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Soil Bearing Capacity

This document discusses soil bearing capacity, which refers to the maximum average contact pressure between a foundation and the soil without causing shear failure in the soil. It describes three types of shear failures - general, local, and punching - and provides Terzaghi's bearing capacity equations. It also discusses factors that affect bearing capacity like the water table and provides example problems to calculate bearing capacity values.

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Ace Joker
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645 views

Soil Bearing Capacity

This document discusses soil bearing capacity, which refers to the maximum average contact pressure between a foundation and the soil without causing shear failure in the soil. It describes three types of shear failures - general, local, and punching - and provides Terzaghi's bearing capacity equations. It also discusses factors that affect bearing capacity like the water table and provides example problems to calculate bearing capacity values.

Uploaded by

Ace Joker
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SOIL BEARING

CAPACITY
In geotechnical engineering, bearing
capacity is the capacity of soil to support
the loads applied to the ground.
The bearing capacity of soil is the
maximum average
contact pressure between the foundation
and the soil which should not produce
shear failure in the soil.
General Shear Failure
A continuous failure surface develops
between the edge of the footing and the
ground surface. This type of failure is
characterized by heaving at the ground
surface accompanied by tilting of the footing.
It occurs in soil of low compressibility such as
dense sand or stiff clay.
Local Shear Failure
A condition where significant
compression of the soil occurs but only
slight heave occurs at the ground
surface. Tilting of the foundation is not
expected. This type of failure occurs in
highly compressible soil and the ultimate
bearing capacity is not well defined.
Punching Shear Failure
A condition that occurs where there is
relatively high compression of the soil
underlying the footing with neither heaving
at the ground surface nor tilting of the
foundation. Large settlement is expected
without clear defined ultimate bearing
capacity. Punching will occur in low
compressible soil if the foundation is
located at considerable depth below ground
surface.
Terzaghi’s Bearing Capacity
Equations
• Depth of foundation is less than or equal to its width
• No sliding occurs between foundation and soil
• Soil beneath foundation is homogeneous semi infinite mass
• Mohr-Coulomb model for soil
• General shear failure mode is the governing mode
• No soil consolidation occurs
• Foundation is very rigid relative to soil
• Soil above bottom of foundation has no shear strength; is only
a surcharge load against overturning load
• Applied load is compressive and applied vertically to the
centroid of foundation
• No applied moments present.
General shear failure
•  
• For strip footing
qult = CNc + qNq + γBNy
• Square footing
qult = 1.3CNc + qNq + 0.4 γBNy
• Rectangular footing
qult = CNc[1 + ] + qNq + γBNy[1 – ]
• Circular footing
qult = 1.3CNc + qNq + 0.3 γBNy
Where;
• =  unit weight of soil at base of footing in kPa or pcf
• B= dimension of footing in meter or feet
• c= cohesion of soil in kPa or psf
• = factor for unit weight of soil
• = factor of soil cohesion
• = factor of overburden pressure
• q= γDf ; overburden pressure (effective stress) at base of
footing
• = depth of footing in meter or feet.
See table terzaghi’s general bearing capacity factors for general
shear failures of , ,
Local Shear Failure
•For
  local shear failure, it may be assume that

ĉ=
tanǿ=ø

• Long footing (Strip footing)


Local Shear Failure
•  
Square footings

Circular footings
Allowable Bearing Capacity
•  
The allowable bearing capacity is divided by
calculating the ultimate bearing capacity by
a Factor of safety, FS. The factor of safety is
intended to compensate for the
assumptions made in developing the
bearing capacity equations, soil variability,
inaccurate soil data, and uncertainties of
loads.
Gross Allowable Bearing
Capacity
•  

=
Net Allowable Bearing
Capacity
•  

=
=
Effect of Water table on
Bearing Capacity
The unit weight of soil used in the equations
for bearing capacity are effective unit
weights. With the rising water table, the
subsoil becomes saturated and the unit
weight of submerged soil is greatly reduced.
The reduction of this unit weight results in a
decrease in the ultimate bearing capacity of
the soil.
Case 1:
•  
If the ground water table is between 0 and
Df, as shown in figure below, the surcharge
term q has to be computed as
q = (Df – D) + subD
where γsub = γsat – γw = submerged unit
weight of soil. Also, the unit weight of soil, γ
that appears in the third term of the bearing
capacity equations should be replaced by
γsub.
Case 1
Case 2
•When
  the ground water table coincides with
the bottom of foundation, the magnitude q is
equal to Df. However, the unit weight of in the
third term of the bearing capacity equations
should be replaced by sub.
Case 2
Case 3
•The
  ground water table is at a depth D below
the bottom of the foundation. In this case,
compute q = Df. Also, the magnitude of in the
third term of the bearing capacity equations
should be replaced by ave where

ave = (for D ≤ B)
 
ave = (for D > B)
 
Case 3
Problem 1
•A  footing 6m square carries a total load, including
its own weight, of 10,000 kN. The base of the
footing is at a depth of 3 m below the ground
surface. The soil strata at the site consist of a layer
of stiff saturated clay is 27.5m thick overlying
dense sand. The average bulk density of the clay is
1,920 kg/cu.m. and its average shear strength
determined from undrained tri-axial test is 130
kN/sq.m. and ø=0. Given is Terzaghi’s ultimate
bearing capacity for square footing.
QUESTION
A.) Determine the gross foundation
pressure in kPa.
B.) Determine the net foundation pressure.
C.) Calculate the factor of safety of the
foundation against complete shear failure
under the undrained condition (both gross
and net). Side cohesion on the foundation
may be neglected.
Problem 2
A square footing has a dimension of 1.2m by 1.2m and
has its bottom 1m below the ground surface.
A.) If the ground water table is located at a depth of
1.2m below the ground surface, compute the allowable
load that the footing could carry if it has a factor of
safety of 3.
B.) Find the ultimate bearing capacity of the soil if the
ground water table is at the bottom of the footing.
C.) Find the ultimate bearing capacity of the soil if the
ground water table is 0.5m above the bottom of the
footing.
QUESTION
PROBLEM 3
A circular footing with 1.5m diameter is to be
constructed 1.22m below the ground surface. The
subsoil consists of a uniform deposit of dense soil
having the following strength parameters.
Angle of friction = 25 degrees
Unconfined compressive strength = 96kN/sq.m
Unit weight of soil = 20.12 kN/sq.m

The groundwater table is at a great depth and its


effect can be ignored.
A.) Compute the effective surcharge at the bottom of the
footing.
B.) Compute the value of B using a gross factor of safety of 3.
Assume general shear failure.
C.) Compute the net factor of safety.
Problem 4
A footing 1m square carries a total load, including its own weight
of 59,130 kg. The base of the footing is at a depth of 1m below
the ground surface. The soil strata at the site consist of a layer of
stiff saturated clay 27.5m thick overlying dense sand. The
average density of the clay is 1,846 kg/cu.m.
QUESTION
A.) Determine the gross foundation
pressure
B.) Determine the overburden pressure
C.) Determine the ultimate bearing capacity
D.) Assuming local shear failure, determine
the ultimate bearing capacity.
Seatwork:
A long footing is shown in the figure. Nc =17.69, Nq = 7.44
and Ny = 3.64
A.) Calculate the overburden pressure
of the soil
B.) Calculate the ultimate bearing
capacity of the soil
C.) Calculate the safe gross load per
meter width (Fs = 1.75) that the footing
can carry.

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