CE6611 – Shallow Foundations – Tutorial Problems

1 Calculate the ultimate bearing capacity of a strip footing, 1.5 m wide, founded 0.75 m
into a uniform silty sand. The properties of the sand are:

 = 19 kN/m3 , c’ = 0, k‘ = 32°

Assume the ground water table is at significant depth.

2 The applied permanent vertical action in (1) is 400 kN/m run including the weight of
the footing itself and any soil on top of it which acts centrally on the footing. Does the
design conform to the requirements of Eurocode 7 Design Approach 1?

3 Is the design in (2) satisfactory if the ground water table rises to 0.5 m below existing
ground level?

4 A 2.2 m square footing supporting a column is to be founded 1 m below ground level.

The footing is 0.75 m thick. The founding soil is a stiff clay with the following
properties:

 = 20 kN/m3, cuk = 120 kN/m2

The concrete has a weight density, conc = 25 kN/m3

Using Design Approach 1 calculate the maximum characteristic permanent vertical

load that can be taken from the column.

5 A rectangular footing 0.5 m thick is to be founded 1.5 m below ground level. The
footing is 1.2 m wide by 1.8 m long and is supporting a column which is subject to a
permanent vertical action of 500 kN acting through the centre of the footing, coupled
with a variable vertical action of 100 kN and a permanent horizontal action of 100 kN
acting in the direction of the long axis of the footing and 1.7 m above the base of the
footing.
500 kN permanent
1.8 m 100 kN 100 kN variable

1.2 m 1.7 m 1.5 m

0.5 m

PLAN SECTION

The ground water table has been established at 1.9 metres below ground level.

The soil properties are:

 = 19 kN/m3 , ck’ = 5 kN/m2, k‘ = 28o

Using Design Approach 1 assess the suitability of the proposed design.