Geotechnical Engineering A

11
Bearing Capacity
 Contents:
1. Bearing Capacity
2. Total and Effective Stress Parameters
3. Gross and Net Foundation Pressure
4. Bearing Capacity of Cohesive Soil
5. Bearing Capacity of Granular Soil
6. Allowable Bearing Capacity by Limiting Settlement
7. Some Special Cases
8. Typical Values of Allowable Bearing Pressure
 1. Bearing Capacity

Bearing capacity is the average contact

pressure between the footing and the soil
which will produce shear failure in the soil
divided by FOS (>3)
 2. Total or Effective Stress Parameters

Foundations on clay = Foundations on sand =

use undrained shear use drained shear
strength (total strength (effective
stress), low stress), high
permeability, permeability, drainage,
construction finished settlement and
before drainage has
strength increase
occurred, settlement
and strength increase finished by the end of
with time. construction.
3. Gross and Net Foundation Pressure

Gross (P) = total Net is the increase in

applied load divided pressure at foundation
by the area of level, therefore
foundation Net (PN)= gross
foundation pressure
effective overburden
pressure (Po)

PN= P- Po
Example 1: calculate the gross and net foundation pressures for the
1m x 2m foundation shown below
Total load including
footing 400kN

1m = 18kN/m3

1m = 20kN/m3

400kN
Gross 200kN / m 2
1m 2m

Po (1m 18kN / m 3 ) (1m 20kN / m 3 ) 38kN / m 2

Net = Gross - Po

Net = 200 38 = 162kN/m2

Example 2: Calculate the net foundation pressures for the foundation shown below
backfill= 930kN 2m
18kN/m3 Column load
Gross ( P )
soil= 0.8m area
PLAN 2.8m
19kN/m3
c= 25kN/m3 930
0.7m = 166.1kN/m2
2 2. 8
2m

Net foundation Pressure = Gross Effective overburden pressure

PN = P Po
Po1 = 1.5 x 19 = -28.5 kN/m2 Po2 = (0.8 x 18)+(0.7 x 25)= 31.9 kN/m2

0.8m backfill= 18kN/m3 0.8m

soil= 1.5m 1.5m
19kN/m 3 0.7m c= 25kN/m3 0.7m

PN = 166.1-28.5+31.9 = 169.5kN/m2
Net qult = bearing pressure at which the ground fails in shear

Net qsafe = safe bearing pressure

Net qsafe = Net qult/ FOS (normally between 2 & 3)

Net qa = allowable pressure taking into account

both bearing capacity and settlement
4. Bearing Capacity of Cohesive Soils
Total stress parameters

Net qult cu N c po N q 12 B N po

5. Bearing Capacity of Granular Soils

Effective stress parameters

Net qult c ' N c po N q 12 B ' N po

where: Net qult = Net ultimate bearing capacity

cu = Undrained cohesion of the soil
c = Effective (drained) cohesion
Nc, Nq and Ng = Bearing capacity factors taken from either the graph or
table
Po = Overburden pressure at foundation level
= Bulk unit weight of soil
= Submerged unit weight of soil
 Load Load Column Load
Pr essure Area Area
Area Pr essure Net qsafe

Column load = Area x Net qsafe

Nc, Nq, N = bearing capacity factors- functions of see table
 Shape Factors
Incorporated to account for three dimensional shearing at
ends of a square or rectangular foundations

Net qult c ' N c Sc po N q S q 12 B ' N S po

 Depth Factors
Incorporated the effect of shear strength in the soil above
foundation level

Net qult c ' N c Sc d c po N q S q d q 12 B ' N S d po

above foundation
foundation level level

Soil may be weak ie made ground no shear through made ground above
foundation level
In summer the soil may be fissured or cracked
Soil may be removed ie new house
 Eccentric & Inclined Loading
Horizontal loads, inclined loads and moments are treated as
single vertical loads placed at the eccentricity, e, from the
centre of the foundation e

foundation level

Net qult c ' N c Scic po N q S q ic 12 B ' N S ic po

 Effects of the water table (or)
foundation 1) Water table below Bm the foundation has
level no effect use bulk unit weight b
B Water table

foundation
level 2) Water table at foundation level use
Water table submerged unit weight sub or = b-w
Total stress - PWP = Effective stress Bulk unit weight unit weight of water (use
this in the third term of the bearing capacity
z z z equation since this gives effective stresses
zb zw z

3) Water table lies within Bm use linear

interpolation between sub and b but this will
foundation
level
B depend on the actual water level
Water table

4) Water table lies above foundation level

foundation use sub
level Water table
Example 3: A square foundation, 3.5 m wide, is founded at 2.5m below ground level in a stiff clay with
undrained shear strength of 125 kN/m2. Determine the net ultimate bearing capacity:
a) with the depth factors included
b) without the depth factors.

