FOUNDATION

INTRODUCTION
STRUCTURAL COMPONENT &
FUNCTIONS
FOUNDATION
• To carry and distribute building
load to the soil beneath.
• To avoid building settlement.
• To stabilize building position.

COLUMN
• To carry load from beam and
transfer it to foundation.
Continue…

BEAM

• To carry load from floor slab and transfer

it to column.

FLOOR SLAB

• To carry direct applied load and transfer

it to beam.
WALL
• Protect Building from weathering effects.
• Divide building into spaces or rooms
• Support load from structural components
above it and transfer it to foundation (for
load bearing wall)

STAIRS
• Connect two successive

ROOF
• To protect building from rain and
shine
Factors in choosing suitable foundation design
•Dead Load
Loads •Life Load
•Wind Load

•Chemical reaction
Subsurface •Underground water level
condition •Bearing capacity of soil

Technology •Equipment and machineries

and
•Manpower
manpower

Cost •Budget from client

Building •Framed structure

structure •Load bearing wall

•Residential
Building •Commercial or
design and high rise or
types wide span
building
Types of foundation

Pad
Foundation

• Ordinary Strip
Foundation
Strip • Wide strip foundation
Foundation • Deep Strip foundation

• Solid slab raft

foundation
Raft • Beam and
slab Raft
Foundation foundation
• Cellular Raft
Foundation
Types of foundation

Combined

Continuous

Stepped
foundation

Balanced
Foundation
PAD FOUNDATION
• Is normally used as foundation to building or
residential building not exceeding 4 storey on
stiff soil such as gravel.
• Most using a FRAMED STRUCTURE.
• A pad foundation is the base of a column.
• The size of pad foundation depends on the size
of load to be carried and load bearing capacity
of the soil.
• The pad foundation is not suitable for large and
high rise building because it needs to carry
high load, which is not practical and
uneconomical.
• Normally constructed from reinforced
concrete (rc).
• Typical ratio of the concrete mix is 1:2:4.

• Steel reinforcement is added in the

construction to strengthen and reduce
thickness of the foundation.

• High yield steel bars are normally used as the

reinforcement. (refer to next slide – Detail
diagram of PAD FOUNDATION)
STRIP FOUNDATION
• There are buildings designed without columns
instead, wall distributes load from other
components to the foundation of the building.

• Since wall is a linear component, the

foundation constructed under the wall follow
its length, therefore it is called strip
foundation.Typical mix ratio 1:2:4.

• Can be divided into 3 types :-

• Ordinary strip foundation
• Wide strip foundation
• Deep strip foundation.
 • Suitable for high load
Ordinary strip bearing capacity and non –
foundation cohesive soil such as
gravel.
 • Suitable for low load
Wide Strip bearing capacity .
Foundation Examples are soft clay and
filled area
 • Used on silty clay or peat
Deep strip soil that tends to expand or
foundation shrink depending on the
moisture content.
RAFT FOUNDATION
• Raft foundation is required for low bearing
capacity soil and for soil that tends to settle
unevenly when subjected to load.
• This constructed as a concrete slab as the
foundation for the building.
• This type of slab known as raft foundation.
• Raft foundation can be divided into 3
categories :
• Solid slab Raft Foundation
• Beam and slab Raft Foundation
• Cellular Raft Foundation
Solid slab raft foundation
• Suitable for 2 storey building and less, where
the load imposed is small the max. of 300mm
thick slab is sufficient.
Beam and slab Raft Foundation
• If the required slab thickness is more than
300mm due to the high building load, then is
more appropriate to use beam and slab raft
foundation.
Cellular
• Suitable for loose soil or for soil that tends to
settle unevenly such as back filled inactive
mining site. The thickness of the constructed
foundation may exceed 1m.
COMBINED FOUNDATION
• Whenever two or more columns in a straight
line are carried on a single spread footing, it is
called a combined footing. Isolated footings for
each column are generally the economical.
• Combined footings are provided only when it is
absolutely necessary, as
• When two columns are close together, causing
overlap of adjacent isolated footings
• Where soil bearing capacity is low, causing
overlap of adjacent isolated footings
• Proximity of building line or existing building or
sewer, adjacent to a building column.
• The combined footing may be rectangular,
trapezoidal or Tee-shaped in plan.
 STEPPED FOUNDATION
• These are usually considered in the context of
strip foundations and are used mainly on
sloping sites to reduce the amount of
excavation and materials required to produce
an adequate foundation.
 CONTINUOUS FOUNDATION
• Continuous footing is commonly used to provide
a stable base around the entire perimeter of a
structure.
• Buildings with footings often include interior
spot footings. A footing supports the weight
(load) from the exterior or foundation walls.
• The footing thickness provides the strength
needed to support the weight. The wider width
of the footing base creates a large area to
transfer this weight to the ground and to prevent
settlement.