Introduction to Foundation

Engineering
CE74 -LESSON 1
The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders
47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I
will show you whom he is like: 48 He is like a man building a
house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And
when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that
house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the
rock.49 But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built
a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the
stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of
that house was great.
Luke 6:47-49New King James Version (NKJV)
A structure is no stronger than its connections.
between individual structural members
between a structure and the ground that
supports it.
foundations.
The Tower of Pisa in Italy (perhaps the worlds
most successful foundation failure) reminds
us of this truth.
 EARLY FOUNDATION DESIGNS
based solely on precedent, intuition, and common sense.
Through trial-and-error, builders developed rules for sizing and constructing
foundations.
These empirical rules usually produced acceptable results as long as they were
applied to structures and soil conditions similar to those encountered in the past.
However, the results were often disastrous when builders extrapolated the rules to
new conditions.
buildings be taller and heavier than before.
as good sites became occupied, builders were forced to consider sites with poorer
soil conditions, and these sites made foundation design and construction much
more difficult.
Thus, the old rules for foundation design no longer applied.
Eiffel Tower
two legs of the tower closest to the Seine were
underlain by deeper and softer alluvium, and were
immediately adjacent to an old river channel that had
filled with soft silt.
The foundation design had to accommodate these
soil conditions, or else the two legs on the softer
soils would settle more than the other two, causing
the tower to tilt toward the river.
Fortunately, Eiffel carefully explored the soil
conditions, recognized this problem, and designed the
foundations to accommodate these soil conditions.
His foresight and diligence resulted in a well-designed
foundation system that has not settled excessively.
The Emergence of Modern Foundation Engineering
MODERN FOUNDATION ENGINEERING
Instead of simply developing new foundations at sites where
empirical rules, construction had previously been
they began to investigate the impossible or impractical.
behavior of foundations and develop Today, our knowledge of foundation
more rational methods of design. design and construction is much
improved methods of better than it was one hundred years
exploring ans testing soil and rock. ago.
New methods of foundation It is now possible to build
construction also have been reliable,
developed, cost-effective,
high- capacity foundations for all types of
making it possible to build modern structures.
 UNCERTAINTIES
Structural engineering is the art and science of molding
materials we do not fully understand into shapes we cannot
precisely analyze to resist forces we cannot accurately predict,
all in such a way that the society at large is given no reason to
suspect the extent of our ignorance.
Result of our limited knowledge of the soil conditions.
Limitations in our understanding of the interaction between a foundation and
the soil
Difficult to predict the actual service loads that will act on a foundation
 WISE ENGINEER
Because of these and other uncertainties, the wise engineer does
not blindly follow the results of tests or analyses. These tests and
analyses must be tempered
This iswith
why it is essential to
precedent,
understand the behavior of
common sense,

foundations and the basis and

and engineering judgment.
limitations of the analysis methods
Foundation engineering is still both an art and a science. It is
dangerous to view foundation engineering, or any other type of
engineering, as simply a collection of formulas and charts to be
followed using some recipe for design.
 BUILDING CODES
Building codes represent minimum design requirements.
Simply meeting code requirements does not necessarily produce a satisfactory
design, especially in foundation engineering.
In addition, many important aspects of foundation engineering are not even
addressed in the codes.
Therefore, think of codes as guides, not dictators, and certainly
not as a substitute for
engineering knowledge,
judgment,
or common sense.
 CLASSIFICATION OF FOUNDATIONS
SHALLOW DEEP FOUNDATIONS
FOUNDATIONS
Transmit the structural Transmit some or all of
loads to the near-surface the loads to deeper
soils. soils.
All civil engineering
structures require
foundations.
BUILDINGS
BRIDGES
STORAGE TANKS
OFF-SHORE DRILLING PLATFORMS
 Foundation
Failures and their
consequences
Excessive differential settlement
BRIDGE SCOUR
LIQUEFACTION
STORAGE TANKS
 Design and
Construction
Methods
Drilling an exploratory boring
Golf course community in Palm Springs, California
Building a Drilled Shaft
Using vibrofloat to install stone columns
Earth Retaining
Structures
A Soldier Pile Wall And A Foundation System
Retaining Wall made of closely-spaced drilled shafts
A cellular cofferdam made of sheet piles
Gabion Wall
Seatwork 1
Explain the quote below. (20 pts)
Structural engineering is the art and science of molding materials
we do not fully understand into shapes we cannot precisely
analyze to resist forces we cannot accurately predict, all in such a
way that the society at large is given no reason to suspect the
extent of our ignorance.
PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS
 If a builder builds a house for a man and does not make its
construction
firm, and the house which he has built collapses and causes the
death of
the owner of the house, that builder shall be put to death.

