FOUNDATIONS

Silia Grover
Assistant Professor,
Deptt. Of Architecture
GNDU,Amritsar
 FOUNDATION
• A STRUCTURE ESSENTIALLY CONSISTS OF
TWO PARTS, NAMELY THE SUPER
STRUCTURE WHICH IS ABOVE THE
PLINTH LEVEL AND THE SUBSTRUCTURE
WHICH IS BELOW THE PLINTH LEVEL.
• SUBSTRUCTURE IS OTHERWISE
KNOWN AS THE FOUNDATION AND
THIS FORMS THE BASE FOR ANY
STRUCTURE. GENERALLY ABOUT 30%
OF THE TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COST IS
SPENT ON THE FOUNDATION.
• THE SOIL ON WHICH THE
FOUNDATION RESTS IS CALLED THE
“FOUNDATION SOIL”.
 Functions of foundations
The basic function of a foundation is to transmit the dead loads, super – imposed loads (or live
loads) and wind loads from a building to the soil on which the building rests.
Foundation serves the following purposes:
1. Reduction of load intensity
Foundations distribute the loads of the super structure, to a larger area so that the intensity of the
load at its base does not exceed the safe bearing capacity of the soil.
2. Even distribution of load
Foundations distribute the non – uniform loads of the super structure evenly to the sub-soil
3. Provision of level surface
Foundation provide leveled and hard surface over which the super-
structure can be built.
4. Lateral stability
It anchors the super structure to the ground, thus imparting lateral
stability to the super structure.
5. Safety against under mining
It provides the structural safety against undermining due to burrowing
animals and food water.
6. Protection against soil movements
Special foundations measures prevents or minimizes the distress (or
cracks) in the super- structure, due to expansion of the sub soil because
of moisture movement in same problematic soils.
 Foundation loads
 Dead Load

this is the load of the material used for the various components of a building such as
walls, floors, roofs, etc. all permanent loads are thus included in dead load.

 Live Load

this is the movable load on the floor and hence its variable. Its also sometimes known as
the super imposed load. It includes the load of persons standing on a floor, weight of the
material stored on a floor, weight of snow on a roof, etc.

 Wind Load

In case of tall buildings, the effect due to wind should be considered.

 Structural Member Forces

 Earthquake

Horizontal and vertical forces caused by the motion of the ground relative to the
building.
 Types of foundations

Foundations
Shallow – Foundations Deep - Foundations
(Its depth is equal to or less than (Its depth is equal to or
its width) i. Single footing greater than its width)
ii. Stepped footing
iii. Sloped footing
1. Spread footing iv. Wall footing i. End bearing pile 1. Deep strip footing
v. Stepped wall footing ii. Friction pile
vi. Grillage foundation iii. Combined pile
2. Pile foundation
i. Rectangular combined footing
2. Combined footing ii. Trapezoidal combined footing
iii. Combined column -wall footing

3. Strip footing i. Masonry or 3. Pier (drilled

concrete pier
i. Solid slab system ii. Drilled caissons caisson) foundation
4. Mat (raft) foundation ii. Beam slab system
iii. Cellular system
i. Circular 4. Well (caissons)
ii. rectangular foundation
Coverage

• Pile foundation
• Strip foundation
• Raft foundations
• Combined column foundation
Pile foundation

• Pile foundations are the part of a structure used to carry and transfer the load of the
structure to the bearing ground located at some depth below ground surface.
• Can be used when suitable foundation conditions are not presented at or near ground level
• Can be defined as a series of columns constructed or inserted into the ground to transmit
the loads of a structure to a lower level of subsoil
Pile foundation
• The main components of the foundation are the pile cap and the piles.
• Piles are long and slender members which transfer the load to deeper soil or rock of high
bearing capacity avoiding shallow soil of low bearing capacity .
• The main types of materials used for piles are Wood, steel and concrete.
• Piles made from these materials are driven, drilled or jacked into the ground and
connected to pile caps. Depending upon type of soil, pile material and load transmitting
characteristic piles are classified accordingly.
Function of piles
• As with other types of foundations, the purpose of a pile foundations is to transmit a
foundation load to a solid ground to resist vertical, lateral and uplift load

• A structure can be founded on piles if the soil immediately beneath its base does not
have adequate bearing capacity. If the results of site investigation show that the shallow
soil is unstable and weak or if the magnitude of the estimated settlement is not
acceptable a pile foundation may become considered.

