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Causes of Failure of Foundation

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Rakesh Joshi
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152 views4 pages

Causes of Failure of Foundation

Uploaded by

Rakesh Joshi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Causes of Failure of Foundation and its Remedial measures:

1. Unequal settlement of the sub-soil.


2. Unequal settlement of the masonry.
3. Horizontal movement in adjoining soil.
4. Withdrawal of moisture from the sub-soil.
5. Lateral pressure on the super-structure.
6. Action of atmospheric agencies.
7. Lateral escape of the soil from below the foundation.

1. Unequal settlement of the sub-soil.


I. Nature of soil not being uniform throughout the foundation.
II. Load on all the parts of the foundation is not uniform. This is mostly the case because different
parts of the building may be different in height.
III. Eccentricity of the load.

Remedies

1. Foundation should be made to rest on hard base of rock or hard moorum.


2. Safe bearing capacity of the sub-soil should not be allowed to be exceeded even under worst
possible conditions.
3. Loading on foundation should be maintained axial. If there is some eccentricity it should be less
than b/6 of the wall, where 6 is the width of foundation. Intensity of maximum pressure should
remain less than the safe bearing capacity of the sub-soil.

Unequal Settlement of the Masonry

The mortar used in masonry shrinks with time. If the structure is loaded excessively before the
mortar has fully set, it may cause differential settlement of the masonry, causing failure of
foundation.

Remedies

The following measures may be adopted to prevent it:

1. Mortar of correct workability she aid be used in masonry work. Too lean or too stiff mortar is
harmful.
2. Masonry work should be raised uniformly.
3. The height of masonry raised in lime mortar per day should not be more than 1 m. In case
cement mortar is used, per day height of masonry may be restricted to 1.5 m.
4. Masonry work should be properly cured for at least 10 days in case cement mortar is used and
for 7 days if lime mortar is used in the masonry work.

Horizontal Movement in Adjoining Soil

Causes

This difficulty is noticed commonly in clayey and black cotton soil regions. These soils undergo
considerable volumetric change when subjected to moisture changes. Alternate shrinkage and
swell of the soil forms cracks in the soil. If proper measures are not taken during construction,
these cracks may affect the foundation and cause differential settlement in the structure. And,
this finally leads to the failure of foundation.

Remedies

To eliminate the effects of movements in the soil, following precautions are suggested to be
adopted:

1. Restrict the loading intensity on foundation soil to 5.5 t/m2. If water is likely to find access to the
foundation, the intensity of pressure on foundation soil should be restricted to 4.9 t/m 2 to avoid
the failure of foundation.
2. Depth of foundation should be such that cracks may not reach it.
3. Prevent direct contact of foundation with bottom and adjoining soil by enclosing the foundation
in a blanket of sand.
4. It is preferable if raft or pile foundations are adopted instead of conventional foundations.

Moisture Withdrawal from the Sub-soil

Causes

If somehow moisture from the soil underlying the foundation is withdrawn below a certain limit
of moisture content, the soil particles lose cohesion and shrinkage is caused. This shrinkage of
soil can cause cracking of the structures. This failure of foundation may occur. Withdrawal of
moisture from subsoil may occur due to the following reasons:

1. Transpiration of trees or shrubs near the foundation.


2. Structures are founded on damp soil overlying a layer of sand, gravel or some other porous
material.
3. Variation in water table being considerable.
4. Abnormally dry weather prevails.
Remedies

Following precautions may be taken to prevent such failure of foundation:


 Trees should be planted at a safe distance from the foundation. The safe distance may be
considered as 1.5 times the height of the matured tree.
 The foundation should be carried deeper. At no place the depth of the foundation should be
less than 0.9 m.
 Pile or raft foundation may be used.

Lateral Pressure on the Superstructure

Causes

The horizontal thrust of a pitched roof or arch action or violent storms tend superstructure walls
to tilt or overturn, causing failure of foundation. A cantilever projection from a wall also causes
the tilting tendency in the wall.

Remedial measures to prevent this failure is to provide a sufficiently wide base to the foundation
and to design the foundation for the worst possible conditions.

Action of Atmospheric Agencies

Causes

During heavy rains, water may collect near foundation and during its passage downwards may
carry certain salts from sewage, animal dung or even from soil it is passing through. Such salts
may react chemically with foundation materials and may cause their disintegration. Also if
foundation is not deep enough, rain water flowing away may carry the soil along with it and may
expose the foundation.

Remedies

The following remedial measures may be adopted to avoid such failures:

1. Depth of the foundation should be sufficiently deep so that rain water may not reach it. ‘
2. To maintain the water table at a definite level proper underground drainage system should be
installed.
3. If possible, stone masonry should be used in foundation. Stone is less affected by atmospheric
agencies.
4. After masonry work is completed, the sides of trenches should be carefully back-filled and
consolidated. The ground adjoining the walls should be given gentle slope to enable rain water
flow away from the wall. It is preferable if 0.6 m to 0.9 m wide plinth protection is built around
the building. Plinth protection is nothing but pucca floor, made at ground level outside the
foundation and sloping away from the wall.
Lateral Escape of the Soil below the Foundation

Causes
This failure of the structure is likely if its formation is situated near the river bank or deep
cuttings. In this case, if the foundation is not provided with suitable safeguards, the sou from
below the foundation may escape or slip sideways, and the structure may collapse.

Remedies
Under such locations, the foundation should be protected by confining sou below the foundation
by sheet piles, or by constructing retaining walls.

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