Building Foundations

A foundation (or, more commonly, base) is the element of

an architectural structure which connects it to the ground, and
transfers loads from the structure to the ground

The solid ground on which the foundation

rests, is called foundation bed

Foundation Bed : It is in direct contact of

soil and transmits load of super structure
to soil
Purpose of Foundation :
To distribute the load of the structure over a large bearing area so as to
bring intensity of loading within the safe bearing capacity of the soil lying
underneath.

To load the bearing surface at a uniform rate so as to prevent unequal

settlement.

To prevent the lateral movement of the supporting material.

To secure a level and firm bed for building operations.

To increase the stability of the structure as a whole.

Shallow Foundation

Shallow foundation is a type of foundation that transfers loads to the very near
the surface.

Shallow foundations are constructed where soil layer at shallow depth (upto
1.5m) is able to support the structural loads. The depth of shallow foundations
are generally less than its width.

Shallow foundations sometimes called 'spread footings

The different types of shallow foundation are:

Strip footing
Spread or isolated footing
Combined footing Strap or cantilever footing
Mat or raft Foundation.
Spread Foundation
A spread footing (or isolated or pad) footing is provided to support an
individual column. A spread footing is circular, square or rectangular slab of
uniform thickness. Sometimes, it is stepped or haunched to spread the load
over a large area
Wall Footings :
A wall footing or strip footing is a continuous strip of concrete that serves
to spread the weight of a load-bearing wall across an area of soil. It is the
component of a shallow foundation
Isolated (Pad ) Footings

Isolated footings (also known as Pad or

Spread footings) are commonly used for
shallow foundations in order to carry and
spread concentrated loads, caused for
example by columns or pillars. ... It is able
to design the entire footing and to
compute settlement, rotation and bearing
capacity of the footing.
 Grillage Foundations
Grillage foundation is used when heavy structural loads from columns, piers or
stanchions are required to be transferred to a soil of low bearing capacity.
Grillage foundation is often found to be lighter and more economical.
This avoids deep excavation and provides necessary area at the base to reduce the
intensity of pressure within safe bearing capacity of soil

Types of Grillage Foundation

Mostly there are two types of grillage
foundation based on type of material used;
a) Steel grillage foundation
b) Timber grillage foundation
Combined Footings

Combined footings are provided when distance between two columns is small
and soil bearing capacity of soil is lower and their footings overlap with each
other. When two columns are close together and separate isolated footings
would overlap, in such case, it is better to provide a combined footing than
isolated footing

Combined footing is mainly two types.

Rectangular Combined Footing.
Trapezoidal Combined Footing.
Cantilevered Footing
A strap footing is a component of a building’s foundation. It is a type
of combined footing consisting of two or more column footings connected by a
concrete beam. This type of beam is called a strap beam. It is used to help
distribute the weight of either heavily or eccentrically loaded column footings
to adjacent footings.
 Mat Foundations
Raft foundation is a thick concrete slab reinforced with steel which covers the entire
contact area of the structure like a thick floor. Sometimes area covered by raft may be
greater than the contact area depending on the bearing capacity of the soil
underneath. The reinforcing bars runs normal to each other in both top and bottom
layers of steel reinforcement.
Depending on structural system they are also classified in three categories:

a. Rafts having uniform thickness of slab, sometimes they may have pedestal
b. Raft with beams & slab system;
c. Framed raft or cellular raft having foundation slab, columns, walls rendering
essential rigidity to structure.
 Foundation Design
Foundation Depths

The required depth of the foundation will depend on several factors like:

1. Soil bearing capacity. How much load the existing soil can withstand

2. Type of soil. This depth will vary depending on the type of soil beneath the structure.

3. Depth of frost penetration in case of fine sand and silt.

4. Height of ground water table. This will usually be reported on the soil study.

5. The minimum depth should not be less than 18 inches to allow removal of top soil and
variations in ground level. However, depending on the structure, the engineer will select the
best depth.
Foundation Material

The foundation is usually built in Brick work ,Stone masonry or concrete under
the base of a wall or column. This will enable to transfer the load to the soil in a
uniform manner and allow the transition from the structure to the soil. It will
depend on the recommendation by the structural engineer.
.