FOUNDATION ENGINEERING

DELOS SANTOS,RIZZA M. BS Civil Engineering /4J

Week 11: Shallow Foundation

Ultimate bearing capacity equation Different types of shallow foundation.
(Terzaghi and Meyerhof) 1. Strip Footing
2. Spread or Isolated Footing
Foundation – is a part of a structure which transmits the weight of the 3. Combined Footing
structure to the ground. All Structures constructed on land are 4. Strap or Cantilever Footing
supported on foundations. 5. Mat or Raft Foundation
 “fundare” latin word which means to set
or ground on something soIL. In other words, a foundation is an Ultimate Bearing Capacity (qu) – is the gross pressure at the base of the
artificially laid base on which a structure is set or built up. foundation at which the
 A foundation is required for distributing the loads of the soil fails in shear
superstructure on a large area.
Net Ultimate Bearing Capacity (qnu) – It is the net increase in pressure
The foundation should be designed such that: at the base of foundation that causes shear failure of the soil. It is equal
1. The soil below does not fail in shear to the gross pressure minus overburden pressure
2. The settlement is within the safe limit

Allowable Bearing Capacity – is the pressure which the soil can safely
withstand.

What are the factors to consider for the location and depth of Net Safe Bearing Capacity (qns) – It is the net soil pressure which can be
foundation? safely applied to the soil considering only shear failure. It is obtained by
 erosion's due to flowing water dividing the net ultimate bearing capacity by a suitable factor of safety
 underground defects such as root holes
 Cavities
 unconsolidated fills
 ground water level
 presence of
 expansive soils, etc
Gross Safety Bearing Capacity (qs) – is the maximum gross pressure
Factors to consider in selecting a type of foundation: which the soil can carry safety without shear failure. It is equal to the
1. Function of the structure net safe bearing capacity plus the original overburden pressure.
2. The load it has to carry
3. Subsurface condition of the soil
4. Cost of superstructure

Steps for the Selection of the Type of Foundation

In choosing the type of foundation, the design engineer must perform
five Net Safe Settlement Pressure (qnp) – is the net pressure which the soil
successive steps. can carry without exceeding the allowable settlement. The maximum
1. Obtain the required information concerning the nature of the allowable settlement generally varies between 25mm and 40mm for
superstructure and the individual footings. It is also known as unit soil pressure or safe bearing
loads to be transmitted to the foundation. pressure.
2. Obtain the subsurface soil conditions.
3. Explore the possibility of constructing any one of the types of Net Allowable Bearing Pressure (qna) – is the net pressure which can
foundation under the existing conditions by taking into account (i) the be used for the design of foundations. It is also called as allowable soil
bearing capacity of the soil to carry the required load, and (ii) the pressure or allowable bearing pressure or allowable bearing capacity.
adverse effects on the structure due to differential
settlements.
4. Once one or two types of foundation are selected on the basis of
preliminary studies, make more detailed studies. These may require
more accurate determination of loads, subsurface conditions and
footing sizes. It may also be necessary to make more refined estimates
of settlement in order to predict the behavior of the structure.
5. Estimate the cost of each of the promising types of foundation, and
choose the type Total Overburden Pressure (qo) - is the intensity of total
that represents the most acceptable compromise between performance overburden pressure due to The weight of both soil and Water at the
and cost. base level of the foundation
Effective Overburden Pressure (q’o) - is the effective overburden
Classifications of Foundation: pressure at the base level of the foundation
 Allowable Bearing Capacity of Shallow Foundation

(1) Gross Allowable Bearing Capacity

𝑞𝑢𝑙𝑡
𝑞𝑎𝑙𝑙 = 𝐹.𝑆.

Where qult = ultimate bearing capacity (kPa)

F.S. = factor of safety

(2) Net Allowable Bearing Capacity

𝑞 −𝑞
𝑞𝑎𝑙𝑙(𝑛𝑒𝑡) = 𝑢𝑙𝑡
𝐹.𝑆.

Where qult = ultimate bearing capacity (kPa)

F.S. = factor of safety
q = yDf
y = soil unit weight
Df = depth of footing

Allowable Load carried by the Foundation

(1) Gross Allowable Load

𝑞𝑢𝑙𝑡
𝑄𝑎𝑙𝑙 = 𝐹.𝑆. 𝑥𝐴

Where qult = ultimate bearing capacity (kPa)

F.S. = factor of safety
A= Cross sectional area of footing

(2) Net Allowable Load

𝑞𝑢𝑙𝑡−𝑞
𝑄𝑎𝑙𝑙(𝑛𝑒𝑡) = 𝑥𝐴
𝐹.𝑆.

