C3-2 shallow foundation engineering

1. shallow buried rigid foundation

2. shallow buried reinforced concrete foundation
 ＜ 5m, shallow foundation
Embedded
depth
＞ 5m, deep foundation

foundation Ordinary excavation and open drainage

methods, called shallow foundations.
Such as wall foundations of brick concrete
Construction structures, box foundations of high-rise
methods buildings, etc

The special construction method buries

foundation in deep, called deep foundations.
For example, pile foundations, caissons,
underground continuous walls, etc
According to shape and size，the Shallow foundations on natural can be divided into independent
foundations, strip foundations (including cross shaped strip foundations), raft foundations, box
foundations, etc.
According to the properties of the materials used in the foundation, it can be divided into rigid
foundations and flexible extended foundations.

Independent foundation
Real shot image
 independent

strip
Shape and size
Raft

foundation box

Rigid
Properties of
materials
flexible
 Strip foundations

Independent foundations

Box foundations
Raft foundations
Rigid foundation:
A rigid foundation is usually constructed from materials such as bricks, block stones,
rough stones, plain concrete, ternary soil, and lime soil, without the need for steel
reinforcement.

A rigid foundation can be used for civil buildings and masonry load-bearing factories
with six or fewer floors. Its characteristics are good stability, easy construction, and
the ability to withstand large loads. The main disadvantage is its self weight. When
the foundation bearing layer is soft soil, there are certain restrictions on expanding
the foundation area, and the foundation must be treated or reinforced before it can
be used.

For situations where the load is large or the upper structure is sensitive to settlement
differences, it is not suitable to use a rigid foundation as a shallow foundation when
the bearing layer is deep soft soil.
 Brick foundation is the most widely used type of rigid foundation (as shown in Figure).
The dimensions of each part of the brick foundation should comply with the modulus of the brick.
Brick foundations are generally made in a stepped style, commonly known as "large footings".There
are two types of masonry methods: two layers and one interval (also known as two layers and one
interval).Two layers and one collection refers to laying two layers of bricks, which is 120mm, and
collecting 1/4 of the brick length, which is 60mm;Starting from the bottom layer, two layers of bricks
are laid with a length of 1/4 of the bricks, followed by another layer of bricks with a length of 1/4 of the
bricks. This process is repeated repeatedly.
 The rubble foundation is built with unprocessed
stone and mortar, as shown in Figure.
Its advantages are easy to obtain materials locally,
low price, but high construction labor intensity.
 Triple soil foundation is formed by mixing
a mixture of lime, sand, and aggregates (slag,
broken bricks, or crushed stones) with an
appropriate amount of water, and then laying
them layer by layer and compacting them in
the foundation trench, as shown in Figure
3.3.Triple soil foundation is commonly used in
civil construction projects with four or fewer
floors and lower groundwater levels in
southern China.

The lime soil foundation is made by

mixing and compacting the matured lime and
cohesive soil in proportion, as shown in Figure
3.4.During construction, each layer needs to
be covered with 220-250mm of lime soil and
compacted to 150mm, which is called "one-
step lime soil". It can be designed as two-step
or three-step lime soil according to needs.
 The strength, durability, and frost
resistance of concrete and rubble
concrete foundations are superior to
those of brick and stone foundations.
Therefore, when the load is large or
below the groundwater level, concrete
foundations can be considered, as shown
in Figure 3.5.
Concrete foundation requires a large
amount of cement and has a slightly
higher cost. When the foundation
volume is large, it can be designed as a
rubble concrete foundation.
Rubble concrete foundation is a
process of pouring concrete by adding rubble
20% to 30% (volume ratio) of rubble to
save cement usage. Due to the difficulty
in controlling construction quality, it is
not widely used.
 Reinforced concrete expansion foundation (flexible expansion foundation)
When the foundation bears large external loads and there are bending moments and
horizontal loads, and the bearing capacity of the foundation is low, rigid foundations cannot meet
the requirements of foundation bearing capacity and burial depth, reinforced concrete
foundations can be considered.
Reinforced concrete foundations can meet the requirements of foundation bearing capacity
by expanding the bottom area of the foundation, without increasing the burial depth of the
foundation, and can obtain an appropriate burial depth.
 1. Independent foundation under the column
The independent foundation under the column, also known as a separate foundation, can be designed in a
stepped or conical shape. Prefabricated columns generally use cup shaped foundations, as shown in Figure 3.6.
The shape of the foundation bottom under an axially compressed column is generally square, while the shape of
the foundation bottom under an eccentrically compressed column is generally rectangular. In bridge foundations,
adjacent columns are often connected, also known as joint foundations or double column joint foundations, as
shown in Figure 3.7.
In building construction, when one column is close to the building boundary or the distance between the two
columns is small, and the base area is insufficient or the eccentricity is too large, a double column joint
foundation is also used.

