TERM PAPER Page |1

MAT & RAFT FOUNDATION

Section: A/A2
Group:03

CE 200: Details of Construction

Sumitted to:
Mr. S M Shazeebur Rahman
Lecturer,
Department of Civil Engineering,
Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology

Mr. Subashish Kundu Sunny

Lecturer,
Department of Civil Engineering,
Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology
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Group Members

• M Ehsanul Hossain Ononto

ID: 19.01.03.039

• Sany Ahmed Al Imran

ID: 19.01.03.040

• Md. Afrid Niwas Rifat

ID: 19.01.03.041

• Mostafizur Rahman
ID: 19.01.03.042

• Sadia Afrin Jhilik

ID: 19.01.03.043

• Md. Sumon Sheikh

ID: 19.01.03.045
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1. FOUNDATION

Foundation is the lowest part of the building or the civil structure that is in direct contact with the soil
which transfers loads from the structure to the soil safely.
Generally, the foundation can be classified into two, namely shallow foundation and deep foundation.
A shallow foundation transfers the load to a stratum present in a shallow depth. A shallow foundation
transfers the load to a stratum present in a shallow depth. The deep foundation transfers the load to a
deeper depth below the ground surface. A tall building like a skyscraper or a building constructed on
very weak soil requires a deep foundation. If the constructed building has the plan to extend vertically
in the future, then a deep foundation must be suggested.

Whether constructing single-family homes, skyscrapers, or superstructures, choosing the proper

foundation is essential. The foundation of any building serves two main purposes — distribute the weight
from load-bearing walls to the soil or bedrock beneath and keep groundwater or soil moisture out.

The topography, geology, and pedology (the study of soil) on the construction site in addition to the size
of the building and other factors, like the type of construction, will determine the type of foundation that
is appropriate for the building.

Fig 1: Foundation

1.2 Types of Foundation

There are two main categories of foundations in construction.

• Shallow Foundation
• Deep Foundation
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1.2.1 Shallow Foundation

Typically, a shallow foundation is wider than it is deep. Shallow foundations can also be called a
spread or open footings.

For obvious reasons, shallow foundations are the more economical of the two types. They don’t
require much in the way of digging or boring into the earth and for that reason, they are the most
common.

Shallow foundations are useful when the building isn’t exceedingly heavy and the soil can bear a
significant amount of weight at a shallow depth.
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Fig1.2.1: Shallow Foundation

1.2.2 Deep Foundations

Deep foundations are required when building on sand and other soft soil that will not be able to absorb
the load of the building. Instead, a foundation must be established deep underground or even
underwater, where contact with stronger layers of the earth can be established.

Bridges, piers, and dams, for example, must lay foundations underwater, while still retaining structural
integrity. This is where deep foundations become essential to the construction of large structures.

Fig1.2.2: Deep Foundation

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2. SITE EXPLORATION

Site Exploration or Investigation: The aim is to get as much information about the physical properties
and characteristics of the underlying material at the site as well as details of other geological features of
the area.
All these attempts and activities are termed, in a broader sense, as ‘Site Exploration’.

2.1 Objective of Site Exploration

Following are the objectives of site investigation or subsurface exploration.

• To know about the order of occurrence of soil and rock strata.

• To know about the location of the groundwater table level and its variations.
• To determine engineering properties of soil.
• To select a suitable type of foundation.
• To estimate the probable and maximum differential settlements.
• To find the bearing capacity of the soil.
• To predict the lateral earth pressure against retaining walls and abutments.
• To select suitable soil improvement techniques.
• To select suitable construction equipment.
• To forecast problems occurring in foundations and their solutions.

2.2 Stages of the Site exploration

Site investigation or sub-soil exploration is carried out stage-wise as given below.

• Site reconnaissance
• Preliminary site exploration
• Detailed exploration
• Preparation of soil investigation report

Site Reconnaissance
Site reconnaissance is the first stage of site investigation. In this stage, visual inspection of the site is
done and information about topographical and geological features of the site is collected. The general
observations made in site reconnaissance are as follows:

• Presence of drainage ditches and dumping yards etc.

• Location of groundwater table by observing well in that site.
• Presence of springs, swamps, etc.
• High flood level marks on the bridges, high-rise buildings, etc. are observed.
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• Presence of vegetation and nature of the soil.

