Geotechnical and

Foundation
Engineering
CECWC13- Lecture 7

Course Instructor
Dr. Partha Das
Civil Engineering Department, NSUT Delhi
Bearing Capacity factors of Terzaghi
Numerical 1
Calculate the ultimate bearing capacity for a footing in sand for the following cases
and comment on the influence of Df, B and soil properties.
Bearing Capacity
Soil Properties
Case B, m D, m Factors
γbulk φ, ° Nq Nγ

1 2 1 18 35 41 42

2 2 2 18 35 41 42

3 4 1 18 35 41 42

4 2 1 20 37.5 61 86
Types of Shear Failure in Soils
General Shear
Failure
Experimental investigations have
indicated that foundations on dense
sand with relative density greater than
70 percent fail suddenly with
pronounced peak resistance when the
settlement reaches about 7 percent of
the foundation width.
The failure is accompanied by the
appearance of failure surfaces and by
considerable bulging of a sheared mass
of sand as shown. This type of failure is
designated as general shear failure by
Terzaghi (1943).
Types of Shear Failure in Soils
Local Shear
Failure
Foundations on sand of relative density
lying between 35 and 70 percent do not
show a sudden failure. As the
settlement exceeds about 8 percent of
the foundation width, bulging of sand
starts at the surface.
At settlements of about 15 percent of
foundation width, a visible boundary of
sheared zones at the surface appears.
However, the peak of base resistance
may never be reached. This type of
failure is termed local shear failure, by
Terzaghi (1943).
Types of Shear Failure in Soils
Punching Shear Failure
Foundations on relatively loose sand with
relative density less than 35 % penetrate
into the soil without any bulging of the
sand surface.
The base resistance gradually increases as
settlement progresses. The rate of
settlement, however, increases and reaches
a maximum at a settlement of about 15 to
20 percent of the foundation width.
The failure surface, which is vertical or
slightly inclined and follows the perimeter
of the base, never reaches the sand surface.
This type of failure is designated as
punching shear failure by Vesic (1963)
 Ultimate bearing capacity equation for strip footing is given by:

Ultimate bearing
capacity
equations for
Square, Circular,
and Rectangular
Foundations
Ultimate Bearing
Capacity for Local
Shear Failure
The equation for ultimate bearing
capacity was derived after
assuming general shear failure of
soil.
If the soil is less dense, it will
exhibit local shear failure.
To determine the bearing capacity
of such a soil, c and φ value of soil
are taken as 2/3rd of their
laboratory determined values.
Numerical 2
Calculate the ultimate bearing capacity and net bearing capacity for a footing in soil
for the following cases and comment on the influence of shape of footing on bearing
capacity.
Bearing Capacity
Soil Properties
Factors
Case B, m D, m
c,
γbulk φ, ° Nc Nq Nγ
kPa
Strip Footing
Square 2
Circular 1 18 35 15 57.8 41.4 42.4

Rectangular B = 2, L = 4
Thank You!