Shallow foundations

settlement
References:
1.
Rajapakse, Ruwan. Geotechnical Engineering Calculations and Rules of
Thumb.
2. Schroeder, W.L., Dickenson, S.E, Warrington, Don, C. Soils in Construction. Fifth
Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey; Prentice Hall, 2004.

Learning objectives:
1. Design calculations for settlement depths in clays soils for normally
consolidated, recompressed and in recompressed and virgin clays.
2. Calculations for the amount of time for settlement to occur in clay soils
This section is a continuation of the consolidation section in soil mechanics analysis. This
section will give you formulas and quantitative example problems that you might see on the
exam.

Learning objective #1: Design calculations for settlement:

-

The first example we will look at is the settlement due to primary

consolidation in normally consolidated clay. This is clay that has never
been subject to a higher stress than what is being experience in situ.
Ground Level

H/2
H

eo and po values are at H/2

Where:
H = total primary consolidation settlement
H = thickness of the clay layer
Cc = Compression index of the clay layer
eo = void ratio at H/2 prior to loading
po = effective stress at H/2 prior to loading
p = increase of stress at H/2 due to loading
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Shallow foundations
settlement
Example #1: Find the settlement due to consolidation of a 9 ft x 9 ft column foundation
with a load of 500 lbs. The foundation is placed 3 ft below the top surface, and the clay
layer is 25ft thick. There is a sand layer underneath the clay layer. The density of the
clay layer is 115 lbs/cf, the compression index of the clay layer is .32, and the initial
void ratio of the clay is .80. Assume that the pressure is distributed at a 2:1 ratio and
the clay is normally consolidated.
500 lbs

Ground Level
3 ft

Clay
= 115 lbs/cf

11 ft

9 ft
2

Cc = .32
eo = .80

H = 22 ft

18 ft
p
Sand

Step 1: Write down the consolidation settlement equation:

Step 2: Find the effective vertical stress at the midpoint:

po = density of the clay x distance of the soil at the midpoint
po = x h = 115 lbs/cf x 14 ft = 1610 lbs/sf
Step 3: Find the increased effective vertical stress due to the footing at the midpoint:
- It is key to recognize that 500lbs is distributed at a larger area at the midpoint of the
clay layer. So the 500lbs is distributed by a (5.5ft + 9ft + 5.5) square area which is;
- Area distributed load = 20 ft x 20 ft = 400 sf
- p = 500 lbs/400sf = 1.25 lbs/sf
Step 4: Solve the equation:
H = 22 ft x .32/(1+.8) log (1610 lbs/sf + 1.25lbs/sf)/ 1610lbs/sf
H = 22 ft x .1778 * .000337 = .0013 ft = .0156 in as you can see if the weight
isnt that much there wont be a lot of settlement.
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Example #2: Lets consider the same example as before but the only change is
groundwater is present 4 ft below ground level, and a 10 ft sand layer is on top of the
clay 15 ft layer. Find the settlement due to consolidation of a 9 ft x 9 ft column
foundation with a load of 500 lbs. The foundation is placed 3 ft below the top surface,
and the clay layer is 25ft thick. There is a sand layer underneath the clay layer. The
density of the clay layer is 115 lbs/cf, the compression index of the clay layer is .32,
and the initial void ratio of the clay is .80. Assume that the pressure is distributed at a
2:1 ratio and the clay is normally consolidated.
500lbs
Ground Level
Sand
= 105 lbs/cf
Clay
= 115 lbs/cf
Cc = .32
eo = .80

3 ft

10 ft

4 ft
9 ft

2
1

7.5 ft

Ground Water

H = 15 ft

23.5 ft
Sand

Step 1: Write down the consolidation settlement equation:

Step 2: Find the effective vertical stress at the midpoint:

po = density of the clay x distance of the soil at the midpoint
po = (sand x 4ft) + (sand - water) x 6ft + (clay - water) x 7.5ft
= (105 lbs/cf x 4ft) + 6ft (105lbs/cf 62.4 lbs/cf)+ 7.5 ft (115 62.4)
= 420 lbs/sf + 255.6 lbs/sf + 394.5 lbs/sf = 1070 lbs/sf
Step 3: Find the increased effective vertical stress due to the footing at the midpoint:
- It is key to recognize that 500lbs is distributed at a larger area at the midpoint of the
clay layer. So the 500lbs is distributed by a (7.25ft + 9ft + 7.25) square area which is;
- Area distributed load = 23.5ft x 23.5 ft = 552.25 sf
- p = 500 lbs/552.25sf = .91 lbs/sf
Step 4: Solve the equation:
H = 15 ft x .32/(1+.8) log (1070 lbs/sf + .91lbs/sf)/ 1070 lbs/sf
H = 15 ft x .1778 * .00037 = .0009 ft = .001 in Even though the effective stress
was less due to the water, the load was distributed out more which accounts for less
settlement.
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Shallow foundations
settlement
-

