𝑞𝑢
qall(gross) = 𝑞𝑎𝑙𝑙 =
𝐹𝑆
𝑞𝑢(𝑛𝑒𝑡)
qall(net) =
𝐹𝑆
𝑞𝑢(𝑛𝑒𝑡) = 𝑞𝑢 − 𝑞
𝑞 = 𝛾𝑐 𝐻𝑐 − 𝛾𝑠 𝐻𝑠
𝑞 ≅ 𝛾𝐷𝑓
𝑞𝑢(𝑛𝑒𝑡) = 𝑞𝑢 − 𝑞
𝑞𝑢(𝑛𝑒𝑡) = 𝑞𝑢 − 𝛾𝑐 𝐻𝑐 − 𝛾𝑠 𝐻𝑠
𝑞𝑢(𝑛𝑒𝑡) = 𝑞𝑢 − 𝛾𝐷𝑓
𝑞𝑢 − 𝑞
qall(net) =
𝐹𝑆
𝑞𝑢 − 𝛾𝑐 𝐻𝑐 − 𝛾𝑠 𝐻𝑠
qall(net) =
𝐹𝑆
𝑞𝑢 − 𝛾𝐷𝑓
qall(net) =
𝐹𝑆
Case I: 𝟎 ≤ 𝑫𝟏 ≤ 𝑫𝒇
For the second term of the equation:
𝑞 = 𝐷1 𝛾 + 𝐷2 (𝛾𝑠𝑎𝑡 − 𝛾𝑤 ) = 𝐷1 𝛾 + 𝐷2 𝛾 ′
𝑞 = effective surcharge of soil
For the third term of the equation:
𝛾 ′ = 𝛾𝑠𝑎𝑡 − 𝛾𝑤
𝛾 ′ = effective unit weight of soil
Case II: 𝟎 ≤ 𝒅 < 𝑩
For the second term of the equation:
𝑞 = 𝛾𝐷𝑓
𝑞 = effective surcharge of soil
no change has been offered
For the third term of the equation:
𝑑
𝛾̅ = 𝛾 ′ + (𝛾 − 𝛾′)
𝐵
Engr. Yasser M. Almadhoun Page 5
Civil Engineering Department: Foundation Engineering (ECIV 4052)
𝛾 ′ = 𝛾𝑠𝑎𝑡 − 𝛾𝑤
𝛾 ′ = effective unit weight of soil
Case III: 𝒅 ≥ 𝑩
There is no effect on the ultimate bearing capacity, and thus no term
needs a modification.
NB: the previous modifications are based on the assumption that there is
no seepage force in the soil.
The maximum pressure, 𝑞𝑚𝑎𝑥 , and the minimum pressure, 𝑞𝑚𝑖𝑛 , can be
determined by the formulas expressed in the following three cases:
If 𝒆 < 𝑩/𝟔:
𝑄 6𝑒
𝑞𝑚𝑎𝑥 = (1 + )
𝐵𝐿 𝐵
𝑄 6𝑒
𝑞𝑚𝑖𝑛 = (1 − )
𝐵𝐿 𝐵
If 𝒆 = 𝑩/𝟔:
𝑄 6𝑒
𝑞𝑚𝑎𝑥 = (1 + )
𝐵𝐿 𝐵
𝑞𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 0.0
If 𝒆 > 𝑩/𝟔:
4𝑄
𝑞𝑚𝑎𝑥 =
3𝐿(𝐵 − 2𝑒)
NB: use 𝐵’ in the equations of the shape factors (𝐹𝑐𝑠 , 𝐹𝑞𝑠 , 𝐹𝛾𝑠 ).
use 𝐵 in the equations of the depth factors (𝐹𝑐𝑑 , 𝐹𝑞𝑑 , 𝐹𝛾𝑑 ).
use 𝐵 in the equations of the water table correction.
Step 3. The total ultimate load that the foundation can sustain is:
𝑄𝑢 = 𝑞′𝑢 ×𝐴′ = 𝑞′𝑢 ×𝐵′×𝐿′
Problems