4

Design of Centrally Loaded Isolated

Footings and Column Pedestals

4.1 INTRODUCTION
The principles of design of centrally loaded footings have been already explained in Chapter 3.
In this chapter, we will deal with a few examples to illustrate these principles.

4.2 GENERAL PROCEDURE FOR DESIGN

The major steps in the design of a column footing square or rectangular can be summarized as
follows. For circular or square columns, we adopt a square footing and for a rectangular
column, a rectangular footing is adopted.
Step 1: Determine the plan area from the allowable bearing capacity and service loads from
the column, assuming a reasonable (10% of loading) as weight for the footing.
Step 2: Taking the factored dead and live loads, determine the ultimate soil reaction for
factored design load (see Sec. 3.2).
Step 3: Determine the depth for one-way shear, assuming a design shear strength value Tc.
Theoretically, this value depends on the percentage of steel in the slab. However, for
preliminary design, a value of Tc = 0.35 N/mm2 corresponding to 0.25% steel may be
assumed.

36
 Design of Centrally Loaded Isolated Footings and Column Pedestals 37

Step 4: Determine the depth from bending considerations.

Step 5: Check the depth adopted for safety against punching shear. If it is not sufficient,
increase the depth so that the footing is safe in punching shear.
Step 6: Choose the largest depth required considering steps 3, 4 and 5 and provide the
necessary cover.
Step 1: Calculate the reinforcement required in the X- and y-directions from bending moment
considerations. The steel provided at the section for maximum moment should not be
less than the minimum specified for slabs.
Step 8: Check the development length required and choose the proper diameter of bars.
Step 9: Detail the steel as specified in the code (see Sec. 3.7).
Step 10: Provide the necessary cover to reinforcement and find the total depth of footing
required.
Step 11: Verify design by charts given in Appendix D.

4.3 DESIGN OF SQUARE FOOTING OF UNIFORM DEPTH (PAD

FOOTING)
Square footings are often met with in practice, and it is worthwhile to derive the expression for
their exclusive design. Let the data for design be as follows (Figure 3.3):
Size of footing = L x L
Column size = a x a
Factored load = P
Service load + wt. of footing = Px
Bearing capacity = qa
One-way shear value = rc
Two-way shear value = tp
Step I: Find plan size of footing.

Service load
Area, A = -
Allowable bearing capacity
Step 2: Soil reaction for limit state design.

_ Factored load _ P
Area L2 I

Step 3: Find the depth for one-way shear. By considering one-way shear, the depth d is
obtained from the shear at section at X\X{ at d from the face of the column for
a square footing (L x L). As seen in Sec. 3.6.2, it can be evaluated from the
following formula.
38 Design of Reinforced Concrete Foundations

Assuming tc corresponding to 0.25% steel and M20 concrete in Table B.4,

Tc = 0.35 N/mm2 (350 kN/m2) and using metre and kN units (PAL2 = q)

(4J)
700 + 2q
[Note: The actual value of Tc will depend on the percentage of main steel present
at the section continued for a distance d on both sides of the section. Some
recommend adopting the lowest value of Tc (namely, the one corresponding to
a percentage of steel equal to 0.15%) for routine calculations, others recommend
that the minimum main steel in all foundations should be 0.2 to 0.25% as it is
difficult to repair once foundations are built. Distribution steel may be only
0.12% for Fe 415 steel.]
Step 4: Find the depth for resistance in the building. The depth from bending moment
consideration is obtained by taking moments at the face of the column XX.

L(L - a)2
= ÿ-(L-a)2
oL
(4.2)

M = KfckLd2 (as single reinforced beam). [Note the whole length L is assumed
to resist bending.]
Hence,

M.. n>/2
d= [For Fe 415, K = 0.138 or « 0.14] (4.3)
KfckL
Step 5: The depth should satisfy two-way shear or punching shear at section dl2 from
the column face.
Critical parameter = 4{a + d). Considering equilibrium of forces, we get
(P/L2) LL2 - (a + d)2J = 4(a + d) dxp
Hence
q{L2 - (a + d)2) < 4{a + d) dfp
where rp =0.25ÿ//ÿÿ It is easier to check for the value of rp in this expression
for the value of d obtained from Eqs. (4.1) and (4.3) than to solve the equation
for d. Alternately, if the R.H.S is equal to or greater than P, then the design is
safe against punching shear.
Step 6: Take the larger of the depths as obtained from steps 3 to 5. Provide the cover.
Step 7: Find the area of steel required from the value of M/Ld2 and percentage of steel
p using Table B.l or by M = A/Jd using Figure 2.2.
(Use M/Ld2 SP 16 for easy determination of the area of steel.)
Also, check for minimum steel percentage and steel spacing as given in
Sec. 22.7.
 Design of Centrally Loaded Isolated Footings and Column Pedestals 39