Now lets look at the settlement that occurs in over consolidated clay. The
concept is the same however, you just need to remember that the void ratio
changes at different stress rates depending if you are in the recompression
portion or Virgin portion of the soil. Review below.
e (void ratio)
Recompression
Curve (Cr)
eO

Virgin
Curve(Cc)

eC
eF
C F

p1

p2
- Below is the equation to use when calculating the settlement in over consolidated clays.
H = H x Cr/(1+ eo) x log ((po + p1)/ po ) + H x Cc/(1+ eo) x log ((pC + p2)/ pC )
Settlement in the
Recompression Curve

Settlement in the
Virgin Curve

Where:
H = total primary consolidation settlement
H = thickness of the clay layer
Cr = Recompression index of the clay layer
Cc = Compression(virgin) index of the clay layer
eo = void ratio at H/2 prior to loading
po = effective stress at H/2 prior to loading
pC = overconsolidation or preconsolidated pressure
p1 = pC - po
p2 = pF - pC
pF = pressure after the footing is placed po + p

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Example #3: Find the settlement due to consolidation of a 9 ft x 9 ft column foundation

with a load of 2000 lbs. The foundation is placed 3 ft below the top surface, and the
clay layer is 25ft thick. There is a sand layer underneath the clay layer. The density of
the clay layer is 115 lbs/cf, the compression index of the clay layer is .32, the
recompression index is .035. The preconsolidation pressure is 1615 lbs/sf and the
initial void ratio of the clay is .80. Assume that the pressure is distributed at a 2:1 ratio
and the clay is normally consolidated. 2000 lbs

Ground Level
Clay
= 115 lbs/cf
Cc = .32
Cr = .035
eo = .80

3 ft
11 ft

9 ft
2
1

H = 22 ft

18 ft
Sand
Step 1: Write down the consolidation settlement equation:
H = H x Cr/(1+ eo) x log ((po + p1)/ po ) + H x Cc/(1+ eo) x log ((pC + p2)/ pC )
Step 2: Find the effective vertical stress at the midpoint:
po = density of the clay x distance of the soil at the midpoint
po = x h = 115 lbs/cf x 14 ft = 1610 lbs/sf
Step 3: Find the increased effective vertical stress due to the footing at the midpoint:
- It is key to recognize that 2000lbs is distributed at a larger area at the midpoint of the
clay layer. So the 500lbs is distributed by a (4.5ft + 9ft + 4.5) square area which is;
- Area distributed load = 20 ft x 20 ft = 400 sf
-p = 2000 lbs/400sf = 5.0 lbs/sf
-Existing stress po = 1610 lbs/sf
- final pressure = pF = po + p = 1610lbs/sf + 5.0 lbs/sf = 1615.0 lbs/sf
Step 4: Solve the equation:
H = H x Cr/(1+ eo) x log ((po + p1)/ po ) + H x Cc/(1+ eo) x log ((pC + p2)/ pC )
H = 22 x .035/(1+ .8) x log ((1610 + 5)/ 1610 ) + 22 x .32/(1+ .8) x log ((1615 + 1.17)/
1615 )
H = (22 x .019 x .0013) + (22 x .178 x .0003) = .0005+ .0012 = .0017 ft = .02 in

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Shallow foundations
settlement

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Shallow foundations
settlement

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Shallow foundations
settlement
Learning Objective #2: Calculations for the amount of time for settlement to occur in
clay soils
In this section we are going to find out how to calculate the time required for primary
consolidation within the clay soil. The equation for this calculation is below.

Where:
t = time taken for the consolidation process
H = thickness of the drainage layer (drainage layer discussed below)
TV = time coefficient (chart should be given)
cV = consolidation coefficient (this should be given)
The thickness of the drainage layer is the longest distance the water molecule has to travel in
order to drain out of the clay layer into a highly permeable soil. For example water CANNOT
drain freely into a rock surface, but CAN drain freely into sand.
Example #4: Review the below example, What is the thickness of the drainage layer?

SAND

3 ft
10 ft

CLAY

ROCK
Solution: Since the water cant drain into rock the longest path is into the sand on the top, so
the water molecule at the bottom of the clay layer will have to travel the 10 ft to the sandy
soil. H = 10 ft.
* Important note: If the ROCK layer was SAND instead the water molecule could drain from
both the top and bottom. Which would make the thickness of the drainage layer (H) = 5 ft.

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Shallow foundations
settlement
Example #5: Find the approximate time taken for 90% consolidation using the chart and
diagram
below.
Percent
Consolidation (U%)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90

Tv
0
0.05
0.092
0.12
0.23
0.3
0.39
0.5
0.67
0.97

3 ft
12 ft

CLAY
= 115 lbs/cf
cV = .12 sf/day
SAND

Step 1: Write the formula:

t = (H2 x Tv )/ cv
Step 2: Find the variables:
H = since the water can go up or down to hit a drainage path, H = 12ft /2 = 6 ft
Tv = Using the chart for 90% consolidation the time coefficient = .97
cv = is given as .12 sf/day
Step 3: Solve equation:
t = (H2 x Tv )/ cv = (62 x .97 )/ .12 sf/day =

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291 days