• Records of landslides, floods, shrinkage cracks, etc. of that region.
• Study of aerial photographs of the site, blueprints of present buildings, geological maps, etc.
• Observation of deep cuts to know about the stratification of soils.
• Observation of Settlement cracks of existing structures.

Fig 2.2.1: Topographical study of a site

Fig 2.2.2: Collecting soil sample of preliminary soil exploration

Preliminary Site Exploration

Preliminary site exploration is carried out for small projects, light structures, highways, airfields, etc.
The main objective of preliminary exploration is to obtain an approximate picture of sub-soil conditions
at a low cost. It is also called general site exploration.

The soil sample is collected from experimental borings and shallow test pits and simple laboratory tests
such as moisture content test, density, unconfined compressive strength test, etc. are conducted. Simple
field tests such as penetration methods, sounding methods, geophysical methods are performed to get
the relative density of soils, strength properties, etc.
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The data collected about sub-soil should be sufficient enough to design and build light structures.
Following are some of the general information obtained through primary site exploration.

• Approximate values of soil’s Compressive strength

• Position of the groundwater level
• Depth & extent of soil strata
• Soil composition
• Depth of hard stratum from ground level
• Engineering properties of soil

Detailed Site Exploration

Fig 2.2.3: Detailed site exploration

Detailed exploration is for such type of works, data collected through preliminary site exploration is
enough preferred for complex projects, major engineering works, heavy structures like dams,

bridges, high rise buildings, etc. A huge amount of capital is required for a detailed site exploration
hence, it is not recommended for minor engineering works where the budget is limited.
Sub-Soil Investigation and Exploration Report

The fourth and final stage of a site investigation involves the creation of a sub-soil investigation and
creation report, which is very detailed and provides construction crews and developers with everything
they should know about the construction site. This report can only be generated once the general or
detailed site exploration process has been performed.
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2.3 Purpose Behind Completing a Site Exploration

Fig2.3.1: A site exploration

The purpose of site exploration is to collect complete details of the site to enable the designer to take the
following decisions,
• To fix the value of the safe bearing capacity of the soil.
• To select an economical yet safe type of foundation.
• To fix the depth up to which the foundation must be taken inside the ground.
• To predict the of likely settlement the selected foundation and to make allowance, for the same
in the design.
• To know the underground water level and if needed, to decide upon the method to be adopted
to solve the groundwater problem.
• To forecast the difficulties which are likely to be encountered due to the nature of the sub-soil
during construction and to take advance actions in this regard.
2.4 Methods of Site Exploration
1. Test pits, Trial pits, or Trenches
2. Boring
a) Auger boring
b) Shell and Auger boring or percussion boring
c) Wash boring
d) Rotary drilling
3. Probing
4. Sub-surface sounding
5. Geo-graphical methods
a) Electrical resistivity method
b) Seismic refraction method
2.4.1 Test pits
The hole that is created in the site to take the soil sample which is large enough to permit the entry
of persons for inspection is called a Test pit. The commonly used method to find the nature of the
subsoil strata is to dig a hole and see.
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• The pits are normally square in-plane and are dug by hand or by excavating equipment.
• The dimensions of the pit depend largely upon the depths up to which the excavation is to be
made. In cohesion-less soils, the sides of the test pit are sharply sloped.
• In cohesive soils, at depth below 3 m, bracing is required to keep the sides of the pit vertical.
These are comparatively expensive and hence they are only used for a structure having shallow
foundations (up to 3 meters).

Fig2.4.1: Test Pit

Benefits of a Test Pit-

Digging a test pit on your land helps you get a sense of whether or not the development location can
support upcoming construction. A test pit can uncover:
• Soil contamination
• Buried structures
• Unsuitable soil conditions
• Water table location
• Sidewall stability
• Groundwater seepage
• Potential challenges in project structure
The biggest benefit of a test pit is cost savings. Excavators are far less expensive than drilling work, and
finding any of the above issues when you’re well into a project can cause major time delays and extra
expense, pushing out deadlines while costs soar.
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How to Dig Test Pits-

Fig2.4.2: Exploring trail pit

• Choose the right location: Aim to dig several trial pits across the property to get a good cross-
section of conditions.
• Utility locates: Allow to arrange and coordinate private and public utility locates to help
minimize the risk of damaging underground lines.
• Dig beyond foundation as necessary: A test pit should be at least a few feet deeper than the
upcoming construction’s foundation. Many test pits average at a twelve-foot depth, as equipment
gets much larger (and more expensive) if deeper test pits are needed.

