DESIGN OF FOUNDATION

(CONTINUATION)
EXAMPLE 1
Design a pad footing required to resist
characteristic axial dead and imposed loads of
900kN and 450kN respectively from a 350mm
square column. The safe bearing pressure of the
soil is 200kN/ and the characteristic strength of
40 N/ and 460N/ for concrete and reinforcing
steel respectively.
Solution
a) Loading (dead)
Load on column = 900kN
Assumed footing weight (say 10%) = 90kN
Total dead load, = 990kN
Service load, = 1.0 + 1.0
Service load, = 990 + 450 = 1440kN
Footing area required:
= = = 7.2
Since the column is square, provide 2.8m
square, area = 7.84
b) Ultimate loading
Ultimate design load, N = 1.4 + 1.6
N = 1.4 x 990 + 1.6 x 450
= 2106kN
Design earth pressure, q =
= = 269kN/
c) Assume footing thickness
Try a 600mm thick footing constructed on a
50mm thick blinding layer of concrete. The
minimum concrete cover to foundation is
50mm, h = 600mm,
Effective depth, d = 600 – 50 – 20/2 = 540mm
d) At the column face
Shear stress, v =
= = 2.79 N/
0.8 = 0.8 40 = 5.06 N/
Shear stress, v = 2.79 N/0.8 O.K.
e) Punching shear (at 1.5d from the column
face) 350mm

1.5d 1.5d
1.5d
2800mm
350mm

1.5d

2800mm
Critical perimeter = column perimeter + 8 x 1.5d
= 4 x 350 + 12 x 540 = 7880mm
Area within critical region: = = 3880900 =
3.8809
Punching shear force, V = q( - 3.8809)
= 269( - 3.8809) = 1065kN
Punching shear stress, v = = = 0.25N/
f) Bending reinforcement: Assuming a unit
width. 350mm

540mm 540mm

685mm 1.0d 1.0d 685mm

600mm

1225mm 350mm 1225mm

2800mm
Bending moment, M = 269 x = 201.83kNm per meter.
= = 0.02
Lever arm depth, z = 0.95d = 0.95 x 540 = 513mm
Area of reinforcement, = = = 900.3 /m. Provide 16mm
diameter bars spaced at 175mm centres = 1150 /m
Minimum area of reinforcement from table 3.27 of BS
8110, = x 1000 x 600 = 780 /m /m.
Maximum spacing of bar required = 750mm 175mm
g) Determination of shear stress resistance of
concrete,
From table 3.8:
= x x = 0.44N/
= 0.44N/ punching shear stress, v = 0.25N/. Therefore,
the 600mm thick pad foundation is adequate.

h) Shear stress at critical section 1.0d from column

face.
Shear force, V = 269 (1.225 – 0.54) = 184.27kN per
meter width.
Stress, v = = = 0.34N/ = 0.44N/. The section is
adequate in shear. Hence, adopt pad footing 2.8m x
2.8m x 600mm deep.
Note: the dimension of the column will determine the
size of the footing. For example, a rectangular column
will require a rectangular foundation base and a square
column requires a square foundation base.
Example 2
Determine the area of base required for the column 300mm x
400mm subjected to the same loading condition as in example 1
above.
Solution
Service load, 1.0 + 1.0 = 900 + 450 = 1440kN
Safe bearing pressure, = 200kN/
Area of base required = = 7.2
The column has sides in ratio 1: 4/3
The column base would be in ratio 1 : 4/3 or x : 4/3x
The required base area = 7.2
= x 7.2 = 5.4
x = 2.32m.
Provide a base 2.4m x 3.2m rectangular base of area 7.68
THANK YOU