• Bearing Capacity: Bearing capacity is the ability of soil

to safely carry the pressure placed on the soil from any

engineered structure without undergoing a shear
failure with accompanying large settlements
• Ultimate Bearing Capacity: (𝑞𝑢 )
The ultimate bearing capacity (qu) is defined as the
pressure which would cause shear failure of the
supporting soil immediately below and adjacent to a
foundation.

• Net allowable bearing capacity:

The allowable load per unit area of the foundation in
excess of the existing vertical effective stress at the level
of the foundation.

• Allowable bearing pressure: (𝑞𝑎𝑙𝑙 )

The allowable load per unit area to which the soil under
the foundation should be subjected to avoid any chance
of bearing capacity failure.
• Three distinct modes of failure have
been identified as follows:
1- general shear failure: Heaving of the
ground surface occurs on both sides of the
footing although the final slip movement
would occur only on one side, accompanied
by tilting of the footing. This mode of
failure is typical of soils of low
compressibility (i.e. dense or stiff soils).
2- local shear failure: The failure surfaces,
do not reach the ground surface and only
slight heaving occurs. Tilting of the
foundation is expected. Soil type is
intermediate between general and
punching shear failure
3- Punching shear failure: There is no
heaving of the ground surface away from
the edges and no tilting of the footing.
Occurs in very loose sands weak clays.
Terzaghi’s Ultimate Bearing Capacity Equation:
Terzaghi assumptions:
1. For ultimate soil-bearing capacity calculations, the
weight of soil above the base of the footing may be
replaced by a uniform surcharge, 𝑞 = 𝛾. 𝐷𝑓 .
2. Bearing capacity is calculated for strip footings
length to width ratio about more than five (L≥ 5𝐵).
3. The failure mechanism assumed by Terzaghi for
determining the ultimate soil bearing capacity
(general shear failure).
4. The foundation is shallow where, 𝐷𝑓 less than or
equal to B.
5. The soil is homogeneous and isotropic.
6. The base of the footing is rough.
7. The ground surface is horezontal
• Terzaghi’s equation for strip footing:

𝑐 ′ =Cohesion of soil, 𝛾= Unit weight of

soil. 𝑞= Surcharge.

𝐾𝛾 , 𝐾𝑐 , 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐾𝑞 Are earth pressure

• 𝑁𝑐 The contribution of cohesion. coefficients that are function of the
soil friction angle ∅ ⋱
• 𝑁𝑞 The contribution of surcharge.

• 𝑁𝛾 The contribution of unit weight of

soil.
𝑁𝑐 , 𝑁𝑞 and 𝑁𝛾 are
called the bearing
capacity factors the
values of these factors
can be also obtained
from table (16.1).
 For square and circular footings, Terzaghi suggested the following equations for
ultimate soil-bearing capacity:
• For square footing:

• For circular footing:

Where B diameter of footing

• For an undrained condition with ∅ 𝑢 = 0 the bearing capacity factors are. 𝑁𝑐
= 5.7, 𝑁𝑞 = 1 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑁𝛾 = 0 In that case, (which are the cases for general shear failure)
following equations are gained:
• For strip footing:
• 𝑞𝑢 = 5.7 𝑐𝑢 + 𝑞
• For square and circular footing:
• 𝑞𝑢 = 7.41 𝑐𝑢 + 𝑞
Effect of Groundwater Table
• Factor of Safety:
• There are two basic definitions of the allowable bearing capacity of shallow foundations. They are gross
allowable bearing capacity, and net allowable bearing capacity.
• The gross allowable bearing capacity can be calculated as:

• The net allowable bearing capacity can be calculated as:

• General Bearing Capacity Equation:
• General equation for a strip footing:
• The values of Nq, Nc, and Ng, defined by Eqs. (16.33), (16.35), and (16.37), are given in Table 16.3.
>0

>0
• Ultimate Load for Shallow Foundations Under
Eccentric Load:
- One-Way Eccentricity:

