Footings and Foundations

FOUNDATIONS
Footings & Foundations

1
INTRODUCTION TO FOUNDATIONS
Function of a foundation is to transfer

the structural loads from a building
safely into the ground.
A larger and heavier building of

masonry, steel, or concrete would
require its foundations to go deeper
into earth such that the soil or the rock
on which it is founded is competent to
carry its massive loads.
Foundation Components
Footing

Foundation Components
(to attach wood stud sill plate)
(moves water away

from building)
(to keep water off of foundation wall)
(separates slab from foundation wall)
(to keep water off of slab)
(moves water away from building) (to keep water off of slab & moisture barrier)

SETTLEMENTS OF FOUNDATIONS
NO SETTLEMENT * TOTAL SETTLEMENT * DIFFERENTIAL SETTLEMENT

Uniform settlement is usually of little consequence in a building, but
differential settlement can cause severe structural damage

TYPES OF FOUNDATION
Major Building Parts
Superstructure
Substructure
Foundation

TYPES OF FOUNDATION
Two types foundations : Shallow and
Deep –
Depends on whether the load transfer is at

deeper depths or shallower depths
- Need for these two types (soil strength,

ground water conditions, foundation loads,
construction methods and impact on
adjacent property)

TYPES OF FOUNDATION
Shallow foundations (column footings
without or with tie/grade beams, individual
or combined wall footing, slab on grade,
raft)
- Deep foundations (caissons with or

without sockets, end bearing or friction
piles, pile groups), made of concrete
(regular or site-cast) or steel or wood

Shallow Foundations
 Requirements
– Suitable soil bearing capacity
– Undisturbed soil or engineered fill
 Basic types or configurations

– Column footings
– Wall or strip footings

Combination Spread & Strip Footing

Shallow Foundations
Stepped strip
/// ///
footings \\\
\\\ /// \\\
Grade Beams

Shallow Foundations
 Mat foundation
 Floating (Mat)
foundation

Deep Foundations - Purpose
Transfer building loads deep into the earth

Basic types
– Drilled (& poured)
– Driven

Pile material
 Steel; H- piles, Steel pipe
 Concrete; Site cast or Precast
 Wood; Timber
 Composite

Driven Piles

Precast Concrete Plies

Foundation Loads
 Dead Load
 Live Load
 Wind Load
 Horizontal Pressures Below
Grade
 Structural Member Forces
 Uplift
 Earthquake
Site Preparation
•Remove trees and any debris
•Remove top soil (4-6” below surface)

Site Layout
•Ensure lot lines are known & setbacks are complete
•Layout building perimeter
•Use batter boards
•Establish building corners & building perimeter
•Use surveying instruments

Excavation
•Excavate foundation along line created by batter boards
•Excavate remainder of soil inside perimeter
•Don’t excavate inside soil if slab on grade
•If deep foundation, taper edges to prevent collapse
•If soil unstable, or very deep - use shoring

Pour Footings
•Construct formwork (if required)
•Install reinforcement (rebar) for footings
•(protrudes above footing to tie-into
foundation wall)
•Pour concrete footings
•Smooth / finish surface

Rules of Thumb
•Footing shall be below frost line
•Footing width usually 2x height
•Typical size (24” wide x 12” tall)
•Rebar is usually 3” from edge of concrete
•Crawl spaces should have rigid insulation
along the interior face of the foundation wall

2.4 TYPES OF SOILS AND CHARACTERISTICS
• Rocks and soils - Rocks: Broken into regular and irregular

sizes by joints - Soils (particulate earth material): Boulder (too
large to be lifted by hands), cobble (particle that can be lifted
by a single hand), gravel aggregates (course grained particle
larger than 6.4mm) , sand (frictional, size varies from 6.4 to
0.06mm), silts (frictional, low surface-area to volume ratio, size
varies from 0.06 mm to 0.002mm) and clays (cohesive - fine
grained - high surface-area to volume ratio, size smaller than
0.002 mm) - Peat (soils not suitable for foundations) - In USA
classified according to Unified Soil Classification System

Porous Clays
(sandy)

2.5 PROPERTIES OF FOUNDATION
• Strength: Load bearing capacities: Crystalline rocks (very strong -
12,000 psf), sedimentary rocks (intermediate - 6,000 psf) and other
types of soils (relatively lower - 2,000 to 3,000 psf)
• Stable under loads (creep, shrinkage and swelling)
• Drainage characteristics: Porosity and permeability
• Soil property estimation: Subsurface exploration (test pits - less
than 8 ft in depth; borings - greater than 8 ft) - Estimate level of
water table - Testing of soil sample in laboratory for various
properties: Particle size distribution, Liquid limit, Plastic limit, Water
content, Permeability, Shrinkage/ swelling, Shear/compressive
strength, Consolidation (creep and settlement)

2.6 CONSTRUCTION OF FOUNDATIONS
• Some amount of excavation required for every building - Top soil
consisting of organic matter is removed - Below the region of soil
erosion (by water and wind) & below the level of permafrost -
To the required depth at which the bearing capacity necessary for
the building is met - A variety of machines used for excavation -
The sides of excavation too be protected from caving in by
benching, sheeting (soldier beams and lagging, sheet piles, slurry
walls, etc.) or bracing (cross-slot, rakers or tiebacks) - De-watering
using well-points & sumps, and watertight barriers - Mixing the
soil by rotating paddles
• Bulldozers * Shovel dozers * Back hoes
• Bucket loaders * Scrapers * Trenching machines
• Power shovels * Tractor-mounted rippers * Pneumatic
hammers
• Drop balls * Hydraulic splitters * Blasting
DOZERS

Backhoe

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FOUNDATIONS

Footings & Foundations

Function of a foundation is to transfer

A larger and heavier building of

Footings & Foundations

(to attach wood stud sill plate)

(moves water away

(to keep water off of foundation wall)

(separates slab from foundation wall)

(to keep water off of slab)

Footings & Foundations

NO SETTLEMENT * TOTAL SETTLEMENT * DIFFERENTIAL SETTLEMENT

Footings & Foundations

Footings & Foundations

Depends on whether the load transfer is at

- Need for these two types (soil strength,

Footings & Foundations

- Deep foundations (caissons with or

Footings & Foundations

 Basic types or configurations

Footings & Foundations

Footings & Foundations

Footings & Foundations

Footings & Foundations

Transfer building loads deep into the earth

Footings & Foundations

Footings & Foundations

Footings & Foundations

Footings & Foundations

Footings & Foundations

Footings & Foundations

Footings & Foundations

Footings & Foundations

Footings & Foundations

• Rocks and soils - Rocks: Broken into regular and irregular

Footings & Foundations

Footings & Foundations

Footings & Foundations

Footings & Foundations

Footings & Foundations

Footings & Foundations

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