Chapter: 11 Foundation

Foundation:
Foundation is that part of the structure which is in direct contact with the ground to
which the loads are transmitted.
Sub-soil or Foundation soil:
The soil which is located immediately below the base of foundation is called sub-
soil or foundation soil.
Footing:
The lower portion of the foundation which is in direct contact with the sub-soil is
called footing.

Types of foundation:
1. Shallow foundation
2. Deep foundation

Foundation is said to be shallow if its depth is equal to or less than its width.
Following are the types of shallow foundation:
1. Wall footing
2. Isolated column footing (isolated spread footing)
3. Combined footing
4. Strap footing
5. Mat or Raft foundation

Wall footing:
The foundation is continuous along the direction of the wall. The base width is
generally more than two or three times the width of the wall at ground level.
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Isolated column footing:
In this type of footing, the base of the column is enlarged. The footing may be
in the form of a large flat slab or stepped or sloping from column face towards the
edge.

Combined footing:
When a footing is to be made common for two or more columns in a row, it is
called a combined footing. This type of footing may be used when columns are
closely spaced.
Strap footing:
When it is not possible to extend an edge footing beyond the boundary of a
site due to presence of an adjoining property, usually the edge column footing is
combined with interior column footing by means of a strap beam.

Wall footing isolated column footing

Combined footing Strap footing

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Construction Procedure of spread footing:
A spread footing foundation has a wider bottom then a wall or column. It supports
used to distribute the load of the column or wall to the sub grade.
1. Position of Footing Location:
Footing layout sheet of structural drawing shows dimension related to the grid
lines to place the footing on the ground. Mark the footing on the ground as shown in
figure.
2. Earth Excavation :
Excavate a trench on the earth for footing. The size of the trench should be 25 mm
bigger on both sides then footing sizes. The depth of the footings depends upon the
earth condition or suggested drawing.
3. Preparing the base: The base may be brick flat soling or cement concrete
depending upon soil condition.
4. Making form work :
Make the form for the footing as specified size. We can use wooden shutter or
steel shutter.
5. Placing reinforcement: Steel reinforcement is cut as required size and provided
L-bend. We can make reinforcing net for the footing separately and place in footing
position later or place the reinforcing bar directly on the footing position and bind
them.
6. providing cover block :
Provide required cover block in bottom and side of footing to keep the reinforcing
net in position.
7. Placing column reinforcement:
Column reinforcement should be provided before pouring concrete in the footing.
8. Pouring concrete:
The position of the footing and column are properly checked and the concrete is
poured.
9. Removing the formwork :
On the next day remove the formwork of the footing.
10. Backfilling :
At last fill the trench with soil and compacted properly.
Mat or Raft foundation:
It is a thick RCC slab which covers the entire contact area of the structure like
a thick floor. It is the continuous footing which supports all the columns.

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Construction of mat foundation:
1. The whole area is dug out to specified depth and 30 cm wider than the required
size of the foundation.
2. The bed is leveled, compacted by sprinkling water.
3. A layer of stone soling or flat brick soling is placed.
4. Then a layer of cement concrete is laid to a suitable thickness to act as a bottom
cover.
5. After this the reinforcement is laid.
6. Then the cement concrete is laid to the required thickness.
7. Concrete slab so laid is properly cured.
8. When load is excessive, thick concrete beam running under the column can also
be constructed.
Deep foundation:
Deep foundation is that type of foundation in which depth of foundation is very
large as compared to its width.
The common types of deep foundations are Piles, Piers, caissons etc.
Pile Foundation:
Pile foundation is a type of deep foundation in which the loads are taken to desired
depth by means of vertical timber, concrete or steel.
Pier foundation
Pier foundation is a cylindrical column of larger diameter to support and transfer
large superimposed loads to firm strata below. Piers have relatively lager dia. than
piles.

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Deep foundations are adopted for heavy loaded structures which are to be erected in
soils having low bearing capacity.
They are preferred in following situations:
 The load of superstructure is heavy and its distribution is uneven.
 The top of the soil has poor bearing capacity.
 The sub soil is expansive such as black cotton soil.
 The sub-soil water level is high. There is large fluctuation in sub-soil water
level.

Different types of pile foundations:-

Classification according to material used:

There are four types of piles according to materials used.

