Factors To Consider In

Foundation Design
Notes These notes are prepared with the help of books
written by Braja M. Das, Craig, Joseph e. Bowles, Wayne
C. Teng, class notes and other relevant materials
Factors To Consider In Foundation Design
1. Footing Depth and Spacing
2. Location consideration for Spread footings
3. Displaced Soil Effect
4. Net versus Gross Soil Pressure
5. Erosion Problems for structures adjacent to flowing water
6. Corrosion Protections
7. Water Table fluctuation
8. Foundation Sand and Silt
9. Foundation on Clays and Clayey Silt
10. Foundations On Loess And Other Collapsible Soils
11. Foundations On Clays and Clayey Silts.
 Factors To Consider In Foundation Design - Footing Depth and Spacing
1. Footing Depth and Spacing

The frost line

Zones of high volume change due to moisture fluctuations
Topsoil or organic material
Peat and muck
Unconsolidated material such as abandoned (or closed) garbage
dumps and similar filled in areas.
Factors To Consider In Foundation Design -Location consideration for Spread footings

b) Location consideration for Spread footings

Factors To Consider In Foundation Design -Location consideration for Spread footings
b) Location consideration for Spread footings
If the new footing is lower than the existing footing

1 g zf + q0 ---(01)
3= 0 = 1 K - 2c K ---(02)
= g zf K+ q0 - 2c K --- (03)
Solving for excavation depth zf
(and using Safety Factor), we obtained
Zf = {2c / [(SF) g K]} {q0 / (SF) g} --- (04)
Factors To Consider In Foundation Design -Location consideration for Spread footings
If the new footing is adjacent to the existing footing

Potential settlement or instability from loss of overburden pressure.

Factors To Consider In Foundation Design - Net versus Gross Soil Pressure
(Design soil pressures) -
Net versus Gross Soil Pressure (Design soil pressures)
The bearing capacity equations are based on gross soil pressure qult, which is
everything above the foundation level. If the allowable pressure is based on the
bearing capacity equations, the pressure is a gross pressure.

Settlements are caused only by net increase in pressure over the existing
overburden pressure. If the allowable pressure is based on settlement
consideration, it is a net pressure.

NOTE :- YOU CAN ADD DERIVATION OF NET / GROSS PRESSURES B4 MIDTERM

Factors To Consider In Foundation Design -Erosion / Scouring Problems for
structures adjacent to flowing water
Erosion / Scouring Problems for structures adjacent to flowing water
Bridge piers, abutments, bases for retaining walls and footings for other
structures adjacent to or located in flowing water must be located at a depth such
that erosion or scour does not undercut the soil and cause a failure
An accurate prediction of scour depth is necessary so as to use the shortest
possible pile lengths
Approaches to avoid Scouring
Scour is accelerated if the foundation creates channel obstruction; To reduce scour the
foundation should create a minimum obstruction to normal stream flow patterns
Determine the foundation types
Estimate the probable depth of scour ,effects, etc.
Estimate the cost of foundations for normal and various scour conditions
Determine the cost versus risk and revise the design accordingly
Factors To Consider In Foundation Design Corrosion Protections
Corrosion Protections
In polluted ground areas such as old sanitary landfills, shorelines, near
sewer outfalls line from older industrial plants, or backwater areas
where water stands over dead vegetation, there can be corrosion
problems with metal foundation members as well as concrete.
Concrete is normally resistant to corrosion;
However, if sulfates are present, it may be necessary to use sulfate-
resistant concrete.
It may occasionally be necessary to use air-entrained concrete for
foundation members.
Use of treated timber piling instead of metal piling may be required
where the soil has a pH much above 9.5 or below 4.0
Factors To Consider In Foundation Design Water Table Fluctuations
Water Table fluctuation
A lowered water table increases the effective pressure and may cause additional settlements.
A raised water table may create problems for the owner from the following;
Floating the structure ( making it unstable or tilting it)
Reducing the effective pressure (causing excessive settlement)
Creating a wet basement if the basement walls are not watertight.
Approaches to Water Table Fluctuations
By introducing some type of drainage (water does not accumulate around the building
walls or produce hydrostatic uplift beneath the basement).
Use of drain tile around the basement perimeter (common for residential dwellings and
some larger buildings).
A sloping basement excavation that is backfilled with granular materials to the required
horizontal level in combination with a well (called a sump pit) at the low point that is fitted
with a pump (a sump pump system) can be used.
Factors To Consider In Foundation Design Sand and Silt Deposits
Just Discussion. Details from the notes already given

Bearing capacity.

Densification of loose deposits to control settlement.

Placing the footing at a sufficient depth that the soil beneath the footing is
confined. If silt or sand is not confined, it will roll out from the footing
perimeter with a loss of density and bearing capacity. Wind and water may
erode sand or silt from beneath a footing that is too near the ground surface.

Uncontaminated glacial silt deposits can have a large capillary rise because
of the small particle sizes.
Factors To Consider In Foundation Design FOUNDATIONS ON LOESS AND OTHER
COLLAPSIBLE SOILS
Just Discussion in Class . Details from the notes given

Collapsible soils are generally wind-blown (aeolian) deposits of silts, dune sands, and
volcanic ash. Typically they are loose but stable, with contact points well-cemented with a
water soluble bonding agent, so that certain conditions of load + wetting produce a collapse of
the soil structure with a resulting large settlement.

Loess is the predominating collapsible soil that engineers are confronted with.
Factors To Consider In Foundation Design FOUNDATIONS ON EXPANSIVE SOILS

Just Discussion in Class . Details from the notes given

Expansive soils undergo volume changes upon wetting and drying.

In general, all clayey soils tend to shrink on drying and expand when
the degree of saturation S increases. Usually, the lower the
shrinkage limit and the wider the range of the plasticity index Ip, the
more likely is volume change to occur
Factors To Consider In Foundation Design - Foundations on Clays and Clayey Silts

Just Discussion in Class . Details from the notes given

Clays and clayey silts may range from very soft, normally consolidated, to
very stiff, highly over-consolidated deposits.
Major problems are often associated with the very soft to soft, deposits
from both bearing-capacity considerations and consolidation settlements.