From The Code of Hammurabi, Babylon, circa 2000 b.c.

 common misconception:
foundations are either perfectly rigid and unyielding, or they are completely
incapable of supporting the necessary loads and fail catastrophically.
its either black or white perspective
easy to comprehend, but it is not correct.
All engineering products, including foundations,
have varying degrees of performance that we might think of as various shades of
gray.
The engineer must determine which shades are acceptable and which are
not.
 Strength requirements

Serviceability requirements

Constructibility requirements

Economic requirements
 DESIGN LOADS
There are four different types of design loads:

Normal loads , designated by the variable P

Shear loads, designated by the variable V

Moment loads , designated by the variable Af

Torsion loads, designated by the variable T

 DESIGN LOADS
Normal loads
are those that act parallel to the foundation axis. Usually this axis is vertical, so the
normal load becomes the vertical component of the applied load.
act either downward (compression) or upward (tension).
Shear loads
act perpendicular to the foundation axis. They may be expressed as two perpendicular
components,V x and V r
Moment loads
perpendicular components, M x and M y .
Torsion loads, T, also are important,
such as with cantilever highway signs. However, in most designs the torsion
loads are small and may be ignored.
 DESIGN LOADS
Most foundations, especially those that support buildings or bridges, are designed
primarily to support downward normal loads, so this type of loading receives the
most attention.
However, other types of loads also can be important, and in some cases can
control the design.
For example, the design of foundations for electrical transmission towers is often
controlled by upward normal loads induced by overturning moments on the
tower.
 DESIGN LOADS
Dead loads (D)
caused by the weight of the structure, including permanently installed equipment.
Live loads (L)
caused by the intended use and occupancy. These include loads from people, furniture,
inventory, maintenance activities, moveable partitions, moveable equipment, vehicles, and
other similar sources.
Earth pressure loads (H)
caused by the weight and lateral pressures from soil or rock, such as those acting on a
retaining wall.
Fluid loads (F)
caused by fluids with well-defined pressures and maximum heights, such as water in a
storage tank.
 DESIGN LOADS
Earthquake loads (E)
result of accelerations from earthquakes.
Wind loads ( W)
imparted by wind onto the structure.
Impact loads (7)
result of vibratory, dynamic, and impact effects. Impact loads from vessels are especially
important in some bridge and port facilities.
Most of these code-based design loads are conservative, which is appropriate.
This means the real service loads acting on a foundation are probably less than
the design loads.
 DESIGN LOADS
ASD LRFD
Working Stress Design Ultimate Strength Design
the design loads reflect It applies load factors, g , to
conservative estimates of the nominal loads to obtain the
factored load, U.
the actual service loads
resistance factor, (strength
reduction factor ) to the
ultimate capacity
 DESIGN LOADS
ASD LRFD
 DESIGN LOADS
A column carries the following vertical compressive loads: PD
= 2100 kN downward, PL = 1400 kN downward, and Pw = 600
kN upward. Which will be supported by a group of four steel
H-pile foundations. These H-piles are similar to wide flange
beams, and are driven vertically into the ground. The piles will
be made of A36 steel (Fv = 248 MPa) and the allowable
compressive stress, Fa , is 0.50 Fy .
Compute the design normal load for use in foundation design.
Considering only the stresses in the steel, determine the
required cross-sectional area of each pile.
 DESIGN LOADS
ASD LRFD
P = PD = 2100 kN
P = P D + P L + Pp+ PH + Pt + (PLrorP R ) Pu = 1.2(D + F + T) + 1.6 (L + H)
= 2100 kN + 1400 kN + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0.5(L r orSorR)
= 3500 kN

