BUILDING
CONSTRUCTION
Foundation Systems
Foundation
The foundation is the lowest division of a
building- its substructure- constructed
partly or wholly below the surface of
ground.
The primary function of the foundation is to
support and anchor the superstructure
above and transmit its loads safely into the
earth.
Foundations
Foundation systems must be designed to
both:
Accommodate the form and layout of the
superstructure above.
Respond to the varying conditions of soil,
rock, and water below.
Loads on Foundation
Dead Load : Refers to the overall weight of the structure. Includes
weight of the materials permanently attached to the structure (such as
flooring) and fixed service equipment (such as air conditioning)
Live load : Refers to the weight of the applied bodied that are not
permanent parts of the structure. Applied to the structure during part of
its useful life (e.g. people, warehouse goods). Specified by code.
Wind loads : Acts on all exposed parts of the structure. Calculated using
building codes.
Earthquake Forces : Building code is consulted.
Loads on Foundation
Foundation system must:
bear the load of the building and transfer the structure
loads safely to the soil underneath.
Anchor the super structure against wind-induced
sliding, overturning, and uplift.
Withstand sudden ground movement of an
earthquake.
Resist pressure imposed by the surrounding soil
mass and ground water on basement walls.
isolate the building from ground moisture and
chemical materials contained in the soil.
Main types of Foundation
Foundations or ‘footings’ come under two
main categories:
Shallow foundations or ‘spread footings’
include pads, strip footings and rafts.
Deep foundations ( piles, Caissons, etc.)
Shallow foundations
The guidelines for a shallow foundation
are :
They are founded near to the finished
ground surface.
The depth is generally less than the width
of the footing and less than 3m.
They are used when the surface soils are
strong enough to support the load
imposed upon it.
Deep foundations
Shallow foundations are unsuitable in
weak or highly compressible soils.
DEEP foundations include piles, pile walls
and piers.
Deep foundations are usually at depths
deeper than 3m.
Deep foundations are used to transmit the
loading to a deeper, more competent
strata
Strip foundations
These are use to
support a line of loads
such as a load
bearing wall.
They could also be
used where the line of
column positions are
so close that
individual pad
foundations would be
pointless.
Raft Foundations
These are used to
spread the load from
a structure over a
large area.
This would normally
be the entire area of
the structure.
Raft foundations
Raft foundations are
often needed on soft
or loose soils which
have a low load
bearing capacity.
Pads and pile foundations
Pad foundations support
an individual point of
load.
Piles are used to support
buildings in poor soil
conditions.
A basic pile foundation is
a series of stilts which
rest on a solid load
bearing layer.
SOIL TYPES
The make up of the soil has a major
influence on the choice of foundation.
A good soil type needs to be able to cope
with loadings.
A good soil needs to drain water well.
A poor soil type will shrink, swell or move
depending on the loads or conditions
placed upon it.
SILT
Silty soil is found in flood plains or around
lakes.
Silt holds water well and is soft when wet.
Silty soil is not a very good foundation
material unless it has been compressed
and hardened, or has been dried out.
SANDY SOIL
Sand is usually considered favourable
from the standpoint of foundation support.
It can be a problem though usually due to
water.
Water raising through a sand deposit can
create an unstable condition.
Sandy soils can hold water.
CLAY
Clay is composed rock particles ground
extremely fine or reduced by weathering.
Clay soils normally contain water.
Clay drains slowly and compresses when
foundations are placed upon them.
Clay has a tendency to absorb water and
swell.
GRAVEL
Gravel can be well compacted and allows
water to drain freely.
Gravel soils do not hold water.
The variety in particle sizes in gravel
means that even when closely packed it
still contains voids and drains well.
Gravel is least likely to be affected by
drying out.
Bearing Capacity of soils
Bearing capacity is the maximum load
which the soil can take per unit area
without yielding or displacement.
The stability of a structure depends on the
strength of soil or bearing capacity, it is
usually expressed in ton per square meter
ton/m2
Methods of improving the bearing
capacity of soils
The bearing capacity of a soil can be increased by:
1. Compacting the soil: compaction reduces open
spaces between soil particles thus increases its bearing capacity.
2. Draining the soil: Porous pipes are laid in trenches and
water can be drained away.
3. Confining the soil: Enclosing sandy soils with the help
of sheet piles.
4. Cement grouting: Hardening soil by cement grouting
5. Adding chemicals: Solidifying soils by mixing chemicals
in the form of diluted silicate of soda and calcium chloride.