Fig 2.4.4: Soil sample

• Test soil: Use the dug soil to test its makeup and visually investigate contamination concerns
• Refill the pit: Once samples are gathered, backfill the area and document the conditions.
2.4.2 Boring
Boring is a technique used to explore the underground surface and pick up the soil sample and test it for
various purposes.
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Auger boring
Auger boring is useful for testing the properties of the soil at various depths. The auger can be driven
by hand or machine depends on the situation.
Process:
• It begins with holding the auger in a vertical position and slowly rotating it to penetrate the sub-
soil layer
• The auger has a sharp-ends and a sharp tip that can displace the materials in the ground and
penetrate the soil.
• After reaching the destination layer of the sub-soil, the cap or a jar that is built in the head of the
auger collects the soil sample and is locked with it. Then it is pull up to collect the sample.
Fig 2.4.5: Auger boring machine

Fig 2.4.6: Various types of Auger

Shell & Auger boring or percussion boring
The process is similar to auger boring but there is a circular shell also dug into the depth of the soil. So
that at the depth, the side soil can’t be reshaped the hole that has been dug.
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The shell, (also called a sand bailer) is a heavy-duty pipe with a cutting edge. When the soil is soft, this
process is very much necessary, otherwise, sample collecting would be difficult.

Fig 2.4.7: Shell & Auger boring

The benefit of using-
• It holds the side of the soil so that the soil can’t get into the hole and fill the void.
• Make it easy to collect the sample.

Wash boring
Wash boring involves driving a steel pipe (also called a casing pipe) into the ground. The wash pipe
that is filled with a continuous supply of water, is then inserted into the steel tubing. A jet of water under
high pressure is flushed through the pipe to displace the soil surface and create a slurry mixture that is
easier to pull up.
The slurry can also be raised to the surface to test for its soil composition. Rough and cohesive soil
surfaces are great candidates for wash boring.
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Fig 2.4.8: Wash boring

Process:
• Step-1: Three-legged pipe derrick
A three-legged pipe derrick is placed into the site where it needs to be holed.

Fig 2.4.9: three-legged pipe derrick

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• Step-2: Centering & placing of Auger

Centering and placing of the auger that will dig the hole to raise the soil sample

Fig 2.4.10: Auger

• Step-3: Temporary casing or shell
Placement of temporary casing or shell which will-
• Prevent the soil to fill the hole
• The casing will help to hold the water in the targeted area. If not, the soil of the side will pass
the water and there will be a loss of a significant amount of water.

Fig 2.4.11: Temporary casing or shell

• Step-4: Water supply by hose pipe

Provision for water supply by hose pipe which will-
• Help to dug hole into the rough or cohesive surface, cause the water will mix with the soil and
make it soft.
• It saves a significant amount of time.
• It also saves the used water because when the freshwater is supplied for the first time, the next
rounds are used the same impure water until it becomes unusable.
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Fig 2.4.11: Hosepipe

• Step-5: Using Bentonite

Bentonite is a non-reactive chemical compound that is mix with water and put through the hose
pipe. It is a special type of clay.

Fig2.4.12: Bentonite slurry

Benefits of using it-
• It helps to rise water mixed with soil cause bentonite makes the water viscous less, so the
surface tension is less.
• It creates a membrane layer on the hole so that water can’t go to the other surfaces.
• It doesn’t react with the RCC or concrete mix, so when the foundation process is going on,
there is no need to raise the remaining bentonite in the hole.
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3. MAT/RAFT FOUNDATION

A raft or mat foundation is a large continuous rectangular or circular concrete slab that carries the entire
load of the superstructure and spreads it over the whole area beneath the building. It is considered as one
type of shallow foundation and is useful in controlling the differential settlement.
A mat foundation spreads out under the footprint of the building and declines the contact pressure
compared to conventional strip or trench footing.
It is a suitable solution for low-bearing capacity soil, spread footing cover about 70% of the structure,
high structure loads, soft pockets or cavities of in the soil to unknown extent raft, and highly
compressible soil that extends to a great depth.

