CE 152

GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING 2
INTRODUCTION
ENGR. ROGELIO FRETTEN C. DELA CRUZ
INSTRUCTOR

FOUNDATION ENGINEERING
Art and science of applying engineering
judgment and the principles of soil mechanics.

Two parts consisting an engineering structure:

1. Superstructure upper part
2. Substructure/Foundation lower part
- part of the structure which is usually placed
below the surface of the ground and which
transmits the load to the underlying soil or rock.

Two essential requirements in the design of

foundations:
1. Total settlement shall be limited to tolerable
small amount.
2. Differential settlement shall be eliminated as
nearly as possible.

To limit settlement, it is necessary:

1. To transmit the load of the structure to a soil
stratum of sufficient strength.
2. To spread the load over a sufficiently large
area of that stratum to minimize bearing
pressure.

Two principal kinds of failure for foundation:

1. Structural failure of foundation (bending,
shear, bearing).
2. Bearing capacity failure of the supporting
soil.

Three types of bearing capacity failures:

1. General shear failure
It occurs in soils that are relatively incompressible and
reasonably strong, in rock, and in saturated, normally
consolidated clays that are loaded rapidly enough that
the undrained condition prevails. The failure surface is
well defined and failure occurs quite suddenly. Although
bulges may appear on both sides of the foundation,
ultimate failure occurs on one side only, and is often
accompanied by rotations of the foundation.

2. Local shear failure

The shear surfaces are well defined under the
foundation, and then become vague near the ground
surface. A small bulge may occur, but considerable
settlement, perhaps on the other half of the foundation
width, is necessary before a clear shear surface forms
near the ground. Even then, a sudden failure does not
occur, as happens in the general shear case. The
foundation just continues to sink deeper into the ground.

3. Punching shear failure

It occurs in very loose sands, in a thin crust of strong
soil underlain by a very weak soil, or in weak clays loaded
under slow, drained conditions. The high compressibility
of such soil profiles causes large settlements and poorly
defined vertical shear surfaces. Little or no bulging
occurs at the ground surface and failure develops
gradually.

FOUNDATION CLASSIFICATIONS:
1. Shallow Foundation
- Satisfactory soil directly underlies the structure.
- Spread footings, combined footings

2. Deep Foundation
- Adequate soil is not found immediately below the
structure.
- Caisson foundation, pile foundation

Typical Foundation Types

1. Foundation for buildings (controlled mainly by
vertical loads)
2. Foundations for smoke stacks, radio & television
towers, bridge, piers, etc. (lateral loads)
3. Foundations for ports & marine structures
(lateral loads & impact loads)
4. Foundations for machinery, turbines,
generators, etc. (vibration & weight)
5. Foundation elements to support open cuts or
retain earth masses or bridge abutments.

General Requirements of Foundations:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Depth must be adequate to avoid lateral expulsion of material

from beneath the foundation.
Depth must be below seasonal volume changes such as the
zone of active organic materials.
System must be safe against overturning, sliding or soil
rupture.
System must be safe against corrosion or deterioration due to
harmful materials present in the soil.
System should be adequate to sustain some changes in later
site or construction geometry, or be easily modified should
later changes be major in scope.
The foundation should be economical in terms of the method
of installation.
Total earth movements & differential movements should be
tolerable for the foundation elements and/or any
superstructure elements.

ULTIMATE BEARING CAPACITY

THEORY
Reference: Fundamentals of Geotechnical Engineering 3rd Ed.
by Braja M. Das

Later investigators, however, have suggested that foundations with

Df equal to 3 to 4 times the width of the foundation may also be
considered as shallow foundations.

The failure zone under the foundation can be separated into

three parts:

Terzaghi expressed the ultimate bearing capacity in the form:

(12.3)

= 349.55 + 132.43 + 38.88

qu = 520.86 kN/m2
520.86

4
qall 130.22 kN/m2

Hence, the allowable load, P

P
P
qall
A B L

P qall B L
130.22 kN/m2 1.5 m 1.5 m
P 293 kN

Case I is applicable,

12.85 kN/m2

Hence,

= (12.85)(23.18)(1.625)(1.23)
= 700.77

qu
qall
FS

700.77
3
qall 233.59 kN/m2

P qall B L
= 233.59 (1.2)2
P = 336.37 kN

Solution

SEATWORK:
1. Determine the gross allowable bearing capacity for a strip
footing given the following:
18.2 kN/m3 , ' 20, c' 14.2 kN/m2 , D f 0.5 m, B 1.2 m
Use FS = 4, Eq. 12.3 and Table 12.1
2. A 2 m 2 m square footing has the following conditions:
D f 1.5 m, 15.9 kN/m3 , ' 34, c' 0
Determine the allowable gross vertical load that the column
could carry if FS = 3. Use Eq. 12.9

END