Step 8: Check the development length. Select the size of the bar whose development
length is less than II2(L - a); otherwise, provide the development length by 90°
bend at the end.
Step 9: Detail steel as discussed in Sec. 3.7.
(One of the methods to decrease steel in footings is to adopt a liberal depth for
the footing.)

4.4 DESIGN OF SLOPED RECTANGULAR FOOTINGS

In India, to save steel we commonly use thick footings, designed and constructed as stepped
footing or sloped footing, sloping from the column face to the edge. Sloped footings generally
require more depth, and hence less steel, than block footings. Figure 4.1 shows such a sloped
footing. According to IS 456, CI. 34.1.4, the edge thickness should not be less than 150 mm.
The slope should not exceed one vertical to three horizontal if top forms are to be avoided. In
most cases, the concrete to be placed on the slope has to be relatively dry, so that it does not
slide down along the slope. It is very important to remember that as the strength of the footing
depends on the compressive strength of this concrete along the slope, special care should be
taken in the placement, compaction and curing to get it free from voids.

B-H

\ 1
Mxx /
\T>"/
\ibJ<
!IN_7 r
~tu \
/
/
/

Figure 4.1 Plan of sloped rectangular column footing. Calculation of bending

moment and shear for design (Example 4.1). Moment Mxx denotes
the bending moment for which steel is placed in the X direction.

The procedure for the design of sloped footings varies among designers. This is due to
the fact that there have not been many large-scale tests on sloped footings, and an accepted
yield line pattern at the failure of centrally loaded and eccentrically loaded sloped footings is
not yet available. As also stated in Sec. 22.7, the minimum steel needs to be checked at the mid-
depth of sloped footings after it is designed as an ordinary footing.

4.4.1 Design Procedure

A sloped footing can be designed by using the following steps: Let,
40 Design of Reinforced Concrete Foundations

L = Length of the footing in the y-direction

a = Dimension of the column in the y-direction
B = Length of the footing in the X-direction
b = Dimension of the column in .Y-direction
[Note: Symbol b is also used in M = Kfckbcf, the formula used in R.C. design and use
of SP 16.]
Step 1: Determination of the required depth in bending: The aim here is to find a reasonable
value which will be larger than that required for a block footing. This depth is to be
checked for shear and is used for the calculation of the steel area. The bending
moment is taken at the face of the column and any of the following three procedures
can be used for this purpose.
Method (a): The first method is to assume that the bending moment is the same as
that due to a pad footing in the XX and YY planes. In order to get a liberal value for
depth, we assume it is resisted by the column face line only. The expressions are
simple and can be derived as follows:
Footing size = (L x B) with L > B
Column size = (a x b) with a > b [base dimensions of the column]
Taking Mxx as moment for steel in the X-direction on section normal to shorter span
and Myy as moment on section normal to larger span, we get
ÿ
(p r rB-b\ (B~b)
L
[lbJ K 2 JI 4
P 2
= — (B - b) (for steel in the X-direction) resisted by length a
ÿ

(4.4)
8B
Similarly,
P
Myy = — if' - a)2 (for steel in the y-direction) resisted by length b (4.4a)
8L
Method (b): A less conservative method, which will give a lesser depth of footing
is to assume that the moment to be resisted by column faces is that due to the loads
in the trapezoidal area only, as shown in Figure 4.1. Accordingly,
Mxx = (Pressure) x (CG of the area)

Myy = -
7 L + aÿ ( B-bX X r 2L + aÿ 1 r B-b>
LB LI 2 j to {L -Fa j 3 I 2 j
P
Mxx = 2MB (2L + a)(B - by (for steel in the X-direction) (4.5)

Similarly,

Myy - 24 LB {IB + b){L - a) (for steel in the y-direction) (4.5a)