Fundamentals of Geotechnical Engineering - II

CHAPTER FOUR
BEARING CAPACITY OF SHALLOW FOUNDATION

By: Adugna Hunduma (MSc.)

 Objectives

When you complete this chapter you should able

to:
® Calculate the bearing capacity of soils.
® Differentiate the different method of bearing
capacity equations.
® Determine the bearing capacity for eccentrically
loaded footing.
 Introduction
• A foundation is a structure used transfer load
from a super structure to the soil underneath the
superstructure.
• Foundations are categorized into two groups,
namely, shallow and deep foundation.
➢ Shallow Foundation: are type of foundation if the
ratio of depth to width of a footing is less than or
equal to one.
➢ Deep Foundation: if depth to width ratio is
greater than one.
➢ Ultimate bearing capacity, qu(kPa) is the load that causes the shear
failure of the soil underneath and adjacent to the footing.
 Cont..
➢ Foundation is a structure that transmits loads to the underlying soils.

➢ Footing is a foundation consisting of a small slab for transmitting the structural load to the
underlying soil. Footings can be individual slabs supporting single columns or combined to
support two or more columns or be a long strip of concrete slab.

➢ Embedment depth (Df) is the depth below the ground surface where the base of the
foundation rests.
➢ Ultimate bearing capacity is the maximum pressure that the soil can support.
Ultimate net bearing capacity (qu) is the maximum pressure that the soil can
support above its current overburden pressure.
➢ Ultimate gross bearing capacity (qult) is the sum of the ultimate net bearing
capacity and the overburden pressure above the footing base.
➢ Allowable bearing capacity or safe bearing capacity (qa) is the working pressure
that would ensure a margin of safety against collapse of the structure from shear
failure.
 Bearing Failure Modes

• According to Vesic (1973),there are three types of

shear/bearing failure modes. These are:
￫ General Shear
Failure
￫ Local Shear
Failure
￫ Punching Shear
Failure
 1.General Shear failure
• Usually associated with soils of low compressibility
such as dense sand and stiff cohesive soils.
• Load is gradually applied to the foundation,
settlement will increase.
• At a certain point when the applied load per unit
area equals to the ultimate load, qu a sudden failure
in the soil supporting the foundation takes place.
• The failure surface in the soil will extend to the
ground surface and full shear resistance of the soil
is developed along the failure surface.
• Bulging of the soil near the footing is usually
apparent.
• Shear failure is accompanied by both tilting and
settlement of footing.
 2.Local shear failure
• Is common in sands and clays of medium
compaction.
• The failure surface will gradually extend
outward from the foundation but will not
reach the ground surface.
• The shear resistance is fully developed
over one part of the failure surface.
• There is a certain degree of bulging of
soil.
• There is significant compression of soils.
• The failure surface is not clearly defined.
 3. Punching shear failure
• Is common in loose and very compressible soils.
• Occur due to the compression of soil under the
footing.
• There is no heaving/bulging of soil.
• Considerable vertical settlement may take place
with the failure surface restricted to vertical
planes immediately adjacent to the side of the
foundation.
• Large settlement is occurred.
• The failure surface not clearly defined.
 Ultimate Bearing Capacity Equations
• First proposed by Prandtl, 1920’s based on the
failure mechanism by assuming:
✓ Smooth footing
✓ Ignoring the weight of the soil in the failure
zone.
• Terzaghi (1946), improve the Prandtl assumption
by improving:
✓ Roughness of the footing
✓ The weight of the soil above the footing
1.Terzaghi’s bearing capacity equation

Assumptions
✓ General shear
failure.
✓ Base of a footing is
rough.
✓ Shallow foundation.
✓ Soil is homogeneous
and isotropic.
✓ shear strength of
soil is represented qu = c ' N c +  DN q + 0.5B N
by Mohr-Coulombs
Terzaghi’s BC Equation for
Criteria.
Strip (or long) footing
 Cont…
qu = c ' N c +  DN q + 0.5B N
Strip (long) footing
• Square footing: qu = 1.3c ' N c +  DN q + 0.4 B N 
• Circular footing: qu = 1.3c ' N c +  DN q + 0.3B N 
Where: Nc, Nq and Ng are called the bearing capacity factors.
e(3 /2− ') tan  '
Nq =
2cos 2 (45 +  '/ 2)
 K p 
N = 1
tan  '  − 1
 cos  '
2 2

