INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY MADRAS, CHENNAI

Department of Civil Engineering

CE 3350 Geotechnical Engineering
Assignment # 2: Shallow Foundations: BCP and Settlement
Note: Make suitable assumptions wherever necessary.
1. (a) What are the basic characteristics of the failure mechanisms in general shear failure, local
shear failure and punching shear failure?
(b) Why is more differential settlement allowed in clay than in sand?
(c) How does the construction period affect the time-rate of settlement of a structure? What is
the effective loading period?
(d) Differentiate between total settlement and differential settlement. What are the harmful
effects of differential settlement on structures? What are the possible remedial measures?
2. A chimney, with a rigid base 2.5 m square, is placed at a depth of 1 m below the ground
surface. The soil is clay with an unconfined compressive strength of 60 kPa and unit weight
of 20 kN/m3. The weight of the chimney is 60 kN. The chimney has a resultant wind load of
19.5 kN acting parallel to one of the sides of the chimney base at a height of 1.5 m above the
ground surface. Determine the factor of safety (FS) with respect to bearing capacity. Use
Meyerhof's recommendations.
3. A footing, 2 m square, rests on a soft clay soil with its base at a depth of 1.5 m from the ground
surface. The clay stratum is 3.5 m thick and is underlain by a firm sand stratum. The clay soil
has the following properties: LL = 30%; w n = 40%; G s = 2.70; u = 0; c u = 50 kPa. It is
known that the clay stratum is normally consolidated (NC). Using Skempton's equation,
determine the net safe bearing capacity of the footing. Compute the settlement that would
result if this load intensity were allowed to act on the footing. Natural water table is quite
close to the ground surface.
4. The following observations relate to a plate load test conducted on a 30 cm square test plate
placed at a depth of 1.5 m in a cohesionless soil deposit: (Note: 1 kg/cm2 100 kPa)
Intensity of load (kg/cm2)
0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
Settlement (mm)

2.0

4.0

7.0

11.0

16.0

23.0

32.0

45.0

Plot the load-settlement curve:

(a) Determine the allowable bearing pressure for a 2 m square footing for a minimum FS of
2.5 with respect to shear failure and a maximum permissible settlement 25 mm. Water table
is at a depth of 2 m below the ground surface. What will be the actual factor of safety with
respect to shear failure at the allowable bearing pressure?
(b) If the water table reaches up to the ground surface due to unanticipated reasons, what will be
the new value of FS? What settlement can be expected now?
5. A raft 10 m 20 m is placed at a depth of 3 m on a clay soil with the following properties: c u
= 80 kPa, u = 0 and = 18 kN/m3. Determine the FS available against shear failure, if the
raft, the structure and the live loads that it will carry are expected to exert a pressure of 200
kN/m2. There is a provision for the basement floor. Use Skempton's equation.
6. (a) A square column foundation has to carry a gross allowable load of 1805 kN (FS = 3.0).
Given: D f = 1.5 m, = 15.9 kN/m3 = 34 and c = 0. Use Terzaghis equation to determine
the size of the foundation (B). Assume general shear failure.
(b) Write short notes on the following: (i) Tolerable settlement of buildings, (ii) Contact
pressure distribution, and (iii) Trapezoidal combined footing.
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8. Proportion a rectangular combined footing for uniform pressure under dead load (DL) plus
reduced live load (LL). Given: Allowable soil pressures: 150 kN/m2 for DL + reduced LL; 225
kN/m2 for DL + LL. Column loads: Column A: DL = 540 kN and LL = 400 kN ; Column B:
DL = 690 kN and 810 kN. The centre to centre distance between columns = 5.4 m. Projection
of footing beyond Column A = 0.5 m.
9. A raft, 9 m 27 m, is founded at a depth of 3 m in sand with a value of N = 25 up to great
depth. Determine the total load which the raft can support. If the raft is designed as a floating
foundation, what will be the load it can support?
10.

11. A 2 m 4 m rectangular foundation, based 0.9 m below the surface, supports a column load
of 1000 kN (including self-weight) and a moment of 500 kNm, as shown.
Estimate the bearing capacity of the
clay, at factor of safety of 3, and
state whether it is overstressed or
not. Apply Terzaghis bearing
capacity factors.

12. A load of 425 kN/m is carried on a strip footing 2 m wide at a depth of 1 m in a stiff clay of
saturated unit weight 21 kN/m3, the water table being at ground level. Determine the factor of
safety with respect to shear failure (a) when c u =105 kN/m2 and u = 0 (b) when c = 10
kN/m2 and = 28.
13. Determine the allowable load on a footing 4.50 m 2.25 m at a depth of 3.50 m in a stiff clay
if a factor of safety of 3 with respect to shear failure is specified. The saturated unit weight of
the clay is 20 kN/m3 and the relevant shear strength parameters are c u = 135 kN/m2 and u =
0.
14. A footing 4 m square is located at a depth of 1 m in a layer of saturated clay 13 m thick, the
water table being at ground level. The following parameters are known for the clay: c u = 100
kN/m2, u = 0, c = 15 kN/m2, = 27, mv = 0.065 m2/MN, A = 0.42, sat = 21 kN/m3.
Determine the allowable bearing capacity if the factor of safety with respect to shear failure is
not to be less than 3 and if the maximum consolidation settlement is to be limited to 30 mm.
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