Category: Foundations

Settlement of a foundation may be classified as uniform (or total), tilt and non-uniform (or differential) settlement. Structures on rigid foundations undergo uniform settlement. When the entire structure rotates, the structure is said to be under uniform tilt. If foundations of different elements of a structure undergo varied settlements, the foundation is said to be…

Foundation imparts lateral stability to the super-structure by anchoring it to the ground. It also provides additional stability against sliding and overturning due to horizontal forces like wind, earthquake, etc.

Foundations are subjected to three types of loading, viz., dead load, live load and wind load. Dead load is the self-weight of the various components of a building which include the proposed future expansion. Live load is not a constant load but a varying load, viz., weight of persons using the building, weight of material…

A foundation by definition is that part of the structure which is in direct contact with the ground and transmits the load of the structure to the ground.

If unsuitable soil conditions are encountered at the foundation site of a proposed structure, one of the following three procedures may be adopted: Now-a-days various methods are available by which the characteristics of the construction site can be improved to facilitate construction operation, to allow increased bearing pressures or to reduce settlements. Soil improvement in…

Based on the theoretical approaches, bearing capacity of a soil can be found knowing the strength parameters, density, depth of foundation and water table possible. Terzaghi’s bearing capacity theory has been used mostly which suits most of the field conditions. Field plate-load test can be conducted at the stipulated depth of foundation. Indirect methods such…

The following factors directly or indirectly affect the bearing capacity of soil:

The design of foundation is primarily based on the concept of bearing capacity of the soil. Thus the bearing capacity is defined as the load or pressure developed under the foundation without introducing damaging movements in the foundation and in the super-structure supported on the foundation. Since damaging movements may result from foundation failure (collapse)…

It is the earth that provides the ultimate support for most of the structures including buildings, bridges, dams, highways, etc. The behaviour of the supporting ground may therefore affect the stability of structures. The supporting ground is invariably the soil, particularly for buildings, which is weaker than any construction material like wood, concrete, steel or…

The term re-claimed soils comprises of all materials deposited on a site using various methods for different purposes. It is justifiable to name the re-claimed materials as soil, when it comes to the purposes of construction of structures on them considering them as foundation material. Industrial and commercial development of urban areas, development of navigation…