N c = cot ' ( N q − 1)
K p = (8 ' 2 −4 '+3.8) tan 2 (60 0 +  ' / 2)
#Example-1
Cont..
 2.Meyerhof’s Bearing Capacity equation
,

• Developed a bearing capacity

,
equation by extending
Terzaghi’s.
• Taking into account the effects of footing shape,
load inclination and footing depth by adding the
corresponding factors of s, d, and i.
• For a rectangular footing of L by B (L > B) and
inclined load,
qu = c ' N c scic d c +  DN q sqiq d q + 0.5B N  s i d
N q = exp( tan  ' ) tan 2 (45 +  ' / 2)
N c = cot ' ( N q − 1)
N  = ( N q − 1) tan(1.4 ' )
In the undrained conditions (cu and F=0)
Nq = 1
N c = ( + 2) = 5.71
N = 0
 Cont…
Meyerhof’s bearing capacity factors
 Cont…
Meyerhof’s shape, inclination and depth factors
Shape Depth Inclination
2
B D  0 
Any ' sc = 1 + 0.2 K p d c = 1 + 0.2 K p ic = iq = 1 − 
L B  90 0 
For ' = 0 sq = s = 1 dq = d = 1 i = 0
2
For B D  0 
s q = s = 1 + 0.1K p d q = d  = 1 + 0.1 K p i = 1 − 0 
 ' 10 0 '
L B  
 ' 
K p = tan 2  45 +  ,  =angle of resultant measured from vertical axis.
 2
 B '
when triaxial ' is used for plane strain, adjust ' to obtain  ' = 1.1 − 0.1  triaxial
 L

For the eccentric load, the length and width of the footing rectangle
are modified to: L’ = L – 2eL and B’ = B – 2eB
where eL and eB represent the eccentricity along the appropriate
directions.
 #Example- 2
Refer to Ex.1,Compute using Meyerhof’s equation:
(a)The ultimate bearing capacity of soil
(b) The net bearing capacity and (c)the net allowable pressure
Cont..
 Hansen’s Bearing Capacity equation

• Extended Meyerhof’s solutions by considering the

effects of sloping ground surface and tilted base as
well as modification of Ng and other factors.
• For a rectangular footing of L by B (L > B) and inclined
ground surface, base and load,
qu = c ' N c sc d cicbc g c +  DN q sq d qiqbq g q + 0.5B N  s d i b g 

• For the case of a horizontal ground

surface

qu = c' N c sc d c ic bc + DN q s q d q iq bq + 0.5BN  s d  i b

 Cont…
• Hansen’s bearing capacity factors
✓ The bearing capacity
factors Nc and Nq are
identical with Meyerhof’s
factors.
✓ N is defined by:

N  = 1.5( N q − 1) tan 
 Cont…
,

• Since failure can take place either along the long

side or along the short side, Hansen proposed two
sets of shape, inclination and depth factors.
✓ The shape factors
Nq B B B
sc,B = 1 +  ic , B sq, B = 1 + iq, B  sin  ' s , B = 1 − 0.4 i , B  0.6
Nc L L L
Nq L
sc,L = 1+  ic , L L
sq, L = 1 + iq, L  sin  '
L
s ,L = 1 − 0.4 i ,L  0.6
Nc B
B B

B L
For c, u=0 soil: sc, B = 0.2 ic , B sc, L = 0.2 ic , L
L B
 Cont…
✓ Inclination factors
1 2
1 − i q ,i  0.5H i   0.7 H i 
i c ,i = i q ,i − i q ,i = 1 −  i ,i = 1 − 
Nq −1  V + Ac b cot  '   V + Ac b cot  ' 
2
 (0.7 −  0 450 0 ) H i 
For the tilted base i ,i = 1 − 
 V + Acb cot ' 

✓ Depth factors
d c, B = 1 + 0.4  D d q, B = 1 + 2 tan  ' (1 − sin  ' ) 2  D
B B
→ For D/B≤1 and
D/L≤1 d c, L = 1 + 0.4  D d q, L = 1 + 2 tan  ' (1 − sin  ' ) 2  D
L L