1. Referring to Figures 16.13b and 16.13c, calculate the

effective dimensions of the foundation. If the
eccentricity (e) is in the x direction (Figure 16.13b),
the effective dimensions are:
𝑋 = 𝐵 − 2𝑒𝑥 and
However, if the eccentricity is in the y direction (Figure
16.13c), the effective dimensions are:
and

Figure 16.13: Ultimate load for shallow

foundation under one way eccentric load
- Two-Way Eccentricity:
- Research and observations of Meyerhof (1953, 1963) indicate
that effective footing dimensions obtained (Fig. 16.14) as:

Should be used in bearing capacity analysis to obtain an effective

footing area defined as:

The ultimate load bearing capacity of a footing subjected to

eccentric loads may be expressed as:

Where qu = ultimate bearing capacity of the footing with the load

acting at the center of the footing. Figure 16.14: Ultimate load for shallow
foundation under two way eccentric load
- Eccentricity Caused by Moment:
When a footing is subjected to a moment about X or Y
axis, the effective dimensions of the footing are given
as:
𝑀𝑦
𝑒𝑥 = , 𝐵′ = 𝐵 − 2𝑒𝑥
𝑄𝑢

𝑀𝑥
𝑒𝑦 = , 𝐿′ = 𝐿 − 2𝑒𝑦
𝑄𝑢

Example (16.4)
The shown figure gives the plan of a footing subjected to
eccentric load with two way eccentrecity. The footing is
founded at a depth 3 m below the ground surface. Given 𝑒𝑥
= 0.6 𝑚 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑦 = 0.75 𝑚 detemine 𝑄𝑢 . The soil
properties are: 𝑐 = 0, ∅ = 33, 𝛾 = 18.5 𝑘𝑁/𝑚3 . The soil
is medium dense sand. Use Meyerhof equation.
ULTIMATE BEARING CAPACITY OF
FOOTINGS RESTING ON STRATIFIED
DEPOSITS OF SOIL:
• Case 1: Foundation on Layered Sand
(Dense Over Loose)
• When the top dense sand layer is relatively
thick, as shown by the right hand side in figure
(1) the failure surface in soil under the foundation
will be fully located inside the dense sand. For
this case:

Figure (1)
If the thickness of the dense sand layer under the foundation H is relatively thin:
the ultimate bearing capacity for the foundation can be given as:
Case 2: Foundation on Dense Sand or
Compacted Sand over Soft Clay
If the thickness of the sand layer under the
footing is relatively small the failure surface
may extend into the soft clay layer. This is
shown in the left side of figure (2). According
to Meyerhof, in this case the ultimate bearing
capacity of a strip footing is given as:

The variation of punching shear resistance

factor is given in figure (15.21)
Field Tests for Determination of Ultimate Bearing
Capacity of Soil:
• Plate load test:
Circular steel bearing plates 162 to 760 mm (6 to 30
in.) in diameter and 305 mm X 305 mm (1 ft X 1 ft)
square plates are used for this type of test.
Test procedure:
1. To conduct the test, one must have a pit of depth Df
excavated. The width of the test pit should be at
least four times the width of the bearing plate to be
used for the test.
2. The bearing plate is placed on the soil at the bottom
of the pit and an incremental load on the bearing
plate is applied.
3. After the application of an incremental load,
enough time is allowed for settlement to occur.
When the settlement of the bearing plate becomes
Figure 16.17.
negligible, another incremental load is applied.
4. A load-settlement plot can be obtained, as shown in
Figure 16.17.
5- From the results of field load tests, the ultimate soil-bearing capacity of actual
footings can be approximated as follows:
Example:
The ultimate bearing capacity of a 700-mm diameter plate as determined from field
load tests is 280 kN/m2. Estimate the ultimate bearing capacity of a circular footing
with a diameter of 1.5 m. The soil is sandy.
SPT TEST
SPT TEST