Principles of

Foundation Engineering
General Information
Lecturer: Scott A. Barnhill, P.E.
Lecture Time: Thursday, 7:10 pm to 9:50 pm
Classroom: KAUFMAN HALL, Room 225
Office Hour: Contact me to meet before class.
Email: sabarnhill@geronline.com
Cell Phone: 621-6783
Text: Principles of Foundation Engineering, 7th Edition, Braja M. Das
Class Web Site
http://www.geronline.com/odu.php
Class Dates
Information to Be Covered
Homework Answers
Any Handouts
Other Reading Sources
Homework is to have an answer sheet as the first page.
Problem Number
Answers with any subproblems answers also shown.
Show data given at top of each problem.
Show every calculation step.
No Excel or MathCad.
Grading
Homework - 20%
Mid Term Exam - 30%
Final Exam - 30%
Project - 20%
Class Presentation 10%
Report 10%
Your Personal Calculations 20%
Peer Review 50%
My Opinion 10%
Letter Grade
0 54 F
55 57 D-
58 61 D
62 68 D+
69 71 C-
72 75 C
76 79 C+
80 83 B-
84 86 B
87 89 B+
90 94 A-
95 100 A
Range
Principles of Foundation
Engineering
Braja M. Das
Chapter 1
Geotechnical Properties of Soil
Your Knowledge
You are already suppose to know
everything covered
in this chapter.
Strength
What is the strength of steel?
What is the strength of concrete?
What if their strengths varied wildly
even with a single column or beam.
How would you design?
S
t
r
e
n
g
t
h
Soil
What is the strength of soil?
Strength of Soil
-100
-80
-60
-40
-20
0
20
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0
Undrained Shear Strength (tsf)
E
l
e
v
a
t
i
o
n
(
f
e
e
t
)
CPT-1
CPT-2
CPT-3
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
0 2 4 6 8 10
Undrained Shear Strength - Su (tsf)
D
e
p
t
h
(
f
e
e
t
)
CPT-1
CPT-2
CPT-3
CPT-4
CPT-5
CPT-6
Geomean
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
20
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
E
l
e
v
a
t
i
o
n

(
f
e
e
t
)
CorrectedSPT(N60) bpf
CPT
Borings
Lesner Bridge
Weight-Volume Relationships
Commonly Used Relationships
W Total Weight
V Total Volume
w water content
Ws Weight of Solids
Vs Volume of Solids
e void ratio
yd Dry Unit Weight
ym Moist Unit Weight
yw Unit Weight of Water
y Bouyant Unit Weight
Gs Specific Gravity
n porosity
S Saturation
w
sat
Saturated Moisture Content
W W
s
1
1
w
w
+
+
(
(
)
)
= w
w
e
n
1 n
=
n
V V
s
1 e + ( ) = e n
e
1 e +
=
e

d

m
1 w +
=
w
e
w G
s

S
=
w
S
w
w
sat
=
sat

sat
sat
sat

w
=
w
w
sat

w

d
1
G
s
=
d

d
d
G
s

w

1 e +
=
=
e
Definition of Atterberg Limits
Soils at the plastic
limit are 100 times
stronger than at
the liquid limit.
Volume of the
soil-water
mixture
Semisolid
State
Solid
State
Semiliquid
State
Plastic
State
Moisture
Content
LL PL SL
Increase of
Moisture Content
Increase in Strength
Liquid Limit (LL), Plastic Limit (PL) & Plasticity Index (PI) =LL-PL
Atterberg Limit Relationships
Soils with moisture content near or at the
liquid limit are usually normally consolidated.
As the moisture content moves towards the
plastic limit, preconsolidation increases.
Soils with moisture contents exceeding the
liquid limit, the soils can be underconsolidated.
Must know site history.
Cohesive strength increases as moisture
content moves towards the plastic limit.
Plasticity Chart
Correlations
Preconsolidation
Undrained Strength
Constrained Modulus
Permeability
Moist Unit Weight
Dry Unit Weight
Submerged Unit
Weight
o
Cc & Cr
Swell Pressure
Cv
Void ratio
Critical State Soil
Mechanics Parameters
I, i, N, Ao
Atterberg Limits are used in numerous empirical correlations
Use correlations to compare to more
sophisticated tests. Look for how
consistent the soil.
Effective Stress
If you cannot master the concept of effective stress
and cannot calculate it accurately,
you will not get a good grade in this class.
All foundation design requires it.
Effective Stress No Seepage

