CIE 446 - Geotechnical Engineering
Topic -1-
Introduction to Geotechnical
Engineering
OUTLINE
• WHAT IS GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING?
• GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEER RESPONSIBILITIES
• SOIL/SITE EXPLORATION PROGRAM
– SOIL EXPLORATION
– PLANNING A SITE INVESTIGATION
• FOUNDATION TYPES
– SHALLOW FOUNDATIONS
– DEEP FOUNDATIONS
• FOUNDATION PLAN
WHAT IS GEOTECHNICAL
ENGINEERING?
o Branch of Civil Engineering concerned with the engineering
behavior of earth materials and construction on or in the ground
o Important for Civil Engineering but also for military, mining,
petroleum and other engineering fields
o Uses the principles of soil and rock mechanics to investigate and
evaluate subsurface conditions
GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEER
RESPONSIBILITES
Geotechnical Engineers Geotechnical Engineers
are involved in the are also involved in
design and construction activities related to:
of:
• Foundations • Land reclamation and
• Shoring systems dredging
• Retaining walls • Soil and Site Improvement
• Tunnels • Soil Stabilization
• Earth and Rock-fill dams • Slope Stability
• Pavements • Seismic Hazard Assessment
SOIL/SITE EXPLORATION
PROGRAM
• In situ testing
• Lab testing
Site
investigation
report
Soil
• c, f, g, E, DR, Gs, e, w.c.
Properties
• Ultimate limit state
Geotechnical
Design • Serviceability limit state
SOIL EXPLORATION
• Step 1: Perform a preliminary site investigation, few boreholes,
sufficient for small projects.
• Step 2: Perform a detailed site investigation for more complex
projects having problematic areas.
The number and depth of boreholes should be identified
Cost of exploration is 0.1-0.3% of total project cost!
SITE INVESTIGATION GUIDELINES
Minimum depth of boreholes for a 30m wide building
No. of Stories(S) Depth of Boring(Db)(m)
1 3.5
2 6
3 10
4 16
5 24
Reference: Sowers & Sowers(1970)
PLANNING A SITE INVESTIGATION
General borehole depth guidelines
Db (m) = 3S0.7 ( for light steel/narrow concrete building)
Db (m) = 6S0.7 (for heavy steel/wide concrete building)
where S is the number of stories of the building
It is always recommended to extend boreholes to bedrock or to a firm
layer.
If this incurs high costs on site exploration program, or if bedrock is too
deep, then at least one borehole is to be extended to the firm layer.
PLANNING A SITE INVESTIGATION
Maximum recommended spacing between boreholes
for different types of projects:
Type of Project Spacing (m)
Multi-story building 10-30
One-story industrial plant 20-60
Residential sub-division 250-500
Bridge structure Under each pier
PLANNING A SITE INVESTIGATION
General rules for residential buildings
- At least 3 boreholes are to be drilled along a diagonal; preferably 5
boreholes.
- Boreholes should be located close to or under columns with high
loads.
Foundation Types
Foundations
Deep Foundations
Shallow Foundations
Driven Drilled Continuous
Piles Shafts Flight Auger
Piles
Isolated Mat Combined Strip Strap
Footings Footings Footings Footings Footings
Foundation Types
Shallow Deep
Foundation Types
Shallow Foundations
- A foundation is said to be shallow when it transfers the structural loads
to the earths near surface.
- A shallow foundation may be defined as one in which the foundation
depth (D) is less than or equal to the foundation width (B)
𝑫
≤𝟏
𝑩
Shallow Foundations
Isolated or Spread Footings
These footings can be square, rectangular or circular.
Shallow Foundations
Mat Footings
MAT, RAFT OR RADIER FOUNDATION
Used when:
1. Total area covered by isolated footings exceeds 50% of total plan area of
building
2. Water table is high and seepage problems are expected
Shallow Foundations
Combined Footings
𝑳
Footings are considered as combined when < 𝟏𝟎
𝑩
Used where the bearing
areas of closely spaced
columns overlap
Shallow Foundations
Continuous or Strip Footings
𝑳
Footings are considered as continuous when ≥ 𝟏𝟎
𝑩
Used in case of a shear wall,
load bearing wall or a series
of very close columns where
single footings will be
unrealistic and overlapping
Shallow Foundations
Strap Footings
When a footing is bound by a property line
=> the load (Column) will not coincide with
the center of gravity of the footing
This will lead to eccentricity of the load thus a
moment will be created on the footing.
If distance between columns > 7m => It will
not be economical to use continuous footings
=> a beam is used to connect the footings
and accommodate for the moment.
Foundation Types
Deep Foundations
• Types of foundations where the embedment is larger than the
maximum plane dimension.
• Used when the soil near the ground surface is not competent enough
to take the loads, and involve deeper geologic layers.
𝑫
• A foundation is considered as deep when ≥𝟒
𝑩
Deep Foundations
Deep Foundations transfer load vertically.
Deep Foundations
Types of deep foundations:
1. Driven Piles: prefabricated elements installed in the ground
2. Drilled shafts/Bored Piles: create a hole in the ground using an auger up
to the required depth, then insert the steel cage followed by concrete
3. Continuous Flight Auger (CFA) piles:
Similar to drilled shafts, but sides of the hole are supported at all
times by the soil-filled auger, eliminating the need for temporary
casing or bentonite slurry
Upon reaching the required depth, sand-cement grout or concrete is
pumped down the hollow stem as the auger is steadily withdrawn
Reinforcement is placed immediately after withdrawal of the auger
This method is considered faster than other methods
Deep vs. Shallow
• Shallow Foundations are cheaper than Deep ones and usually
easier to execute
• Deep foundations occupy a relatively smaller area of the ground
surface
• Deep foundations can usually take larger loads than shallow
foundations that occupy the same area of the ground surface
• Deep foundations can reach deeper competent layers of bearing
soil or rock
• Deep foundations can also take large uplift and lateral loads
Foundation Plan
The following should be determined:
• Dimensions of footing
• Location of footing
• Depth of installation
Shallow Foundations are usually the more economical option.
As a general rule, consider deep foundations only when shallow
foundations do not give satisfactory design.
