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q = c N F F F + qN F F F + BγN F F F

where:
Bearing Capacity Factors
c’ = cohesion
q = effective surcharge at the bottom of the foundation N = tan 45 + e
γ = unit weight of the soil N = N − 1 cotϕ
THE GENERAL BEARING CAPACITY EQUATION B = width of the foundation (diameter for circular foundation) N = 2 N + 1 tanϕ′
CE 522 Nc, Nq, Nγ = bearing capacity factors (or use Table 12)
Fcs, Fqs, and Fγs = shape factors
Fcd, Fqd, and Fγd = depth factors
Fci, Fqi, and Fγi = load inclination factors

Table 12: Bearing Capacity Factors Table 13: Shape, Depth and Inclination Factors
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Table 13: Shape, Depth and Inclination Factors (continued)

1. A square foundation is 2 m x 2 m in plan.

The soil supporting the foundation has a
friction angle of 25o and cohesion of 25
kN/m2. The unit weight of soil is 18.1 kN/m3.
Determine the allowable gross load on the
foundation with a factor of safety (FS) of 3.
Assume that the depth of the foundation Df
is 1.5 m.
2. A square foundation (B x B) has to be
constructed as shown in the figure. Assume
that γ = 106 lb/ft3, γsat = 119 lb/ft3, angle of
friction is 34o, Df = 4 ft, and D1 = 2 ft. The
gross allowable load, Qall, with FS = 3 is
150,000 lb. Determine the size of the
foundation.