Cup shaped foundations

Ordinary independent foundation with stepped cross-section

Slope shaped ordinary independent foundation

 Stepped cross-section cup mouth independent foundation

Stepped cross-section high cup mouth independent foundation

Schematic diagram of bi-directional hoop reinforcement at the
bottom of independent foundation slab
 The annotation method for the
construction plan of the beam
flat method is to select one
beam from different numbered
beams as a representative on
the beam layout plan, and
annotate the section size and
specific reinforcement values
on it. Plane annotation
includes centralized annotation
and in-situ annotation, with
centralized annotation
expressing the general values
of the beam and in-situ
annotation expressing the
special values of the beam.
When reading a picture, when
the centralized annotation is
inconsistent with the in-situ
annotation, the in-situ
annotation value comes first.
Schematic diagram of independent foundation design and
construction using planar annotation method
 2. Strip foundation
Strip foundation refers to a unidirectional strip foundation, and reinforced
concrete strip foundation can be divided into reinforced concrete strip
foundation under walls, reinforced concrete strip foundation under columns,
and cross shaped reinforced concrete strip foundation.

Reinforced concrete strip

foundation under the wall
 The reinforced concrete strip foundation under the wall is divided into two
types of cross-sections based on the stress conditions: without ribs and with
ribs. Its design calculation belongs to the plane strain problem, and only
considers the failure of the foundation due to lateral stress.

Reinforced concrete strip foundation under the wall

 2. Strip foundation
Strip foundation refers to a unidirectional strip foundation, and reinforced
concrete strip foundation can be divided into reinforced concrete strip foundation
under walls, under columns, and cross shaped.

Steel reinforced concrete column

Steel reinforced concrete strip foundation

 When the bearing capacity of the foundation is low and the bottom area of the
reinforced concrete independent foundation under the column cannot withstand the
load of the upper structure, the column foundation in one direction is often connected
to form a unidirectional strip foundation under the column.

Distribute the concentrated load evenly on the

bottom area of the strip foundation to reduce the
foundation reaction, and use the overall stiffness
of the foundation to adjust for possible uneven
settlement.
When the bottom area of a unidirectional strip foundation cannot withstand the load of the
upper structure, the longitudinal and transverse column foundations are connected together to
form a cross shaped strip foundation.
This type of foundation has a certain stiffness in both vertical and horizontal directions. When
the local foundation is weak and the load is uneven with the soil, the cross shaped strip
foundation has good ability to adjust uneven settlement. Cross shaped strip foundations can
generally bear the load of residential buildings below 10 floors.

column

Vertical stripe
Horizontal base
stripe base

Cross bar foundation under the column

 Raft foundation
When the load is large and the foundation soil is relatively weak, and the use of cross shaped strip
foundation cannot meet the requirements, raft foundation can be used.

The raft foundation is similar to an inverted floor, with a large base area, which can reduce the
base pressure, improve the bearing capacity of the foundation soil, effectively enhance the overall
stiffness of the foundation, facilitate the adjustment of uneven settlement of the foundation, and
better adapt to changes in the load distribution of the upper structure.

Especially for buildings with basements or large liquid storage structures, such as water tanks, oil
depots, etc., raft foundations are an ideal foundation structure.
 Raft foundation
When the load is large and the foundation soil is relatively weak, and the use of cross
shaped strip foundation cannot meet the requirements, raft foundation can be used.The raft
foundation is similar to an inverted floor, with a large base area, which can reduce the base
pressure, improve the bearing capacity of the foundation soil, effectively enhance the overall
stiffness of the foundation, facilitate the adjustment of uneven settlement of the foundation,
and better adapt to changes in the load distribution of the upper structure.Especially for
buildings with basements or large liquid storage structures, such as water tanks, oil depots,
etc., raft foundations are an ideal foundation structure.
 beam

beam

column
slab

Flat raft foundation

Beam raft foundation
 Box foundation
The box foundation is composed of reinforced Sectional view
concrete bottom plate, top plate, and inner and outer
longitudinal and transverse partition walls, with a
certain height of overall spatial structure (Figure
3.12).
Box foundations have greater bending stiffness
than raft foundations and can be considered as
absolutely rigid foundations.
The box foundation is buried deep and the
foundation is hollow. Excavation removes the
original self weight stress of the foundation, reduces
the additional stress acting on the bottom surface of
the foundation, and reduces the settlement of the
foundation. The seismic performance of the box
foundation is good.
Top slab

External wall

External wall
bottom slab internal wall
 Construction of shallow buried rigid foundation