sat
G
s

e

+
1 e +
=
w
In Figure, pore pressure at Point A is
u=h
2
y
w
Where y
w
is the unit weight of water
(62.4 pcf)
o o - u = (h
1
y
m
+ h
2
y
sat
) - h
2
y
w
= h
1
y
m
+h
2
(y
sat
- y
w
) = h
1
y
m
+ h
2
y
Where y = effective, or submerged, unit
weight of soil

sat
G
G
s
s


e

w
w w

+
1
1
1
e
e
+
+
= =
=
w
w
- -
- (
(
?
Effective Stress Seepage
Critical Gradient
i=i
cr
=y/y
w
=(Gs-1)/(1+eo)
In this problem, there is upward seepage of water.
For this case, the effective stress at Point A is
o = h
1
y
w
+ h
2
y
sat
u = (h1 + h2 +h)y
w
o o - u = (h
1
y
w
+ h
2
y
sat
) - (h
1
+ h
2
+ h)y
w
= h
2
(y
sat
- y
w
) - hy
w
= h
2
y - hy
w
or
o h
2
y
h
h
2

w

|

\
|
|
.
= =
w
h
2
y i
w

( )
w
i is the hydraulic gradient. If i is very high
so that y-iy
w
= 0, the effective stress = 0. There
will be no contact between soil particles. This is referred to
as the quick condition (quick sand), or failure by heave.
Variation of effective stress in a
soil profile
Water Table
4 m
Sand = 14.5 kN/m
y
3
Clay = 17.2 kN/m
y
sat
3
5 m
A
B
C
m
Effective Stress Solution
Point Depth (m) o (kN/m3) u
(kN/m2)
o'
(kN/m2)
A 0 0 0 0
B 4 (4)(
ym
) = (4)(14.5) = 58 0
58 - 0 = 58
C 9 58 + (5)(
ysat
) = 58+(5)(17.2) = 144 (5)(
yw
) = (5)(9.81) = 49.05
144 - 49.5 = 94.95
Water Table
4 m
Sand = 14.5 kN/m
y
3
Clay = 17.2 kN/m
y
sat
3
5 m
A
B
C
m
Effective Stress #2
Water Table
3 m
1 m
Sand = 14.5 kN/m m
y
3
Sat. Sand = 15.2 kN/m y
sat
3
Clay = 17.2 kN/m y
sat
3
5 m
A
C
B
D
Effective Stress Solution #2
Point Depth (m) o (kN/m3) u
(kN/m2)
o'
(kN/m2)
A 0 0 0 0
B 3 (3)(
ym
) = (3)(14.5) = 43.5 0
43.5 - 0 = 43.5
C 4 43.5 + (1)(
ysat1
) = 43.5 + (1)(15.2) = 58.7 (1)(
yw
) = (1)(9.81) = 9.81
58.7 - 9.81 = 48.9
D 9 58.7 + (5)(
ysat2
) = 58.7 + (5)(17.2) = 144.7 9.81+(5)(
yw
) = 9.81+(5)(9.81) = 58.86
144.7 - 58.86 = 86.14
What happens if the
groundwater changes
in the future?
Water Table
3 m
1 m
Dry Sand = 14.5 kN/m d
y
3
Sat. Sand = 15.2 kN/m y
sat
3
Clay = 17.2 kN/m y
sat
3
5 m
A
C
B
D
Preconsolidation
7
2712 Southern Boulevard, Suite 101
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
GeoEnvironmental Resources, Inc.
Environmental
Groundwater
Hazardous Materials
Geotechnical
Industrial
DRAWINGNUMBER
CONSULTING ENGINEERS
110-3515
G
B
-0
1
G
B
-0
2
G
B
-03
G
B
-0
4
G
B
-05
G
B
-0
6
PROJECTNUMBER
DD(X) Land Based Test Facility
Wallops Island, Virginia
G
E
O
T
E
C
H
N
IC
A
L
P
R
O
F
IL
E
- E
L
E
V
A
T
IO
N
3
5
1
5
.G
P
J
G
E
O
E
N
V
R
E
S
O
U
R
C
E
S
.G
D
T
6
/2
9
/0
4
Estimated Preconsolidation Profile
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
0 100 200 300 400 500
Preconsolidation Pressure (kPa)
D
e
p
t
h
(
m
e
t
e
r
s
)
Liquidity Index
SPT
UC Tests
Consolidation Tests
Overburden
Fill Pressure
1335 kN Column
Preconsolidation Profile
Preconsolidation Profile - CPT
-100
-90
-80
-70
-60
-50
-40
-30
-20
-10
0
10
20
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Preconsolidation Pressure (tsf)
E
l
e
v
a
t
i
o
n
(
f
e
e
t
)
CPT-1 Clay
CPT-2 Clay
CPT-3 Clay
Consolidation Tests
CPT-1 Sands
CPT-2 Sands
CPT-3 Sands
Triaxial Tests
Estimated Overburden
Consolidation
Consolidation is the movement of pore water
out of the soil.
Initially the applied load is carried by the
pore water. This creates an increase in pore
water pressure.
As pore water moves out of the soil which is
controlled by the permeability, pore pressure
dissipates and the soil matrix begins to carry
the load. The soil compresses.
Principles of Consolidation
Ahi = Ao
Consolidation Test Setup (1D)
e-log o curve for a soft clay
2004 Brooks/Cole Publishing / Thomson Learning
(Note: At the end of
consolidation, o=o)
Variation of o
c
with LI (after U.S. Dept. of the Navy, 1982)
LI = (w-PL)/PI
Note: p
a
=
atmospheric pressure
[~100 KN/m2 (1 U.S.
ton/ft2)]
Virgin compression curve for
normally consolidated clay
Field consolidation curve for
overconsolidated clay
Correlations for Cc
shown in Eqs. 1.50 1.55
Consolidation Test Best
Real World
Note unload-reload
cycle to remove
disturbance
Cc
Cs
Cr
Primary Consolidation
Settlement
For normally consolidated soils oc=oo
Therefore log(oc/oo)=0 and the first
quantity goes to zero as well.
Equation 1.61
S
Cs H
.
( )
1 e
log
o
c
o
o
.
Cc H
.
( )
1 e
log
o
o
Ao
o
c
.
Cs Cs
=0 for normally consolidated soil
o
o
=
Cr
Pore Pressure Dissipation
Drainage Condition for Consolidation
(a) two-way drainage; (b) one-way
drainage; (c) plot of Au/Au
0
with T
v
and H/H
c
Field Data
PZ-2:A
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
2/17 4/8 5/28 7/17 9/5 10/25 12/14
Date
P
r
e
s
s
u
r
e

