("In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, & the most

Merciful")
TYPES OF FOUNDATIONS
Ar Kamran Ahmad
FOUNDATIONS

“The lowest artificially built part of a structure which

transmits the load of the structure to the soil lying
underneath is called Foundation”
PURPOSE OF FOUNDATION
• To distribute the load of the structure over a large bearing area so as
to bring the intensity of the 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 secure a level and a firm bed for building operations.
• To increase the stability of the structure as a whole.
Types Of Foundation
Foundation can be broadly classified into the
following two categories:

• Shallow Foundations
• Deep Foundations
Shallow Foundations Deep Foundations
• Wall Footing
• Pile Foundation
• Masonry Pillar Footing
• Caisson
• Concrete Column Footing
• Buoyancy Rafts
• Spread or Isolated Footing
• Shaft foundation
• Combined Footing
• Strip Footing
• Grillage Foundation
• Mat or Raft Foundations
• Strap or Cantilever footing
 
FACTORS AFFECTING SELECTION OF A FOUNDATION

• Types and intensity of loading acting on on various parts of the

structure which may be dead load, live load, wind load, snow load etc.
• Nature and the bearing capacity of the soil on which the structure
directly rests.
• The position of the water table
• The depth of foundations Of adjacent buildings
Wall Footing
• It is created constructed by
increasing the base area
• Spread is provided under wall or
column’s base through offset
• This spread is known as footing t
• The foundation itself is called
Spread Footing.
Masonry Pillar Footing
• This is the cheapest type of
spread footing foundations
• Isolated footings are used to
support the individual pillars
• These columns are constructed in
brick or stone masonry.
• They are stepped down in the
wall footing after providing 15cm
offset of foundation concrete on
all the sides.
 Concrete Column Footing
• These are either stepped type, slate
type or slope type
• They projections in the base concrete.
• Reinforcement is also provided at the
base in the form of steel bars for
heavy structures
Spread or Isolated Footing
• It is provided to support an
individual column.
• It is circular, square or rectangular
slab of uniform thickness.
• Sometimes, it is stepped or hunched
to spread the load over a large area.
 Combined Footing
• A combined footing is one which supports two columns.
• If the footing supports more than two columns, it is
known as continuous footing.
• A combined footing is provided under the following
circumstances.
1. When the columns are very near to each other so that
footings overlaps.
2. When the bearing capacity of the soil is less, requiring
more area under individual footings.
3. When the column is near a property line so that the
footing cannot spread in that direction
 Strip Footing
• It is provided for a load-bearing wall.
• It is also provided for a row of columns which
are so closely spaced.
• t is more economical to provide a strip footing
than to provide a number of spread footings
in one line for such cases.
• A strip footing is also known as continuous
footing.
 Grillage Foundation
• It is constructed in steel or timber
• Steel Columns can have either concrete
footings or footings of steel.
• Steel footings consists of beams arranged in
layers or tiers at right angle to one another
• They are embedded in concrete.
• The beams are connected with each other by
bolts so as to form a rigid unit.
 Grillage Foundation
• Wooden planks, usually 5 to 8 cm in thickness, are
laid side by side longitudinally on the prepared bed
of the trench excavated for this purpose.
• Then a top layer of planks, usually 8 to 10 cm in
thickness, arranged side by side, in width equal to
that of the base course of the structure is to be built
over it
• The structure supports timber column or even a
masonry wall is built
 Mat or Raft Foundations
• It is a large slab supporting a number of columns
and walls under the entire or a large part of the
structure.
• It is required when the allowable soil pressure is
low or where the columns and walls are so close
that individual footings would overlap or nearly
touch each other.
• Mat foundations are useful in reducing the
differential settlements on non-homogeneous
soils or where there is a large variation in the
loads on individual columns.
 Types of Raft Foundations
Flat Raft Mat
• Typically used for small buildings where it’s
possible to position columns at regular
distances across the footprint of the building,
• Steel mesh is typically used at the bottom (in
the column-foundation connection proximity)
• The top (mid-span between columns) of the
concrete mat, to provide resistance in both
directions.
 Types of Raft Foundations
Wide Toe Raft
• It is used when the ground conditions mean
that to provide the necessary load support,
• The slab is formed with a deeper reinforced
‘toe’ which extends to support the external
side of a cavity wall.
 Types of Raft Foundations
Blanket Raft
• It is used where the build site includes small areas
of weaker soil or different soil types
• A stone ‘blanket’ is laid on the prepared ground in
layers, building it up to the required level
• The raft foundation and the stone blanket work
together to provide an even load support, despite
the areas of weakness within the footprint of the
build.
 Types of Raft Foundations
Slip Plane Raft
• Slip plane rafts involve a preliminary layer of
sand, which is laid over a slightly larger
surface than the required raft foundation,
with the gap around the raft filled with packed
material.
 Types of Raft Foundations
Slab beam rafts
• It is typically used in a build that involves
column loads that are not evenly distributed
across the footprint of the building.
• Reinforced columns are sited on top of
reinforced ground beams, and this provides
the necessary load bearing capacity.
 Types of Raft Foundations
Cellular rafts
• It comprises two concrete slabs, which lock
together via ground beams.
• They are exceptionally rigid, and so they are
most suited for ground that is likely to settle
unevenly, or where very heavy loads are
anticipated.
• Cellular rafts can also be used where
significant ground heave is expected to be a
problem
 Types of Raft Foundations
Piled rafts
• They are more often seen in larger, high-rise
developments as well as in structures that require a
single foundation element, such as silos, tanks and
chimneys.
• The slab in a piled raft sits on a number of deeper pile
foundations that are bored deep enough to reach a
suitably stiff soil layer.
• These piles are long, thin footings made of reinforced
concrete or steel, and they are spaced evenly across the
site.
• The raft then ‘floats’ on top of these pilings.
 Strap or Cantilever footing
• It consists of two isolated footings connected with a
structural strap or a lever.
• The strap connects the two footings such that they
behave as one unit.
• The strap is designed as a rigid beam.
• The individual footings are so designed that their
combined line of action passes through the resultant
of the total load.
• A strap footing is more economical than a combined
footing when the allowable soil pressure is relatively
high and the distance between the columns is large.
 Deep Foundations
pile foundation
Piles:
This is an element of construction placed in the ground either vertically or
slightly inclined to increase the load carrying capacity of the soil.
Pile Foundation:
A foundation consisting of spread footing or grillage supported on piles is
called a pile foundation.
Suitability:
This type of soil is suitable under the following situations:
When the soil is very soft and solid base is not available at a reasonable
depth to keep the bearing power within safe limits.
• When the provision of grillage or raft foundation becomes very
expensive.
• When the structure carries heavy concentrated loads.
• When it is necessary to construct a building along the sea-shore or river
bed.
 Deep Foundations
Classification of Piles according to their Function:
1. Bearing Piles:
The piles which rests on the hard strata and act as a column to bear the
load of the structure are known as bearing piles. The piles are used to
bear vertical loads. They transfer the load to the hard stratum.
 
