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Chapter Four
Chapter Four
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Chapter 5
Bearing Capacity of Soils
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Thus the criteria for the determination of the bearing capacity of a foundation
are based on the requirements for the stability of the foundation. The design
value of the safe bearing capacity would be the smaller of the two values
obtained from the two criteria:
Settlement criterion
Bearing Capacity of Soils
Bearing Capacity
Ultimate bearing capacity, qu is the load that causes the shear failure of the soil underneath
and adjacent to the footing.
Net bearing pressure, qn is the net change in total stress experienced by the soil at the base
of the foundation. The difference between the total applied stress and the stress removed
due to excavation.
Allowable bearing capacity, qa is defined as the bearing pressure that will cause either
undrained or drained settlement or creep equal to a specified tolerable design limit.
A presumed bearing pressure is a conservative value attributed to a rock or soil for
preliminary design.
Bearing Capacity of Soils
Ultimate Bearing Capacity Equations
Assumed the angle that the wedge forms with the horizontal to be ø (not 45 + ø/2)
Accounted for the effect of the soil weight by superimposing an equivalent surcharge load.
General shear failure in dense soils and local shear failure in loose soil
Terzaghi’s Bearing Capacity Theory
Surcharge
Results are limited to concentrically loaded horizontal footing. Not suitable for footing
that support eccentrically loaded columns or tilted footings.
Bearing Capacity of Soils
1. The square footing shown below must be designed to carry a 294kN load. Use
Terzaghi’s, Meyehof’s and Hansen’s bearing capacity formula to determine the
width of the footing with a factor of safety of 3.
qu c' N c s c ic d c DN q s q iq d q 0.5BN s i d
sq sϒ
dq dϒ
sq sϒ
dq dϒ
Bearing Capacity of Soils
Case 4
Example 2
0.85m
Example 3
0.25
Meyerhof’s N-factors
Quiz
Terzaghi’s N-factors
Meyerhof’s N-factors
Hansen’s N-factors
Bearing Capacity based on Tolerable Settlement
The pressure which causes settlements just equal to the limiting value is
determined.
Bearing capacity can be determined from plate load tests, SPT and CPT
Bearing Capacity from SPT
Widely used mostly in cohesionless soils
The sampler is initially driven 15cm below the bottom of the borehole.
Then the number of blows required to drive it an additional 30cm is
counted. (SPN)
Bearing Capacity from CPT
The thrust required to drive the cone and the sleeve 80mm into the ground at a
constant rate of 10mm/s to 20mm/s are measured independently so the end
resistance and side friction may be estimated independently.
Bearing Capacity from Field Loading Test
Most reliable method of obtaining the bearing capacity and settlement characteristics at a site.
Round plate (30cm and 70 cm) or square plate (30cm X 30cm and 60cm X 60cm) is loaded in a
pit excavated in the ground, at a depth equal to the roughly estimated depth of the foundation
for which the BC is to be estimated.
Excavate a pit to a depth equal to roughly estimated depth of the foundation and place the
plate.
A load is applied on the plate by increment (ΔP = qutl,estimated/5) and settlements are recorded
from a dial gauge for each load increment.
The test is continued until a total settlement reaches 25mm or until capacity of the
apparatus is reached or until soil fails by shear.
One criteria for a safe design is that the structure should not become unfit for use.
The structure should not reach a limit state during its design life.
Achieved by designing the structure to ensure that it does not reach two important limit states.
1. Ultimate Limit State (ULS): concerned with the safety of the people and of
the structure. This requires the whole structure or its elements should not
collapse, overturn or buckle when subjected to the design loads.
2. Serviceability Limit State (SLS): concerned with comfort of occupants
(vibration, large cracks, deflection) and appearance of the structure
(excessive deflection, cracking)
Bearing Capacity (ES EN 1997-1:2015)
Limit States
Permanent actions – G
Variable actions – Q
Accidental actions - A
Bearing Capacity (ES EN 1997-1:2015)
Design value for permanent actions = characteristic permanent action * load factor
Gd = Gk * ϒF
Design value for variable action = characteristic variable action * load factor
Qd = Qk * ϒF
2.
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