• In the cases of heavy constructions, it is likely that the bearing capacity of the shallow
soil will not be satisfactory, and the construction should be built on pile foundations.

• Piles can also be used in normal ground conditions to resist horizontal loads. Piles are a
convenient method of foundation for works over water, such as jetties or bridge piers.
CLASSIFICATION OF PILE WITH RESPECT TO LOAD TRANSMISSION AND
FUNCTIONAL BEHAVIOR.
Classification of piles (may be classified by their basic design function or
method of construction):
• End bearing piles (point bearing piles)-This types of piles are used to transfer load
through water or soft soil to a suitable bearing stratum.
• Friction piles (cohesion piles)-Friction piles are used to transfer loads to a depth of
friction load carrying material by means of skin friction along the length of piles.
• Compaction piles-Compaction piles are used to compact loose granular soils, thus
increasing their bearing capacity.
PILE DRILLING
STRIP FOUNDATION
• A continuous strip of concrete under a continuous wall carrying a uniformly distributed load
• It serves as a level base on which the wall is built.
• Used where bearing capacity is good rock, gravel, dense sand, stiff clay
• Suitable for those encountered in low to medium rise domestic dwellings where mass concrete can
be used.
• This foundation is used to carry load bearing walls, Including brick or concrete walls to multi
storey Buildings.
• Strip foundations are the most common type Used b’coz they offer good strength for their cost.
• They are created by excavating a trench deep enough To aviod damage to the foundation caused
by changes In the topsoil, the trenchhes to be dug until Clay is reached.The bottom of the trench
is covered With at least 150mm of conc. If the site slopes,one or More steps may be built into the
conc. Once the footing are complete, Cavity walls are built up to finished ground level.
• All strip foundations must be 3 times the width of the wall it is supporting.

`
Strip foundation Insulation
Brickwork
Block work

Damp Proof Course

Ground Level

Trench blocks below ground

Concrete foundation
Strip foundation
THREE TYPES OF STRIP FOUNDATION:‐
•WIDE STRIP
•DEEP STRIP
•STEPPED STRIP FOUNDATION
TRADITIONAL STRIP
 WIDE STRIP FOUNDATION

• Use in a situation where the load bearing

capacity of the soil is low e.g. soft clay silt.
• Site which may be subjected to
“unequal settlement” (mining areas), or
where the subsoil is “not uniform” in
character
• The wide strip is used to spread the load
over a greater area.
• Need for transverse steel reinforcing bars
to withstand the tensions that will arise.
• The depth of the foundation below
ground is the same as that for the
traditional strip.
DEEP STRIP FOUNDATION

• A deep strip footing is a narrow footing which is

used for normal soil and normal loads and is made
0.9m deep.

• This type of foundation is used to reduce the

expense of constructing an Traditional strip
foundation at depths of over one meter.
• There can also be time savings because of quicker
completion.
• Used where the bearing capacity of the soil is
good.
STEPPED STRIP FOUNDATION

Used on sloped site to avoid overly deep

foundation
Mat foundation ( Raft foundation )
a mat or raft is a combined footing that covers the entire area beneath a structure and supports
all the walls and columns. When the allowable soil pressure is low, or the building loads are
heavy, the use of spread footings would cover more than one half the area and it may prove
more economical to use mat or raft foundation.
Raft may be divided into three types, based on their design and construction;

i. Solid slab system

ii. Beam slab system
iii. Cellular system
 The raft will cover the entire area of the building.
RAFT FOUNDATIONS
 The level of the base of the raft is usually within 300 mm of the surface. (hence
the name raft or floating foundation)
• Reinforcement is in the
form of two layers of mesh
(A393) one at the top one at
the bottom.
RAFT FOUNDATIONS
RAFT FOUNDATIONS
Combined footing
a spread footing which supports two or more columns is termed as combined footing. The
combined footings may be of the following kinds;

i. Rectangular combined footing

ii. Trapezoidal combined footing
iii. Combined column -wall footing
 Selection criteria for foundations based on soil conditions,