Fig3.1: Raft or Mat Foundations

3.1 What is the difference between raft and mat foundation?

There is no difference between raft and mat foundation. Raft Foundation itself is known as mat
foundation. We should choose this type of foundation when the load-bearing capacity of the soil

Fig 3.2: Raft and Mat Foundation.

is very low or the gap between successive columns is very less. Mat foundation helps in such conditions
because it distributes the loads uniformly in the entire building area as opposed to all other foundation
types.
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3.2 When to use mat foundation:

Mat foundation is generally suggested in the following situations:
• Whenever building loads are so heavy or the allowable pressure on soil so small that individual
footings would cover more than floor area.
• The bearing capacity of the soil is weak and not capable of transferring the load of the building
to the ground.
• A column is placed near the property line, and walls are so close that individual footing would
overlap.
• If a deep foundation (Pile foundation) cost is higher than the raft foundation, we use it to make
the structure economical.
• When a spread footing, columns can cover up to 50% of the foundation area.
• In structures like chimneys, silos, cooling towers, buildings with basements where continuous
waterproofing is needed.
• Stress on soil needs to be reduced.
• When soil strata are unpredictable and contain pockets of compressible soil.

3.3 Types of Mat Foundation:

Several types of Raft foundation may be used depending on the condition of the soil and the load imposed
on the foundation.
Followings are the different types of raft foundation used in construction:
• Flat plate mat
• Plate thickened under the column
• Two-way beam and slab raft
• Plate raft with pedestals
• Piled Raft
• Rigid Frame Mat or Cellular Raft Foundation

Flat Plate Mat

This is the simplest form of raft foundation. This type of mat is used when the columns and walls are
uniformly spaced at small intervals and the subjected loads are relatively small. Reinforcement is placed
in both directions and more reinforcement is required at the column locations and load-bearing walls.
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The thickness of this type of raft foundation is generally restricted to 300mm for economic reasons. A
thicker slab would not be economical.

Fig 3.3: Flat Plate Mat

Plate Thickened under Columns
When the columns and load-bearing walls are subjected to heavier loads, the slab is thickened under the
columns and walls and extra reinforcement is provided to resist diagonal shear and negative
reinforcement.

Fig3.4: Plate Thickened under Columns

Two-way Beam and Slab
In this type of raft, beams are cast monolithically with the raft slab connecting the columns and walls.
This type of raft is suitable when the columns are placed at a larger distance and the loads on the columns
are variable.
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Fig3.5: Two-way Beam and Slab

Plates with Pedestals

In this type of mat, a pedestal is provided at the base of the columns. The purpose of this type of
foundation is the same as flat plate thickened under columns.

Fig3.6: Plates with Pedestals

Piled Raft
This type of raft foundation is supported on piles. A piled raft is used when the soil at a shallow depth is
highly compressible and the water table is high. Piles under rafts help in reducing settlement and provides
resistance against buoyancy.

Fig3.7: Piled Raft

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Rigid Frame Mat or Cellular Raft Foundation

In this type of raft, the foundation walls act as a deep beam. A rigid frame mat is referred to when
columns carry extremely heavy loads and the connecting beams exceed 90cm depth. Here two concrete
slabs are placed, one on top of another and connected with foundation walls in both directions and thus
forms a cellular raft foundation. This type of raft is very rigid and is economical when the required slab
thickness is very high.

Fig3.8: Rigid Frame Mat or Cellular Raft Foundation

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4. CONSTRUCTION OF MAT FOUNDATION

4.1 Construction steps of mat foundation:

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Step-1: Soil Test

The Soil Test has two components:

• Field soil analysis to collect soil, data, and site measurements.

• Laboratory tests on the soil samples taken.

The field component includes the extraction of soil samples, documentation of the existing soil strata,
and collection of field data, such as bearing capacity - thereby determining the suitability of the soils to
place a load upon it e.g. weight of dwelling. It is also a requirement as part of the site investigation, to
document other factors that may affect the long-term stability of the designed foundations, e.g. trees,
drainage, slope, existing structures, etc.

The lab component involves undertaking laboratory tests to determine the soil's capacity to swell and
shrink in the course of the life of the dwelling under normal site conditions.