= 1.2(2100) + 1.6(1400) +0 + 0
P = 0.75 [P D + P t + (PorP s oiP e ) +
(Pw or P )] = 4760 kN
= 0.75[2100 kN + 1400 kN + 0 - 600 kN]
= 2175 kN
P = 0.75[P + (P w or P )]
= 0.75[2100kN - 600 kN]
= 1125 kN
 DESIGN LOADS
ASD LRFD
P/pile = 3500/4
= 875 kN Pu/pile = 4760/4
= 1190 kN
Fa = 0.50 F y
= (0.50) (248 MPa) Pn= Fa(A)
= 124 MPa = 124,000 kPa =(248.000 kPa) A

A = P/Fa Pu= Pn
875 kN? /124000 kPa 1190= (0.70) (248000) A
= 7056 mm2 A = 6855 mm2
 STRENGHT REQUIREMENTS
GEOTECHNICAL STRUCTURAL
ability of the soil or rock to accept the Foundations structural integrity and
loads imparted by the foundation its ability to safely carry the applied
without failing. loads.
The strength of soil is
loaded beyond their structural
capacity to sustain shear stresses
capacity will, in principle, fail
comparing shear stresses with shear
catastrophically.
strengths and designing accordingly.
Spread footing foundations, Structural strength analyses are
bearing capacity of the soil.
conducted using either ASD or LRFD
If the load-bearing capacity of the soil is
methods, depending on the type of
exceeded, the resulting shear failure is foundation, the structural materials,
called a BEARING CAPACITY FAILURE and the governing code.
 STRENGHT REQUIREMENTS
A certain foundation will experience a
bearing capacity failure when it is
subjected to a downward load of 2200
kN. Using ASD with a factor of safety of
3, determine the maximum allowable load
that will satisfy geotechnical strength
requirements.
 SERVICEABILITY REQUIREMENTS

These are intended to

produce foundations that
perform well when subjected
to the service loads.
 SERVICEABILITY REQUIREMENTS
Settlement downward movement as a result
of the applied loads.
Heave Keeping settlements within tolerable limits
is usually the most important foundation
Tilt serviceability requirement.
Result of other causes unrelated to the
Lateral movement presence of the foundation, such as
consolidation due to the placement of a fill.
Vibration Stress and strain always go together, so the
imposition of loads from the foundation
Durability always cause some settlement in the
underlying soils.
 SERVICEABILITY REQUIREMENTS
Settlement Defining the amount of settlement that
would be tolerable and designing the
Heave foundation to accommodate this
requirement.
Tilt Structural Response to Settlement

Lateral movement
Vibration
Durability
 SERVICEABILITY REQUIREMENTS
Settlement Sometimes foundations move upward
instead of downward. It may be due to
applied upward loads, but more often
Heave it is the result of ex- ternal forces,
especially those from expansive soils.
Tilt The design criteria for heave are the
same as those for settlement.
Lateral movement However, if some foundations are
heaving while others are settling, then
the differential is the sum of the two.
Vibration
Durability
 SERVICEABILITY REQUIREMENTS
Settlement Settlement
Heave
Tilt
Lateral movement
Vibration
Durability
 SERVICEABILITY REQUIREMENTS
Settlement Excessive tilt is often a concern in tall, rigid
structures, such as chimneys, silos, and water
towers.
Heave To preserve aesthetics, the tilt, <, from the
vertical should be no more than 1/500 (7 min
Tilt of arc). Greater tilts would be noticeable,
especially in taller structures and those that are
Lateral movement near other structures. In some cases, stricter
limits on tilt are appropriate, especially for
exceptionally tall structures.
Vibration For comparison, the Leaning Tower of Pisa has
a tilt of about 1/10.
Durability
 SERVICEABILITY REQUIREMENTS
Settlement Foundations subjected to lateral
loads have corresponding lateral
Heave movements. These movement also
have tolerable limits. For bridge
foundations, Bozozuk (1978)
Tilt recommended maximum lateral
movements of 25 mm (1 in).
Lateral movement
Vibration
Durability
 SERVICEABILITY REQUIREMENTS
Settlement Foundations that support large
machinery are sometimes
Heave subjected to substantial vibratory
loads.

