Department of Collegiate and Technical Education

Unit-1 - Foundation
CO: Identify the types of soils, to know the
properties,
strength of soils, to suggest suitable type of
foundations and to overcome the difficulties
during excavation
(15CE34T- Construction Technology)
Civil Engineering

Civil Engineering – 15CE34T

 Bearing capacity of the soil

Bearing capacity is the capacity of soil to support the

loads applied to the ground. The bearing capacity of
soil is the maximum average contact pressure between
the foundation and the soil which should not produce
shear failure in the soil.

Civil Engineering – 15CE34T

 Bearing capacity of the soil
Ultimate Bearing capacity: The minimum load on unit
area, causing failure, is called the ultimate bearing power
or ultimate bearing capacity of the soil. Actually load
allowed on the soil is much less than ultimate bearing
capacity.
Safe Bearing capacity: While designing structures, the
soils are never loaded up to their maximum bearing
capcity. The value of the permissible lodes taken for the
purpose of design is known as safe bearingCivil
capacity
Engineering – 15CE34T
Method of improving safe bearing capacity of soil
1. Increasing depth of foundation
2. Draining the soil
3. Compacting the soil
4. Confining the soil
5. Replacing the poor soil
6. Using grouting material
7. Stabilizing the soil with chemicals
8. Using sand piles:
9. Vibration: 10. Vibro-flotation:
Civil Engineering – 15CE34T
Method of improving safe bearing capacity of soil
1. Increasing depth of foundation
 At deeper depths, the over burden pressure on soil is higher;
hence the soil is more compacted at deeper depth. As a result it
shows higher bearing capacity. This is applicable only for
cohesionless soils such as sandy and gravelly soils.
 This method of improving bearing capacity of soil is not
applicable if the subsoil material grows wetter as depth increase.
 This method has a limited use because with increase in depth,
the weight and cost of foundation also increases.

Civil Engineering – 15CE34T

Method of improving safe bearing capacity of soil
2. Draining the soil
With increase in percentage of water content in soil, the bearing
capacity decreases.
 In case of sandy soil, the bearing capacity may reduce as much as
50% due to presence of water content. Cohesionless soils (i.e. sandy
& gravelly soils) can be drained by laying the porous pipes to a
gentle slope, over a bed of sand and filling the trenches above the
pipes with loose boulders.
These trenches subsequently should lead to the nearest well or any
water body.
Civil Engineering – 15CE34T
Method of improving safe bearing capacity of soil
3. Compacting the soil
If we compact soil using appropriate method, then there will
be increase in its density and shear strength. As a result the bearing
capacity of soil also increases. There are many methods of
compacting soils on site. Few of them are mentioned below.
•By spreading broken stones, gravel or sand and thereafter ramming
well in the bed of trenches.
•Using an appropriate roller as per the soil type to move at a
specified speed.
•Br driving concrete piles or wood piles and withdrawing piles and
Civil Engineering – 15CE34T
subsequently filling the holes with sand or concrete.
Method of improving safe bearing capacity of soil
4. Confining the soil
In this method, the soils are enclosed with the help of sheet piles.
This confined soil is further compacted to get more strength. This
method is applicable for shallow foundations.
5. Replacing the poor soil
In this method the poor soil is first removed and then the gap is
filled up by superior material such as sand, stone, gravel or any
other hard material. In order to do this, first excavate a foundation
trench of about 1.5 m deep, and then fill the hard material is stages
of 30 cm. Then compact the hard material at every stage. This
Civil Engineering – 15CE34T
method is useful for foundations in black cotton soils.
Method of improving safe bearing capacity of soil
6. Using grouting material

This method is applicable for soils where there is presence of

pores, fissures or cracks etc underneath the foundation.

In this method, poor soil bearing strata is hardened by injecting

the cement grout under pressure, because it scales off any cracks or
pores or fissures etc.

For proper distribution of the cement grout, the ground is bored

and perforated pipes are introduced to force the grout.
Civil Engineering – 15CE34T
Method of improving safe bearing capacity of soil
7. Stabilizing the soil with chemicals

In this method, chemical solutions, like silicates of soda and calcium chloride is
injected with pressure into the soil. These chemical along with the soil particles
form a gel like structure and develop a compact mass.This is called chemical
stabilization of soil and used to give additional strength to soft soils at deeper
depths.

8. Using sand piles:

This method is very useful in sandy soil or soft soils. Hollow pipes are driven in
the ground, at close interval. This result in the compaction of soil enclosed
between the adjacent pipes. These pipes are then gradually removed, filling and
ramming sand in the hole, resulting in the formation of sandCivil
piles.
Engineering – 15CE34T
Method of improving safe bearing capacity of soil
9. Vibration:

Heavy vibratory rollers and compactors may compact a layer of granular

soils to a depth of 1 to 3 m. Using an appropriate roller as per the soil type
to move at a specified speed.

10. Vibro-flotation:

It is a combination of vibration and jetting. A heavy cylinder, known as

vibroflot is inserted in the ground (soil) while the cylinder vibrates, a
water jet on the tip of the vibroflot supplies a large amount of water under
pressure. As the vibroflot sinks, clean sand is added into a crater that
develops on the surface. Civil Engineering – 15CE34T
MCQ

Civil Engineering – 15CE34T

1. The safe bearing capacity of the soil is equal to

a) Ultimate compressive strength/Factor of safety

b) Ultimate bearing power/Factor of safety

c) Ultimate tensile strength/Factor of safety

d) Normal strength x factor of safety

Answer: b
2. The bearing capacity is maximum for

a) Dry, coarse sandy soil

b) Hard rocks

c) Black cotton soil

d) Fine sandy soil

Answer: b
3. The bearing capacity of a soil cannot be increased
by
a) Moistening the soil
b) Chemical treatment
c) Grouting
d) Compacting

Answer: a
4. The bearing capacity of a water logged soil can be
improved by
a) Compacting the soil
b) Increasing the depth of foundation
c) Draining the soil
d) Grouting

Answer: c
5. The minimum load on unit area, causing failure is
called ________ bearing capacity of the soil
a) Safe
b) Ultimate
c) All the above
d) None of the above

Answer: b
Thank You

Civil Engineering – 15CE34T