A soil test is required to know the following things about soil:

i. Bearing capacity of soil: Bearing capacity is the capacity of soil to support the loads that are applied
to the ground above. It depends primarily on the type of soil, its shear strength, and its density. It also
depends on the depth of embedment of the load – the deeper it is founded, the greater the bearing
capacity. Mat foundations are generally used with soil that has a low bearing capacity because mat
foundation is a shallow foundation.

ii. Type of soil: Mat or Raft foundation is preferred when the clayey soil is compact and hard.

iii. Moisture content: The moisture content of the soil is the quantity of water it contains. For mat
foundation (a type of shallow foundation) relatively low moisture soil is preferred because of stability,
if the foundation is built-in high moisture soil it may go down with loads.

iv. Groundwater level: Groundwater level should be checked before construction because the presence
of groundwater may significantly affect the bearing capacity of shallow foundations. In general,
submergence of the soil below the footing base reduces the soil strength; for example, it may cause the
loss of the apparent cohesion because of suction or weak cementation bonds.

Fig4.1: Soil test for construction.

Step-2: Levelling

Leveling is the art of determining relative altitudes of points on the surface of the earth or beneath the
surface of the earth. For the execution of engineering projects, such as residential or commercial
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buildings, railways, highways, canals, dams, water supply, and sanitary schemes, it is necessary to
determine the elevation of different points along the alignments of the proposed elevations. Leveling is
employed to provide an accurate network of heights, covering the entire area of a project. Leveling is of
prime importance to the engineers, both in acquiring necessary data for the design of the project and also
during execution. Along with leveling, grading is also a vital part of the construction preparation. This
process involves manipulating the slope of the soil to draw water away from the foundations of the
structure.

Land grading provides more suitable topography for buildings, facilities, and other land use and helps to
control surface runoff, soil erosion, and sedimentation from the ungraded land during and after
construction. Land grading applies to sites with uneven or steep topography or easily erodible soils
because it stabilizes slopes and decreases runoff velocity.

Fig 4.2: Levelling of a construction site.

Site marking is one of the starting points of construction. In this activity, the engineer will identify pillar
placements.

Fig4.3: Site marking.

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Step-3: Shoring
Shoring is a temporary structure used to prevent the collapse of the main under-construction structure.
Shore piles support the surrounding loads and prevent the surrounding soil from breaking in at the time
of construction. Concrete pile shore, steel shore, timber shore are commonly used for shoring.

Fig4.4: Shoring of a construction site.

Importance of shoring in construction:

i. A shoring system can provide a solid supporting structure in a range of civil construction projects,
such as when installing the foundation of a building or providing stability to an unsafe wall.
ii. The primary benefit of using shoring technologies when carrying out construction or excavation work
is safety – because the main purpose of shoring is to provide stability and prevent collapses, it helps to
ensure a safe work site.
iii. Shoring also promotes efficiency by enabling excavations to be completed safely and thoroughly,
and avoiding the need for remedial work which can cause delays and wasted resources if a collapse
should occur.
iv. Can help to save costs on projects that can be completed on time and within budget, without having
to face the possibility of collapsed excavation sites that will require a great deal of time and therefore
money to fix.
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Step-4: Soil Excavation & Transportation

Excavation is the preliminary activity of the construction project. It starts from the pits for the building
foundations and continues up to the handing over of the project. For small buildings, the excavator is
carried out manually utilizing pickaxes, crowbars, spades, etc. In the case of large buildings and large
excavation, mechanical earth cutting equipment can be used like hydraulic excavators, tractors/tracks.
Excavator is mostly used because of the uneven surface of the soil and have a large excavation work in
construction.

Fig4.5: Excavation of soil in construction work.

Transportation work is the process of transfer the soil to another place. Transportation work conduct by
a dumper truck. An excavator or backhoe will be used to scoop up the soil into a dumper truck. The soil
will be transfer to another place to be buried elsewhere or transferred to the waste

.Fig4.6: Transportation of excavated soil by a dumper truck.

Step-5: Providing Strutting & Bracing
Strutting is horizontal support for the boundary shores during excavation, also known as horizontal
shores. The strutting system that had been practiced in our country is still in the form of a simple strut
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and limited for the smaller scale of excavation such as trenching. Steel H beam or steel pipes are the
common materials used as a strutting system.