(
k
P
a
)
Background
No Longer Responding
75
80
85
90
95
100
105
110
2/17 4/8 5/28 7/17 9/5 10/25 12/14
Date
P
r
e
s
s
u
r
e

(
k
P
a
)
PZ-2:B
Background
165
170
175
180
185
190
195
200
2/17 4/8 5/28 7/17 9/5 10/25 12/14
Date
P
r
e
s
s
u
r
e

(
k
P
a
)
PZ-2:C
Background
215
220
225
230
235
240
245
250
2/17 4/8 5/28 7/17 9/5 10/25 12/14
Date
P
r
e
s
u
r
e

(
k
P
a
)
PZ-2:D
Background
Constant Cv Model
Pore Pressure Response Using Single Layer Theory
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200
Excess Pore Pressure (psf)
D
e
p
t
h
(
f
e
e
t
)
0.0
1250.0
2500.0
5000.0
10000.0
20000.0
40000.0
75000.0
Time (days)
Initial Instantaneous Loading
Multilayer
Model Indicates
Quicker Dissipation
Range of C
v
(after U.S. Dept. of Navy)
Provided by
consolidation test and
varies with pressure.
Use pressure at
effective stress.
T Versus %U
T
v
t
4
U%
100
|

\
|
|
.
2
:=
U%
T
v
1.781 0.933log 100 U% ( ) := U%
For U= 0 to 60%
For U>60%
Time factor against
average degree of
consolidation (Au0
= constant)
T
v
t
4
U%
100
|