(1) Steel Piles:

Steel piles are generally either in the form of thick pipes or rolled steel H-sections. Pipe
steel piles are driven into the ground with their ends open or closed. Piles are provided
with a driving point or shoe at the lower end.
(2) Concrete Piles:
Cement concrete is used in the construction of concrete piles. Concrete piles are either
precast or cast-in situ. Precast concrete piles are prepared in a factory or a casting yard.
The reinforcement is provided to resist handling and driving stresses. Precast piles can
also be pre stressed using high strength steel pre tensioned cables.
A cast-in situ pile is constructed by making a hole in the ground and then filling it with
concrete. A cast-in situ pile may be cased or uncased. A cased pile is constructed by
driving a steel casing into the ground and filling it with concrete. An uncased pile is
constructed by driving the casing to the desired depth and gradually withdrawing
casing when fresh concrete is filled. An uncased pile may have a pedestal.

(3) Timber Piles:

Timber piles are made from tree trunks after proper trimming. The timber used should
be straight, sound and free from defects. Steel shoes are provided to prevent damage
during driving. To avoid damage to the top of the pile, a metal band or a cap is
provided.
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(4) Composite piles:
A composite pile is made of two materials. A composite pile may consist of the lower
portion of steel and the upper portion of cast-in situ concrete. A composite pile may
also have the lower portion of timber below the permanent water table and the upper
portion of concrete. As it is difficult to provide a proper joint between two dissimilar
materials, composite piles are rarely used in practice.

Classification Based on Mode of Transfer of Loads

(1) End-bearing piles:

End-bearing piles transmit the loads through their bottom tips. Such piles act as
columns and transmit the load through a weak material to a firm stratum below. If bed
rock s located within a reasonable depth, piles can be extended to the rock. The
ultimate capacity of the pile depends upon the bearing capacity of rock.

(2) Friction piles:

Friction piles do not reach the hard stratum. These piles transfer the load through skin
friction between the pile surface and the surrounding soil. Friction piles are used when
a hard stratum does not exist at a reasonable depth.
(3) Combined end bearing and friction pile:
These piles transfer loads by a combination of end bearing at the bottom of the pile and
friction along the surface of the pile shaft.

Classification based on method of installation

(1) Driven piles:

These piles are driven into the soil by applying blows of a heavy hammer on their tops.

(2) Driven and Cast-in-situ piles:

These piles are formed by driving a casing with a closed bottom end into the soil. The
casing is later filled with concrete. The casing may or may not be withdrawn.

(3) Bored and Cast-in-situ piles:

These piles are formed by excavating a hole into the ground and then filling it with
concrete.

(4) Screw piles: These piles are screwed into the soil.

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(5) Jacked piles: These piles are jacked into the soil by applying a downward force with
the help of a hydraulic jack.

Construction of Pile foundation:

1. Driven pile foundation:

 Driven piles are made of steel, concrete, timber before placing at the construction
site.
 These piles are driven using pile hammer. The hammer delivers repeated blows
to the head of the pile, forcing it into the soil. The driving process continues until
the required depth or resistance is achieved.
 Depending on the design requirements, a concrete cap or pile cap may be
constructed to distribute the load from the structure to the piles evenly.

2. Bored or Cast in situ pile foundation:

 Boreholes are drilled or excavated to the specified depth using drilling
equipment. The diameter and depth of the boreholes are determined by the
design requirements.
 Steel reinforcement is placed inside the borehole according to the design
specifications.
 Once the reinforcement is in place, concrete is poured into the borehole. The
concrete mix is carefully prepared to meet strength, durability, and workability
requirements.
 In some cases, vibration or compaction techniques may be applied during the
concrete pouring process to ensure proper consolidation of the concrete and to
eliminate air voids.
 After pouring, the concrete is allowed to cure and gain strength. Curing may
involve maintaining proper temperature and moisture levels to promote
hydration and prevent cracking.

3. Driven and Cast in situ pile foundation:

 A heavy steel pipe is driven up to a little depth into the ground
 The plug of lean concrete (less cement and more crushed aggregate) is placed at
the bottom of casing. This lean concrete serves as a sacrificial material and helps
in compacting the surrounding soil during pile driving.
 The driving operation is continued until the bearing stratum of soil is reached.
 The base of concrete is made at the bottom.
 The reinforcement is placed and concrete is poured into the hole.
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