Fig4.7: Strutting and Bracing in construction site

Advantages of providing strutting and bracing in construction:

• Reduce local deflections by transferring load to adjacent joints (load sharing).

• Improve joist stability by providing lateral support to joist edges.
• Reduce the effects of vibration that have frequencies above the natural frequency of the floor.

Step-6: Compaction & Levelling

• Leveling of soil is required after excavation. Can be done in two ways – manual & machine
leveling.
• Compaction must necessary to distribute a total load of a building uniformly over a large area.
• Generally provided before providing CC layer.
• Sand layer generally provides during compaction.
• Expels entrapped air from freshly placed concrete.
• Increase density and strength of the concrete.
• It is performed to avoid vibration and air voids and also bringing cohesion between soil particles.

Step-7: Provide polythene, BFS & CC layer

• After completing the compaction, a polythene sheet bedding over the compacted area.
• Polythene and CC layer provide before placing of reinforcement.
• Polythene provides to make the foundation damp proof.
• CC layers provide to give a uniform surface for casting.
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Fig4.8: Provide polythene.

Fig4.9: BFS and CC

Step-8: Placing CC Block

• CC block is placed to maintain the clear cover for reinforcement placing.
• Provides protective cover for rebar through concreting.
• It helps by giving a height from the end of footing which also prevents corrosion.
• Dimensions of CC blocks are normally 1” X 1” which is a square shape.
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Fig4.10: Placing CC blocks.

Step-9: Reinforcement Placing

• First, a batch of horizontal reinforcement is placed.
• After that, another batch of reinforcement is placed to complete the bottom mesh.
• Column rod placement is placed after that.
• Then vertical rod (chair) placement over the bottom mesh.
• The chair is used to maintain the gap between the upper and lower mesh. Which also holds the
upper mesh.
• Finally, the upper mesh is placed.

Fig4.11: Reinforcement placement.

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Fig4.12: Chair placement & Upper mesh placement.

Important Factors:
• Reinforcement selection

* 60-72.5 graded.
* 12-25 mm.

• Hook

* 90/135-degree hook.
* Right-angled.

• Chair

Fig4.13: Hook Fig4.14: Chair.

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Step-10: Column Positioning

Columns should preferably be located at or near the corners of a building, and at the intersection of
beams/walls. Select the position of columns to reduce bending moments in beams.

Step-11: Formwork
• Formwork is a mold or open box, like a container into which fresh concrete is poured and
compacted.
• When the concrete is set, the formwork is removed and a solid mass is produced in the shape of
the inner face of the formwork.
• The top of the formwork is normally left open.
• Falsework is the necessary support system that holds the formwork in the correct position.

Fig4.15: Formwork

Formworks are mainly 3 types:

i. Timber Formwork: Timber formwork takes the form of a structure of boards surrounding an open
cavity, and also offers several advantages over other formwork types. It is also easier to handle as timber
is a lightweight material.
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ii. Steel Formwork: Steel formwork consists of panels fabricated out of thin steel plates stiffened along
the edges by small steel angles. Steel formworks are largely used in large projects or in a situation where
a large number of reuses of the shuttering is possible.

iii. Plastic Formwork: They have an impervious surface that usually creates a smooth finish to the
concrete. Plastic formwork could be reinforced or unreinforced. Plastic formwork is lighter but less
durable than metal formwork.

Fig4.16: Timber Formwork and Steel Formwork

Fig4.17: Plastic Formwork

Step-12: Concrete Casting
After completing the reinforcement work cement is to be done with recommended ratio.
• The casting of concrete should be started from one end.
• Layer basis casting is necessary.
• Grout (a thin mixture of cement and water) is used to remove dust at the construction joint and
also providing it with increasing strength.
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Fig4.18: Concrete Casting.

Step-13: Vibrating for Compaction

Compaction of Concrete is an operation in which fresh concrete is compacted informs and makes it
encircle reinforcements and other embedded objects such as tubes in the mold. Various problems might
arise if the compaction of concrete is not carried out properly such as honeycomb and trapped inside
concrete paste. Moreover, poor compaction of concrete could to permeability problems and therefore
steel corrosion and decreasing ultimate capacity of hardened concrete.

• Compaction can be done by various methods. Such as: rodding, ramming, tamping, and vibration.
• The vibration method is probably the most extensively used technique for compacting concrete.

