For economic consideration, the depth at which the foundation is located (i.e. Df) is kept as small as possible. Typically it is in the range of 0.5 to 1.5 m below the ground surface for buildings that do not have a basement. For those building having a basement, Df can be 3.5 m or more. … Read more
A pile is a slender, structural member installed in the ground to transfer the structural loads to soils at some significant depth below the base of the structure. Structural loads include axial loads, lateral loads, and moments. Another term commonly used in practice for pile foundations is deep foundations. Structures that cannot be supported economically … Read more
Types of Bearing Capacity Failures A bearing capacity failure is defined as a foundation failure that occurs when the shear stresses in the soil exceed the shear strength of the soil. Bearing capacity failures of foundations can be grouped into three categories, as follows: 1. General Shear Failure As shown in Fig-1, a general shear … Read more
On-Site Identification & Classification of Soil The principle terms used by civil engineers to describe soils are Gravel (particle size larger than 4.75 mm) Sand (particle size within 4.75 mm to 0.075mm) Silt & Clay (particle size less than 0.075mm) Most natural soils consist of a mixture of two or more of these constituents and … Read more
No single stone can satisfy all the below mentioned quality requirements. For example, strength and durability requirement contradicts ease of dressing requirement. Hence it is necessary that site engineer looks into the properties required for the intended work and selects the stone accordingly. Requirements of Good Building Stones The following are the quality requirements of … Read more
On earth retaining structures such as retaining wall, sheet piles, etc, the back fill retained mass of soil, exerts lateral pressure known as earth pressure. If the positions of the back fill lies above a horizontal plane at the elevation of the top of the structure, it is called surcharge. The inclination of the surcharge … Read more
Engineering & Physical Properties of Stones The following are the engineering and physical properties of the stones that should be looked into before selecting them for engineering works: 1. Structure The structure of the stone may be stratified (layered) or unstratified. Structured stones should be easily dressed and suitable for super structure. Unstratified stones are … Read more
Components Contributing Settlement of Soil Total settlement ρ in mm, which is the response of stress applied to the soil, may be calculated as the sum of three components ρ = ρi + ρc + ρs Where, ρ = Total settlement, mm ρi = Immediate or distortion settlement, mm ρc = Primary consolidation settlement, mm … Read more
Piles are structural members that are made of steel, concrete, or timber. They are used to build pile foundations, which are deep and which cost more than shallow foundations. Despite the cost, the use of piles often is necessary to ensure structural safety. The following list identifies some of the conditions that require pile foundations: … Read more
Design Considerations for Pile Foundation The pile foundation analysis is based upon several simplifying assumptions which affect the accuracy of the results. The computed results must always be reviewed with engineering judgement by the design engineer to assure that the values are reasonable. Also, the analysis results should be compared with load test results. The … Read more
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