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Values of Safe Bearing Capacity

The document provides recommended values of safe bearing capacity for preliminary analysis of soils and rocks. It lists 19 types of soils and rocks, from hard rocks to peat, and assigns a safe bearing capacity value in kN/m2 and kg/cm2 to each as a guide in the absence of soil test data. Notes provide additional context, explaining that site investigations are needed for some soil types and that compactness of non-cohesive soils can be determined by a penetration test.

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Chee Soon Lee
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180 views2 pages

Values of Safe Bearing Capacity

The document provides recommended values of safe bearing capacity for preliminary analysis of soils and rocks. It lists 19 types of soils and rocks, from hard rocks to peat, and assigns a safe bearing capacity value in kN/m2 and kg/cm2 to each as a guide in the absence of soil test data. Notes provide additional context, explaining that site investigations are needed for some soil types and that compactness of non-cohesive soils can be determined by a penetration test.

Uploaded by

Chee Soon Lee
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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VALUES OF SAFE BEARING CAPACITY

The safe bearing capacity of soil should be determined on the basis of soil test data or by
performing some field test such as Standard penetration test or Plate load test etc.

However, in the absence of soil test data, the values of safe bearing capacity (S.B.C) as given in the
following table may be used as a guide for preliminary analysis.

RECOMMENDED VALUES OF SAFE BEARING CAPACITY FOR PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS

SAFE BEARING CAPACITY


Sl.
TYPE OF ROCK OR SOIL
No
(kN/m2) (kg/cm2)

ROCKS

Rocks (hard) without lamination and defects, for


1 3300 33
example granite, trap and diorite
Laminated rocks, for example sand stone and lime
2 1650 16.5
stone in sound condition
Residual deposits of shattered and broken bed rock and
3 900 9
hard shale, cemented material
4 Soft rock 450 4.5
NON-COHESIVE SOILS

Gravel, sand and gravel mixture, compact and offering


5 high resistance to penetration when excavated by tools. 450 4.5
(Refer Note 5)
Coarse sand, compact and dry (with ground water level
6 at a depth greater than width of foundation below the 450 4.5
base of footing)
7 Medium sand, compact and dry 250 2.5
8 Fine sand, silt (dry lumps easily pulverized by fingers) 150 1.5
Loose gravel or sand gravel mixture; loose coarse to
9 250 2.5
medium sand, dry (Refer Note 5)
10 Fine sand, loose and dry 100 1
COHESIVE SOILS

11 Soft shale, hard or stiff clay in deep bed, dry 450 4.5
12 Medium clay, readily indented with thumb nail 250 2.5
Moist clay and sand clay mixture which can be indented
13 150 1.5
with strong thumb pressure
14 Soft clay indented with moderate thumb pressure 100 1.0
Very soft clay which can be penetrated several
15 50 0.5
centimeters with the thumb
Black cotton soil or other shrinkable or expansive clay in
16
dry condition (50 percent saturation) (Refer Note 2)
To be determined after site
17 Peat (Refer Note 2 & 3) investigation
18 Fills or made up ground (Refer Note 4 & 5)

NOTES
1. Values given in the above table can be adopted for design of unimportant and lightly loaded
structures only.
2. No generalized values for safe bearing capacities can be given for these types of soils. In
such area, adequate site investigation is required to be carried out and expert advice should
be sought.

3. Peat may occur in a very soft spongy condition or may be quite firm and compact. While
ultimate bearing capacity may be high in the compact cases, very large consolidation
settlements occur even under small pressures and the movements continue for decades.

4. The strength of made up ground depends on the nature of the material, its depth and age
and methods used for consolidating it.

5. Compactness or looseness of non-cohesive material may be determined by driving a wooden


picket of dimension 5 cm x 5 cm x 70 cm with a sharp point. The picket is pushed vertically
into the soil by full weight of a person and if the penetration of the picket exceeds 20 cm, then
it considered as loose state.

6. The safe bearing capacity value may be increased by an amount equal to weight of the
material removed from above the bearing level that is the base of foundation.

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