PCS5- FOUNDATION &

RETAINING WALL DESIGN

Introduction
Foundations are the first part of any
construction. They are incredibly important to
the durability of a building, and if not
completed correctly, they can affect the
strength and resilience of the building once
completed. In short, without a stable
foundation, a building will not be reliable
nor last a long time. – Martin Perry
Associates
 1. Footing Depth and Spacing:
Factors Affecting Foundations Design
Footings must be placed below the topsoil layer
to avoid soil consolidation as it is the loosest kind of soil
that usually contains organic matter.
2. Soil Settlement:
The soil might get settled after installing a
foundation. Settlement is time dependent and
results from gradual reduction of volume of saturated
soils. If the foundation is placed on loose soil,
there is a possibility that the foundation would be
settled overtime gradually. A geotechnical
engineer shall verify the bearing capacity of soil to
ensure that loads will not have any negative effect on
the soil to settle. Prior to foundation installation, the
soil shall be compacted to a degree recommended by
the geotechnical report.
 3. Soil Erosion:
Factors Affecting Foundations Design
For structures that are adjacent to flowing water,
the footings must be located at a depth where erosion or
scour doesn’t undercut the soil and cause a foundation
design failure. This also applies to bridge piers,
abutments, retaining wall bases, etc. To avoid erosion,
water should be permitted to flow away from the
base of the foundation. In order to do so, weeping tile
should be installed along the base of the foundation.
4. Foundation in Sand and Silt:
Foundations installed in sand and silt will require
densification of the loose soil before installation. The
soil beneath the footing needs to be confined. If the
soil is not confined, it will flow out from the footing
perimeter with a loss of density and bearing
capacity. This will make it easier for wind and water
to erode sand or silt that is too near to the ground surface.
Factors Affecting Foundations Design
5. Foundations in Loess and Other Collapsible Soils
Collapsible soils are deposits of silts, sand, and volcano ash. Typically, they are loose
with low density but are stable. Foundations in this soil can be well-cemented on contact
points with a water-soluble bonding agent. Structural engineers need to consider certain
conditions of the load and wetness of the soil in order to produce a structure with high
stability even in collapsible soils.
Classification of Foundation
1. Shallow Foundation - are roughly one-to-three meters in depth. As expected,
they don’t distribute loads far into the ground. For this reason, they tend to
cost less than deep foundations as they require less labor and resources to
implement.
2. Deep Foundation - As the name suggests, deep foundations are dug much
further into the ground’s surface to reach the subsoil which lays beneath the
weaker topsoil. They are often preferred if creating a high building or if the
ground is weak.
Types of Shallow Foundation
1. Isolated Footing - This is the most commonly used foundation type that is used for
single columns. The shape of an isolated footing can be square or rectangular and is
used when the load of the structure is transferred through columns. Square footings are
used for vertical loads and rectangular footings are used in case of eccentric loading.
Pad footing, Stepped Footing and Sloped footing are 3 types of isolated footing. Step
footings are used in case of heavy load from superstructure.
2. Combined Footing - When two or more
columns are close enough to cause overlapping of
isolated footings, these are replaced by combined
footing. It is also used when the bearing capacity of
the soil is less than required or if the column is
near property/sewer lines.

3. Raft Footing - Also known as Mat Footing these

are built across the entire area of the building to resist
structural heavy loads from columns and walls. It is
built to prevent unequal settlement from individual
footings. Thus it is designed as a raft or mat for all
load bearing elements of the structure. It is used in
soils with low bearing capacity such as expansive
soils.
6. Strap footing - It is a type of combined
footing, consisting of two or more column
footings connected by a concrete beam.
This type of beam is called a strap beam. It
is used to help distribute the weight of
either heavily or eccentrically loaded
column footings to adjacent footings. It is
often used in conjunction with columns
that are located along a building's property
or lot line.
4. Grillage Foundation - Most high-rise
buildings are constructed with steel columns
encased in concrete. Such types of columns
carry a very heavy load and hence it requires
special foundations for spreading the entire
load to a larger area of soil. So Grillage
foundation is one such special foundation that
is used where the load of the structure is
excessive and the bearing capacity of the soil
is poor and a deep foundation is not possible.
5. Strip footing - a strip foundation is a
type of shallow foundation often used
within low to medium rise residential
buildings. Suitable only where the ground
conditions are stable and with good load-
bearing capacity, strip foundations are fast
and cost-effective to build.
Types of Deep Foundation
1. Pile Foundation - Pile foundations are used to
transfer load from the base of footings to the hard
rock strata situated quite deep from the ground
level. These are like thin columns made of
concrete, timber or steel, driven or cast into the
ground. This is used when the bearing capacity of
the soil is not enough to bear the load of the
building and transfer it to the hard rock strata. The
primary purpose of pile foundation is to resist
loads by using friction piles that cause skin friction
and end bearing piles.
2. Pier Foundation - These foundations are
mainly used when foundations are to be built
below water bodies and bridge constructions.
Caissons are huge hollow watertight retaining
structures used in construction of dams or as
piers for bridges. These are easily transported by
floating in water and sunk into water or ground
up to the desired depth. They are then filled with
concrete to form a foundation.
EMBEDMENT DEPTH OF FOOTING
NSCP 2015
Rankine’s Formula:

𝑞 𝑎 1 − 𝑠𝑖𝑛 ∅ 2
𝐷𝑓 = (
𝛾 𝑠 1+ 𝑠𝑖𝑛 ∅) > 500𝑚𝑚

Where:
FOOTING ON SLOPE

Footing depth in sloping ground or when they are at different levels (a) Footing on sloping ground (b) Footing in
granular or clayey soil (c) Footing at two levels
SAFE BEARING CAPACITY:

SOIL TYPES SAFE BEARING CAPACITY

Soft Clay 50kN/m2 – 100kN/m2
Stiff Clay 200kN/m2 – 250kN/m2
Very Stiff Clay 200kN/m2 – 450kN/m2
Soft Rock 450kN/m2 – 900kN/m2
- https://mperryassociates.com/2022/11/16/importance-foundations/
- https://www.getpowerplay.in/blog/foundation-their-importance/
- https://dreamcivil.com/spread-footing/