→ For D/B˃1 and ( B)

d c, B = 1 + 0.4  tan −1 D d q, B = 1 + 2 tan  ' (1 − sin  ' ) 2  tan −1 ( D )
B
D/L˃1
d c, L = 1 + 0.4  tan −1
( L)
D d q ,L = 1 + 2 tan  '(1 − sin  ') 2  tan −1 ( D )
L

→ For both sets, d  = 1

 Cont…
• For the sloping ground and tilted base, the ground
factors gi and base factors bi are proposed by the
following equations.
• The angles b and  are at the same plane, either
parallel to B or L.

g c = 1− b 0
g q = g  = (1 − 0.5 tan b )
5
0
147
gc = b 0

✓ For cu, u soil: 147 0

 0
bc = 1 −
147 0 b =e −2.7 tan ' bq =e −2 tan '

✓ For cu, u soil: bc =  0

147 0
 #Example 3
Refer to Ex.1,Compute using Hansen’s equation:
(a)The Net bearing capacity of soil
(b) The net safe bearing pressure,All other data remain the same.
Cont..
 A comparative summary of the three
bearing capacity equations
→ Practitioners use Terzaghi’s equations for a very
cohesive soil and D/B < 1.
→ Terzaghi’s equations have the following major
drawbacks:
► Shape, depth and inclination factors are not considered.
► Terzaghi’s equations are suitable for a concentrically loaded
horizontal footing
► The equations are generally conservative than Meyerhof’s and
Hansen’s.
® Meyerhof’s and Hansen’s equations are more widely used.
® Are less conservative and applicable to more general conditions.
® Hansen’s is, however, used when the base is tilted or when the
footing is on a slope and for D/B > 1.
 Effects of Groundwater Table on Bearing
Capacity

Situation 1:
➢ If the groundwater level is at a depth greater than or equal to B below
the bottom of the footing base
➢ In this case no modification of the bearing capacity
equations is required.
Situation 2:
➢ Groundwater level within a depth B below the base of
the footing.
➢ If the groundwater level is at a below the depth z below
the base, such that z<B, then the term is B
 z +  '( B − z ) or  sat z +  '( B − z ).
➢ The later equation is used if the soil above the
groundwater level is also saturated.  D term remain unchanged.
 Cont…
Situation 3:
• Groundwater level is within the embedment depth.
• If the groundwater is at a depth z within the
embedment such that z<Df then the term  Df is
 z +  '( Df − z ) or  sat z +  '( Df − z ).
• The later equation is used if the soil above the
groundwater level is also saturated. The term  B becomes  ' B
 Allowable bearing capacity and factor of
safety
• Allowable bearing capacity, qa is calculated by dividing
the ultimate bearing capacity by a factor, called the
factor of safety, FS.
• The FS is intended to compensate for assumptions made
in developing the bearing capacity equations, soil
variability, inaccurate soil data, and uncertainties of
loads.
• The magnitude of FS applied to the ultimate bearing
capacity may be between 2 and 3.
qu
qa =
FS
( a ) max is known and the dimension of the footing is also known

qu
FS =
( a ) max
 Eccentric Loads

• Meyerhof, proposed an approximate method for loads

that are located off-centered.

• He modified base area rectangular footing of

width B and length L as:
B’ = B – 2eB and L’ =L - 2eL
My Mx
eB = eL =
P P
 Cont…
• The maximum and minimum vertical stresses along
the x axis are:
P  6eB  P  6eB 
 max = +  min =  1− 
 1  and BL  B 
BL  B 
• The maximum and minimum vertical stresses along
the y axis are:
P  6eL  P  6eL 
 max = +  min =  1− 
 1  and BL  B 
BL  B 
𝝈𝒎𝒊𝒏 • should always be greater than zero!!!
→ eB & eL should always be less than B/6 & L/6 respectively.

® The bearing capacity equations are modified for eccentric

loads by replacing B with B’.
 Field Tests

• Some of the most common methods used for field tests

for the determination of ultimate bearing capacity of
soils are:
→ Plate loading test
→ Standard penetration test(SPT)

→ You will proceed in detail in Foundation Engineering I

course.
33