2. Friction Piles:
The piles which do not rest on the hard strata and bear the load on
account of frictional resistance between their outer surfaces and the
soil in contact are called friction piles.
These piles are used when the soil is soft and no hard strata is available
up to a considerable depth.
 
3. Friction cum bearing Piles:
These piles which rest on a hard strata and resist the structural load
partly by bearing and partly by friction are known as friction cum
bearing piles.
 Deep Foundations
Caisson Foundation
• A caisson foundation also called as pier
foundation
• It is a watertight retaining structure used as a
bridge pier, in the construction of a concrete
dam, or for the repair of ships.
• It is a prefabricated hollow box or cylinder
sunk into the ground to some desired depth
and then filled with concrete thus forming a
foundation.
 Deep Foundations
Types of Caisson Foundations
• Box Caissons
• Excavated Caissons
• Floating Caissons
• Open Caissons
• Pneumatic Caissons
• Sheeted Caissons
 Box caissons
• Box caissons are watertight boxes
that are constructed of heavy
timbers and open at the top.
• They are generally floated to the
appropriate location and then sunk
into place with a masonry pier
within it.
 Excavated caissons
• Excavated caissons are just as the
name suggests, caissons that are
placed within an excavated site.
• These are usually cylindrical in
shape and then back filled with
concrete.
 Floating caissons
• These are prefabricated boxes filled with
concrete. It is also called a floating docks.

Open caissons
• Open caissons are quite like box caissons.
• There are two types of open caissons.
Top and bottom both open and open top-
closed bottom.
• Soft soil is suitable for these kinds of
caissons. Open Caissons are used in the
formation of the pier, deep manholes,
pump stations, micro-tunneling,
 Pneumatic Caissons
• Watertight or Box caissons which are used
in underwater construction are known as
pneumatic caissons

Compressed Air Caissons

• This type of caissons is suitable for
parched working conditions where other
methods might seem inconvenient.
Advantages of Caissons:
• Economics
• Minimizes pile cap needs
• Slightly less noise and reduced vibrations
• Easily adaptable to varying site conditions
• High axial and lateral loading capacity
Disadvantages of Caissons:
• Extremely sensitive to construction
procedures
• Not good for contaminated sites
• Lack of construction expertise
• Lack of Qualified Inspectors
deep foundation

Buoyancy rafts

• It is also known as hollow box

foundations or floating foundations
• It is a type of deep foundation is
used in building construction on soft
and weak soils.
• These types of foundations are
designed such a way that they
behave as buoyant (floating)
substructures for the net loading
over it
 Shaft foundation
• Drilled shafts, also referred to as
drilled piers,
• Caissons or bored piles,
• Deep foundation solutions used to
support structures with large axial
and lateral loads by excavating
cylindrical. 
• Shafts into the ground and filling
them with concrete.
Thank you!