Where qult = ultimate bearing capacity (kPa)

F.S. = factor of safety
A= Cross sectional area of footing
q = yDf
y = soil unit weight
Df = depth of footing
BEARING CAPACITY EQUATION
TERZAGHI’S EQUATION

PROBLEM No. 1
A clayey soil has an unconfined compressive strength of 48kN/m2 and an angle of internal friction of
25o.
a) Compute the Terzaghi’s bearing capacity factor Nq.
b) Compute the Terzaghi’s bearing capacity factor Nc.
c) Compute the Terzaghi’s bearing capacity factor Ny.

Solution
a) Terzaghi’s bearing capacity factor Nq
∅
𝑁𝑞 = 𝑡𝑎𝑛2 (45 + 2) 𝑒 𝜋𝑡𝑎𝑛∅
25
𝑁𝑞 = 𝑡𝑎𝑛2 (45 + ) 𝑒 𝜋𝑡𝑎𝑛25
2
𝑁𝑞 = ____________

b) Terzaghi’s bearing capacity factor Nc

𝑁𝑐 = (𝑁𝑞 − 1)𝑐𝑜𝑡∅
𝑁𝑐 = (𝑁𝑞 − 1)cot(25)
𝑁𝑐 = ____________
c) Terzaghi’s bearing capacity factor Ny
𝑁𝑦 = 2(𝑁𝑞 + 1)𝑡𝑎𝑛∅
𝑁𝑦 = 2(𝑁𝑞 + 1)𝑡𝑎𝑛25
𝑁𝑦 = ____________

PROBLEM No. 2
A 1.2m x 1.2m square footing has its bottom 2.5m below the ground surface. The soil properties are:
angle of friction of soil is 28o, unit weight of 16kN/m3 and cohesion of 22 kPa. Terzaghi’s bearing
capacity factors are Nq = 14.72, Nc = 25.80 and Ny = 11.19
a) Compute the ultimate bearing capacity considering general shear failure.
b) Compute the ultimate bearing capacity considering local shear failure.
c) Compute the ultimate bearing capacity considering general shear failure if c=0.

Solution
a) Square footing bearing capacity considering general shear failure
𝑞𝑢 = 1.3𝑐𝑁𝑐 + 𝛾𝐷𝑓 𝑁𝑞 + 0.4𝛾𝐵𝑁𝛾

𝑞𝑢 = 1.3(22)(25.80) + (16)(2.5)(14.72) + 0.4(16)(1.2)(11.19)

𝑞𝑢 = _______________𝑘𝑃𝑎
b) Square footing bearing capacity considering local shear failure
𝑞𝑢 = 0.867𝑐𝑁𝑐 + 𝛾𝐷𝑓 𝑁𝑞 + 0.4𝛾𝐵𝑁𝛾

𝑞𝑢 = 0.867(22)(25.80) + (16)(2.5)(14.72) + 0.4(16)(1.2)(11.19)

𝑞𝑢 = _______________𝑘𝑃𝑎
c) Square footing bearing capacity considering general shear failure if c = 0
𝑞𝑢 = 𝛾𝐷𝑓 𝑁𝑞 + 0.4𝛾𝐵𝑁𝛾

𝑞𝑢 = (16)(2.5)(14.72) + 0.4(16)(1.2)(11.19)
𝑞𝑢 = _______________𝑘𝑃𝑎

PROBLEM No. 3
A square foundation is 2m x 2m in plan. The soil supporting the foundation has a friction angle of 25o
and cohesion of 20kN/m2. The unit weight of soil is 16.5kN/m3. Determine the allowable gross load on
the foundation with a factor of safety of 3. Assume that the depth of the foundation is 1.5m and that
general shear failure occurs in the soil. Use Nq = 12.72, Nc = 25.13 and Ny = 8.34
Solution
a. Solve for the ultimate bearing capacity
𝑞𝑢 = 1.3𝑐𝑁𝑐 + 𝛾𝐷𝑓 𝑁𝑞 + 0.4𝛾𝐵𝑁𝛾

𝑞𝑢 = 1.3(20)(25.13) + (16.5)(1.5)(12.72) + 0.4(16.5)(2)(8.34)

𝑞𝑢 = 1078.29𝑘𝑃𝑎
b. Solve for the allowable load per unit area of the foundation
𝑞 1078.29
𝑞𝑎𝑙𝑙 = 𝐹𝑆𝑢 = = 359.5 𝑘𝑁/𝑚2
3

c. Solve for the total allowable gross load

𝑄𝑎𝑙𝑙.𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠(𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑) = 𝑞𝑎𝑙𝑙 (𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑜𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔)
𝑄𝑎𝑙𝑙.𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠(𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑) = 3.59.5(2𝑥2)
𝑄𝑎𝑙𝑙.𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠(𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑) = 1438 𝑘𝑁