1. Brick foundation
a. Make a cushion layer
Underneath the large pedestal is
the foundation cushion layer. The
cushion layer is generally composed
of lime soil, crushed brick ternary
soil, or concrete.
b. Basic elastic line
Set up foundation poles and snap
lines at the corners, intersections,
and heights of the cushion layer.
C Brick foundation
Firstly, check the quality of the cushion layer and level it. During masonry, several
bricks can be laid at the corners and junctions according to the number of bricks,
and then the middle part can be laid with a straight line between them. The first
layer of bricks should be built based on the foundation bottom width line. The brick
foundation of the inner and outer walls should be built simultaneously. The large
foot section generally adopts a one in one masonry form.
D laying foundation moisture-proof layer When the bearing capacity of the
foundation is greater than or equal to 150kpa, an equal height large footing is
adopted, that is, two skins and one collection, with 1/4 brick length collected on each
side. If the bearing capacity of the foundation is less than 150kpa, unequal height
large footings are used, that is, two skin and one skin are spaced apart, with 1/4
brick length on each side.
 Construction of shallow buried rigid foundation
2. Rubble foundation
Before laying the rubble foundation, remove any debris and compact the bottom. It is not
advisable to use mixed mortar. Cement mortar should be of M2.5~M5 grade. When laying the
first layer of rough stone, if the base is plain soil, mortar may not be laid; If the base is made of
various cushion layers, about 4cm of mortar should be laid first. A moisture-proof layer should
be installed 5cm below the indoor floor when the rubble is laid.
The daily masonry height should not exceed 1.2m. The top surface of the foundation is 100mm
wider than the wall on each side, and the height of each step is generally 300-400mm.
STEP TYPE trapezoid
rubble foundation
Construction of Shallow Buried Reinforced Concrete Foundation

independent foundation
 Cleaning of foundation pits and leveling
Cleaning the foundation pit involves removing surface soil and disturbed soil, without
leaving any standing water. Leveling is to ensure that the elevation of the foundation bottom
meets the design requirements. Before constructing the foundation, the elevation of the
foundation bottom should be determined on the foundation surface.
Cushion construction
After the foundation trench inspection is completed, the cushion concrete construction
should be carried out immediately. C10 fine aggregate concrete cushion should be poured
on the foundation surface. The cushion concrete must be compacted and the surface
should be flat. It is strictly prohibited to air dry the foundation soil. The construction of
the cushion layer is to protect the steel bars of the foundation.
 Positioning and laying out:
Use a total station to release all
the centerline and control lines of
independent foundations.
Reinforcement engineering
After the pouring of the cushion layer is completed and the concrete
reaches 1.2MPa, the surface should be marked with a line to tie the
steel bars. The steel bars should not be missed during binding.
Template engineering (formwork)
The template adopts small steel or wooden formwork, and is reinforced
with scaffolding pipes or wooden blocks.The stepped independent
foundation is made according to the dimensions of the foundation
construction drawing, and each step template is installed layer by layer
from bottom to top in the order of formwork support.
Concrete casting
Concrete should be layered continuously, with an interval time not exceeding the initial setting time of
the concrete, generally not exceeding 2 hours. To ensure the correct position of the steel bars, a layer of
5-10cm thick concrete should be poured first to fix the steel bars. Each step height of the stepped
foundation is poured and compacted as a whole. After each step is poured, pause for 0.5 hours until it
sinks, and then pour another layer.
Concrete leveling
After pouring concrete, use a flat vibrator to vibrate the concrete with a relatively
large surface, then use a scraper to scrape it flat, and then use a wooden trowel to
smooth it out. Before receiving, the elevation of the concrete surface must be checked,
and any areas that do not meet the requirements must be rectified immediately.
Concrete curing
The poured concrete should be covered and watered within about 12 hours. General
room temperature curing shall not be less than 7 days, and special concrete curing
shall not be less than 14 days.A dedicated person shall be appointed to inspect and
implement the maintenance to prevent surface cracks on the concrete caused by
untimely maintenance.
Construction of Shallow Buried Reinforced Concrete Foundation
Construction points:
① After the groove inspection, the cushion layer concrete should be poured
immediately to protect the base. The cushion layer concrete should be
vibrated with a surface vibrator, and the surface should be flat.
② After the cushion layer reaches a certain strength, snap lines, support
formwork, tie steel bars on the cushion layer, and ensure that the steel bar
protection layer meets the requirements.
③ Before pouring concrete, remove debris and wet the formwork.
④ The foundation concrete should be poured continuously in layers.
⑤ When there are reinforcing bars on the foundation, it should be ensured
that the position of the reinforcing bars is correct.
Construction of Shallow Buried Reinforced Concrete Foundation

raft foundation