\
|
|
.
2

(
(

1
U%
100
|

\
|
|
.
5.6

(
(

0.357
:=
U%
For U = 0 to 100%
0 to 60% 60 to 100%
Time for Compression
Tv
Cv t
.
( )
H
2
Cv Cv
t Tv
H
2
Cv
.
Tv Tv
Typical client wants to know how long
he has to wait before starting construction.
For U% = 90% Tv = 0.849
With H = 10 feet & double drainage
H/2 = 5 feet
Cv = 0.2 ft
2
/day
t= 0.849(5)
2
/0.2 = 106 days
For single drainage H=10 feet
t = 0.849(10)
2
/0.2 = 424.5 days
Ramp or Construction Loading
A new layer of structural fill or building
structure cannot be loaded instantaneously
on the ground.
For this reason, the increase in loading
gradually rises to the maximum load.
This gives time for excess pore water pressure
to begin dissipating.
One-dimensional consolidation
due to single ramp loading
Pore pressure is both building
and dissipating at the same time until tc.
Ramp Loading Parameters
T
c
t
c
H
2
.
C
v
Where do we get t
c
? Construction Schedule.
Remember double
or single drainage
Olsons ramp-loading solution
plot of U vs. T
v
or
(Eqs. 1.78 and
1.79)
Interpolate
between lines
Ramp Loading
T
c
t
c
H
2
.
C
v
With H = 10 feet & double
drainage H/2 = 5 feet
Cv = 0.2 ft
2
/day
tc = 15 days, what %U at 50 days
Tc = 0.2(15/(5)
2
) = 0.12
Tv = 0.2(50/(5)
2
) = 0.4
From chart U% = 65%.
Shear Strength
S=c+otan(o)
Unconfined Compression Tests
Direct Shear Tests
Triaxial Shear Tests
Unconsolidated Undrained (UU) Au=0
Consolidated Undrained w/PPM (CU)
Consolidated Drained (CD)
Shear Strength Tests
Drained Strength typically > Undrained Strength
Direct Shear Test in Sand
(a) schematic diagram of test equipment; (b) plot of test
results to obtain the friction angle o
Relative density and o
(modified from
U.S. Dept. of the
Navy, 1971)
Coarse
Grained Soils
Triaxial test
Sequences of stress application
in triaxial test
Unconfined Compression Test
(a) soil specimen;
(b) Mohrs circle for the
test; (c) variation of
q
u
with the degree of
saturation
S
u
= c
u
= q
u
/2
Triaxial Compression Test in
Progress (courtesy of Engineering & Testing Consultants, Inc.)
Variation of | with void ratio (after
Vesic, 1963)
for Chattachoochee River
sand
2 effective stress ranges
As void ratio increases, o
decreases
Variation of | with plasticity
index
(after Bjerrum and Simons, 1960)
o = 0.0011PI
2
- 0.2603PI + 35.975
Note scatter
Deviator stress vs. axial
strain-drained triaxial test
Strain Softening
Peak- and residual-strength
envelopes for clay
Variation of |
r
with CF
(Note: pa =
atmospheric
pressure)
Empirical Relationships for Cu
Variation of |
r
with liquid limit
for some clays
(after Stark,
1995)
Variation With Depth - Clay Deposit
In normally
consolidated clays
undrained shear strength
increases almost linearly
with effective overburden
pressure
S
u
/o ratio
S
u
/o Relationships
(
(
NC
(
(
NC
(
(
OC
OCR
0.8

A
o
1
C
s
C
c
:=
Use consolidated-undrained triaxial tests at different levels
of stress to determine Su/o ratio. Can be estimated by:
Pore Pressure Parameter
A
o
Critical State
Varies with Soil
Variation of c
u
/o
0
with liquidity
index
LI = (w-PL)/PI
(based on
Bjerrum and
Simons
1960)
C / = 0.0074LI - 0.0706 LI + 0.2547LI - 0.4258LI + 0.403 u o o
4 3 2
Homework
CE 430
1.11
1.12
1.13
1.15 (Cc=0.288)
CE 530
All of CE 430 plus
1.19
1.21
From Chapter 1
Read Chapter 2, Starting reading Interpretation of
Soil Properties on Web Site