Scribd
Upload
383 views2 pages

Rubble Trench Foundation

Rubble trench foundations are a variation of trench fill foundations that use loose stone or rubble instead of concrete to improve drainage and reduce material costs. A trench is dug and lined with geotextile before being filled with compacted crushed stone, which allows water to drain away from the foundation. This traditional method was popularized in the 20th century and is more environmentally friendly than other options, though it requires suitable soil conditions to work effectively.

Uploaded by

Vicces P. Estrada
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
383 views2 pages

Rubble Trench Foundation

Rubble trench foundations are a variation of trench fill foundations that use loose stone or rubble instead of concrete to improve drainage and reduce material costs. A trench is dug and lined with geotextile before being filled with compacted crushed stone, which allows water to drain away from the foundation. This traditional method was popularized in the 20th century and is more environmentally friendly than other options, though it requires suitable soil conditions to work effectively.

Uploaded by

Vicces P. Estrada
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Rubble trench foundation

This is a variation of the trench fill foundation, and is a traditional construction method which uses
loose stone or rubble to minimise the concrete requirement and improve drainage. It follows the same
approach as a French drain, with a trench that is filled with crushed stoneletting any water drain down and
away from the foundation.

This approach has been used in various guises for thousands of years but it was popularised in the 20th
century by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and has been promoted as being more environmentally-
friendly than other foundation types.

The bottom of the trench should slope with an even descent of at least 3 cm for every 1 m of trench,
which diverts the water towards one point, from which it can be diverted away through an outlet or to a
dry well.

The trench should be lined with a geotextile material to prevent the surrounding soil from clogging up the
trench and outlet. It is then filled with angular and washed stones of average size 2.5-5 cm, with them
being compacted at every 30 cm layer using either a pneumatic or hand-powered tamper.
The washing of the crushed stone is important since it removes sand, silt and other small particles that
could build up in the trench over time.

When it reaches around 20-30 cm below grade, the larger blocks of stone can begin to be built up as a
continuous wall.

This type of trench is unsuitable for particularly expansive or poor load-bearing soils. An alternative, less
eco-friendly solution, is to combine the rubble fill with a concrete grade beam.

You might also like