Selection criteria for foundation for buildings depend on two factors, i.e. factors related to
ground (soil) conditions and factors related to loads from the structure. The
performance of foundation is based on interface between the loadings from the structure and the
supporting ground or strata. The nature and conditions of each of these varies, so, the selection of
appropriate foundation becomes necessary for these variations depending on circumstances.
Selection of Foundation based on Ground Conditions:
The ground or soil condition is necessary for determining the type of suitable foundation. The
soil on which the industrial, commercial or residential building rests may be stable, level and
of uniform composition, but in some situations it may be otherwise.

Following are criteria for selecting suitable foundation based on soil condition:
Where soil close to the surface is capable of supporting
structure loads, shallow foundations can be provided.

Where the ground close to surface is not capable of supporting

structural loads, hard strata is searched for, and in some cases, it
may be very deep, like in case of multi-storey buildings, where
loads are very high. So, deep foundations are suitable for such
cases.
 Selection criteria for foundations based on soil conditions,

Field up ground have low bearing capacity, so deep foundation is required at that place,
whereas uniform stable ground needs relatively shallow foundation.

Level of the ground also affects foundation selection. If the ground is not leveled, and has
gradient then step foundation may be preferred.

Selection of foundation based on Loads from Building:

The loading condition i.e. type and magnitude of loads, depends on the form and type of building
to be constructed.
In case of low rise building with large span, the extent of loading is relatively modest, so
shallow foundation is preferred in this case.
While high-rise building with short span has high loads. Therefore, deep foundation is
required in such cases. Deep foundation is provided because ground at greater depth are highly
compacted.
 In case of framed structure multi-storey building, where loads are concentrated at the point of
application, the use of pads and piles are common.
Where, loads of the buildings are uniformly distributed, like from masonry claddings, the piles
are not needed.
 Bearing capacity of soil,

Bearing capacity is the power of foundation soil to hold the forces from the
superstructure without undergoing shear failure or excessive settlement.
Method of improving bearing capacity of soil
Some times, the safe bearing pressure of soil is so low that the dimensions of the footings work
out to be very large and un economical. In such a circumstance, it becomes essential to improve
the safe bearing pressure, which can be done by the following methods;

1. Increasing depth of foundation

a) Ramming moist soil

b) Rubble compaction into the soil
c) Flooding the soil
2. Compaction of soil d) vibration
e) Vibroflotation
f) Compaction by pre-loading
3. Drainage of soil g) Using sand piles

4. Confining the soil

5. Grouting

6. Chemical treatment
 Increasing depth of foundation
It has been found that in granular soil, the bearing capacity increases with the depth due to
the confining weight of overlying material. However this is not economical since the cost of
construction increases with the depth.

 Compaction of soil
it has found that compaction of natural soil deposits or man-made fills results in the
improvement of bearing capacity and reduction in the resulting settlement . Compaction of
soil can be achieved by the following means
a) Ramming moist soil
b) Rubble compaction into the soil
c) Flooding the soil
d) vibration
e) Vibroflotation
f) Compaction by pre-loading
g) Using sand piles

 Drainage of soil
it is a well known fact that the presence of water decreases
the bearing power of soil , specially when its saturated.
This is because of low shearing strength of soil in
presence of excess water. Drainage results in decreases
in the voids ratio , and improvement in bearing capacity.
 Confining the soil
some times the safe bearing pressure of the soil is low due to the lateral movement of loose
granular soil. Such a tendency of lateral movement can be checked by confining the soil, out
side the perimeter of foundation area, by driving sheet piles , thus forming an enclosure and
confining the soil

 Grouting
this method is useful in loose gravels and fissured rocky strata. Bores holes in sufficient
numbers are driven in the ground and cement grout is forced through these under pressure.
The cracks, voids and fissures of the strata are thus filled with the grout, resulting increase
in the bearing value.

 Chemical treatment
in this method, certain chemicals are grouted in the place of cement grout. The chemical
should be such that it can solidify and gain early strength.
THANK YOU