Fig4.19: Compaction

Step-14: Levelling of Concrete

After casting the whole mat area-
• Leveling is essential to be ensured that the thickness of the mash slab is the same all over the
area.
• Leveling is also important to get a smooth surface.
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Fig4.20: Levelling of Concrete

Step-15: Removal of Formwork

• The process of removing the formwork occurs after the concrete has turned and gained sufficient
strength, which is called formwork striking time.
• Formwork is removed approximately after 3 days.

Fig4.21: Removal of Shuttering

Step-16: Curing
• Curing is the process of spraying water over the set concrete.
• Curing for concrete is done to maintain the optimum moisture content i.e. to prevent the loss of
water which is required for the hydration of cement, to avoid shrinkage cracks and premature
stressing or disturbance in concrete.
• Curing plays an important role in the strength development and durability of concrete.
• Curing can start immediately after its final setting time of about 600 minutes.
• The duration of curing is depending on the following factors:
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i. Mix proportions.
ii. Specified strength.
iii. Size and shape of the concrete member.
iv. Weather conditions.
v. Future exposure conditions.
Curing can be done by various methods:
1. Ponding and Immersion: Ponding is typically used to cure flat surfaces on smaller jobs. Immersion
is mainly used in the laboratory for curing concrete test specimens.
2. Spraying and Fogging: Spraying and Fogging can minimize plastic shrinkage cracking until the
concrete attains the final set.
3. Steam Curing: In this method, steam under pressure is sprayed over the concrete surface.
4. Curing with Chemical: In this method, water is sprinkled over the surface after adding a certain
amount of some hygroscopic salt such as NaCl, CaCl, etc. Which absorbs moisture from the atmosphere.
5. Applying membrane or Curing Compounds: Membrane or curing compounds are used to retard or
reduce evaporation of moisture from concrete.

Fig4.22: Different Types of Curing Method

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Step-17: Backfilling
• Backfilling is the process of reusing or replacing the soil that is removed during the excavation
of foundations, ground-bearing slabs, or other groundworks to support and strengthen a structure.
• It protects foundations and forms part of the substructure of slabs, roadways, walkways, and other
groundwork elements.

5. ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF MAT FOUNDATION

Mat foundation is a reinforced concrete slab covering the entire foundation area thereby providing
supports to all the columns or the walls, the structure is supported on. Manifold advantages and
disadvantages of mat foundation are the two basic reasons for increased usage and opting for a mat
foundation.

5.1 Advantages of Mat Foundation

1. Stability and enhanced structured integrity

By the use of mat foundation, all the columns are bound at the same level and with the same slab this
creating a rigid connection that’s why the column would be more stable and because of this, the
differential settlement will be easily avoided due to slab action of the mat foundation.

2. Enhanced Bearing Capacity

In the case of soil having low bearing capacity, so ultimate bearing capacity increases with the increasing
width of the foundation, and settlement decrease with increasing depth. Thus the bearing capacity of the
foundation would be much more augmented. As the stress produced is inversely related to the area of
impact thus the reduced stress would enhance the longevity of the foundation.
A structure is always designed in a way to bear a safe differential settlement but above that critical
dangerous stress would develop that would not be bearable for the structure. Thereby mat foundation
ensures equal settlement and thus increases the bearable settlement than that if the foundation is built on
individual footings.
3. Ideal for Poor Ground Condition
In case ground conditions are not that good to support the loadings of the structure directly by the isolated
foundation but on the other hand, mat foundation can create an area with ultimate bearing capacity that
is of reinforced concrete. Mat foundation is like a load spreading mechanism make it an ideal choice for
weak grounds.
4. Ease of Construction and Economical Solution
The excavation for the mat foundation is way less than what is required by other foundations. This saves
resources, labor as well as money.
As the bearing capacity of mat foundation can be placed a bit shallow to the ground comparative to
isolated foundations.
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5. Better Water Proofing

Suppose there are water lodge areas or where clayey soil is exposed, the structures are prone to damages
and reparations. Such damages can be avoided by the use of a mat foundation.
Basements located below the groundwater table should use a mat as their base to provide water-tight
construction. The alternative of having individual columns footings connected by thin slabs has not
proved to be successful in most cases. It presents difficulties in waterproofing and causes the
concentration of stresses at the junction of the thin slabs and footings and also at the function of the
basement walls and mat causing cracks to develop. As therefore, this arrangement should not be restored
unless the economy is of such magnitude as to outweigh all other considerations.
6. Ideal for Eccentrically Loaded Members
Situations also arise when isolated footings are subjected to very large eccentric loadings and one is
faced with the possibility of exceeding the allowable bearing capacity of the soil at some locations.
This can happen when the building consists of shear walls and columns. Shear walls sharing most of the
horizontal load subjecting their footings to large settlements and rotation, decreasing the effectiveness
of the shear walls and also creating difficulties by way of large differential settlements raft. If provided,
it will even out these deformations.