Tilt Such foundations must be

designed to accommodate these

Lateral movement vibratory loads without

introducing problems, such as
resonance.
Vibration
Durability
SEATWORK 2
The owner of a 100-story building purchased a plumb
bob with a very long string. He selected a day with no
wind, and then gently lowered the plumb bob from his
penthouse office window. When it reached the sidewalk, it
was 1 .0 m from the side of the building. Is this building
tilting excessively? Explain.
 CONSTRUCTIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
A foundation must be designed such that a
contractor can build it without having to use
extraordinary methods or equipment.
There are many potential designs that might
be quite satisfactory from a design
perspective, but difficult or impossible to
build.
CONSTRUCTIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
The pile is lifted into the
vertical section, which is
called the leads, then driven
into the ground with the pile
hammer.
Thus, the pile driver must be
slightly taller than the pile to
be installed.
CONSTRUCTIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
As part of a seismic retrofit
project, a design engineer has
called for installing 450-mm
diameter. 9-m long pre-stressed
concrete pile foundations to be
installed beneath the basement of
an existing building.
This pile foundation design is
unbuildable because the required
pile-driving equipment would not
fit in the basement, and because
there is not enough room to set
the pile upright.
 CONSTRUCTIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

This is why it is important for

design engineers to have at
least a rudimentary
understanding of construction.
 ECONOMIC REQUIREMENTS
An overly conservative design can be very
expensive to build, especially with large
structures where the foundation is a greater
portion of the total project cost.
This also is a type of failure: the failure to
produce an economical design.
 ECONOMIC REQUIREMENTS
We must strive to produce designs
that are both safe and cost-effective.
Achieving the optimum balance
between reliability (safety) and cost is
part of good engineering.
 SUMMARY

1. The foundation engineer must

determine the necessary
performance requirements
before designing a foundation.
 SUMMARY
2. Foundations must support various
types of structural loads. These can
include normal, shear, moment,
and/or torsion loads. The
magnitude and direction of these
loads may vary during the life of
SUMMARY
3. Loads also are classified
according to their source. These
include dead loads, live loads,
wind loads, earthquake loads,
and several others.
SUMMARY
4. Design loads may be expressed using
either the allowable stress design
(ASD) or the load and resistance
factor design (LRFD) method. It is
important to know which method is
being used, because the design
computations must be performed
accordingly.
SUMMARY
5. Strength requirements are those
that are intended to avoid
catastrophic failure.
There are two kinds: geotechnical
strength requirements and structural
strength requirements.
SUMMARY
6. Serviceability requirements are those
intended to produce foundations that
perform well when subjected to the
service loads.
These requirements include settlement,
heave, tile, lateral movement, vibration,
and durability.
SUMMARY
7. Settlement is often the most important
serviceability requirement. The response of
structures to settlements is complex, so we
simplify the problem by considering two
types of settlement: total settlement and
differential settlement.
We assign maximum allowable values for each,
then design the foundations to satisfy these
requirements.
SUMMARY
8. Durability is another important
serviceability requirement.
Foundations must be able to resist
the various corrosive and
deteriorating agents in soil and
water.
SUMMARY
9. Foundations must be buildable,
so design engineers need to
have at least a rudimentary
understanding of construction
methods and equipment.
SUMMARY
10. Foundation designs must be
economical. Although
conservatism is appropriate, ex-
cessively conservative designs can
be too needlessly expensive to
build.
End of Lesson
One.