5.2 Disadvantages of Mat Foundation

In mat foundation, there never need any apprehension on mega projects. Because of the advantages and
benefits derived, there are way more than the glitches and drawbacks.
1. Edge Erosion
The edges and corners of the mat foundation are weaker and are to be treated before servicing the
building. The edges of the mat foundation, if not properly take care of, may erode with time.
2. Specific treatment for point loads
In case of heavy concentrated loads on one spot, special reinforcements are to be provided that may
cause congestion and difficulty in fixing. As mat foundations need heavy reinforcement in certain areas,
which can add up to the price of the manufacture.
3. Need Skilled Engineers and Workers
The design can become very complex and thus, requires skillful and experienced engineers as well as
workers. This can be a problem when a builder does not have access to skilled workers. Sometimes the
stresses of shear are to be tackled to avoid any dangerous or untoward situation.
4. Environmental effect
The heave and frost actions in some areas may be a slight worry for the contractor while founding a mat
foundation.
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6. COSTS OF RAFT FOUNDATION

6.1 Costs of raft foundation

As with any form of construction, providing accurate costs for a ‘typical’ project is very difficult, since
so much depends on the specific site conditions and the project specification.

In terms of cost, Mat foundation tends to be the more expensive option due to needing a higher volume
of materials used. Mat foundations are, more or less, slabs of thick concrete that use steel, walls, and
supporting columns as reinforcements of the soil so that they can bear the load of the structure.
At the core of Mat foundation is the “Reinforced Concrete Cement” or RCC slab. So, to create an RCC

Fig 6.1: Constructing a mat foundation

slab about 125 mm thick and covers about 2,000 sq. ft. or 186 square meters (m2) of space, it requires
23.2 cubic meters (m3) of concrete. And if we go by the general M20 grade (1:1.5:3) mix design, the
following quantity (approximate) of materials will be required in Bangladesh –

• Cement: 185-186 Bags (400 Kg/m3)

• Sand (Fine aggregate): 13,920 Kg (600 Kg/m3)
• Gravel (Coarse aggregate): 27,840 Kg (1,200 kg/m3)
• Steel (Rebar): 1,740 kg (75 kg/m3)
Cost of material
Now that we have a better sense of foundation options and materials required for each type, let’s take a quick
look at the current (at the time of this writing) market price of the raw materials:
• Cement: BDT 460-470 per 50 Kg bag
• Steel: BDT 70,000-72,000 per ton
• Sand & Gravel: 10,000-12,000 per truck
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Foundation cost tends to be one of the highest costs when building a home in Bangladesh. The increasing price of
raw materials does not help either. However, we hope that this article was able to give you some idea about the
estimated foundation cost, and also, stay tuned for another article discussing the overall cost of building homes in
Bangladesh.

6.2 Comparison of cost between Raft and pile foundation

Most of the time, raft foundation costs less than pile foundations. But it depends on many things such as
the bearing capacity of the soil, soil settlement, etc. The engineers have to decide which will be the more
effective foundation on a particular site.
If the building is small or multi-story, the foundation will not be based on the load of the superstructure
alone. The foundation depends on the soil of the place and where the installation is being set up.

References:
Mat foundation- https://theconstructor.org/geotechnical/mat-foundation-construction/37768/

What is the difference between raft and mat foundation? - https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-

difference-between-raft-and-mat-foundation

Foundation fig-https://theconstructor.org/geotechnical/mat-foundation-construction/37768/

Why we used raft foundation? - https://www.civilclick.com/mat-foundation/

Types of Mat foundation-https://civiltoday.com/geotechnical-engineering/foundation-

engineering/167-raft-mat-foundation-use-types-construction