Undrained parameters with depth factors: NB always include

shape factors

Net qult cu N c Sc d c po N q S qd q 12 B N S d p0
u = 0 (undrained parameters)

Nc = 5.14 Nq = 1.0 N = 0

1
Sc 1 = 1.2
5.14

Sq 1 tan 0 = 1

S 0.6
 2.5 d 1.0
d c 1 0.4 = 1.29 d q 1.0
3.5
Net qult cu N c Sc d c po N q Sq d q 12 B N S d p0
N = 0

Net qult 125 5.14 1.2 1.29 po 1 1 1 0 p0

Net qult 994.6kN / m 2

b) without the depth factors.

Net qult cu N c Sc po N q Sq 12 B N S p0
N = 0

Net qult 125 5.14 1.2 po1 1 c 0 p0

Net qult 771.0kN / m 2

 qult is very sensitive to
Small increase in large increase in Nq
and N
Thus ultimate bearing capacity of
granular soils will be very high in most
cases calculate qult due to limiting
settlement:
6. Allowable bearing capacity by limiting settlement
Two method to calculate allowable bearing capacity by limiting settlement

or allowable bearing capacity calculated by assuming a settlement < 25mm.

SPT N corrected for effect overburden pressure using graph below.
Allowable bearing capacity is estimated from one of the three graphs below
7. Some Special Cases

Underlain by a weaker layer

load 30o foundation width
B => b at top of weak layer

Bearing Capacity in Chalk

8. Typical values of allowable bearing pressure
Bearing capacity
Q5.
A square foundation is to be designed to carry a uniformly distributed mass of 1525 Mg. This is to be
founded at a depth of 1.5 m in a clay, having a bulk unit weight of 18.5 kN/m3 and shear strength
parameters c = 26 kN/m2 and 30. If a factor of safety of 3 against failure is specified, determine the size
of the foundation given that Terzaghis equation for the ultimate bearing capacity of a square foundation is

where Nc, Nq and N are Terzaghis bearing capacity

q f qo ' coefficients (shown on Fig. 07)

qa qo q0 is the overburden pressure at the base of the foundation

B is the side length of the shallow square foundation
F is the bulk unit weight of the soil
qa is the presumed bearing value of the soil
F is the factor of safety
primes indicate effective parameters.

The water table is at great depth.

 B
Mass = 1525 Mg
14960 kN
weight = Mass x 9.81 qa
1.5m B 2 m2
weight = 14960.3kN
CLAY
= 18.5kN/m3
c =26kN/m2
=30o

= 30o
Nc= 30.1 Nq= 18.4 N= 15.1

qo= 1.5x18.5 = 27.75kN/m2

Nc= 30.1 Nq= 18.4 N= 15.1
 q f 782.6 510.6 111.7 B
q f 1293.2 111.7 B

q f qo ' 1293.2 111.7 B 27.75

qa qo qa 27.75
F 3
qa 431.1 37.2 B 9.25 27.75

qa 449.6 37.2 B
14960
qa
B2 14960
2
449.6 37.2B
B

14960 449.6 B 37.2 B

2 3 0 37.2 B 3 449.6 B 2 14960
 0 37.2 B 3 449.6 B 2 14960
Solve by trial and error or by Newton Raphson method
F ( B)
Using Newton Raphson method: Bn 1 Bn http://www.shodor.org/unchem/math/newton/
F '( B )

37.2 B 3 449.6 B 2 14960

Bn 1 Bn
111.6 B 2
899.2 B

37.2B3 =3x37.2B2 =111.6B2 449.6B2 =2x449.6B1 =899.2B

1) Let Bn = 2m
37.2 23 449.6 22 14960
Bn 1 2

111.6 2 2
899.2 2

12864 Bn 1 7.73
Bn 1 2
2244.8
2) Let Bn = 7.73m
2) Let Bn = 7.73m
37.2 7.733 449.6 7.732 14960
Bn 1 7.73

111 .6 7 .732
899. 2 7.73

29087.2 Bn 1 5.59
Bn 1 7.73
1361 9.2
3) Let Bn = 5.59m

37.2 5.593 449.6 5.592 14960

Bn 1 5.59

111.6 5 .59 2
899. 2 5.59

5587.1 Bn 1 4.93
Bn 1 5.59
8513.8
4) Let Bn = 4.93m
 4) Let Bn = 4.93m

37.2 4.933 449.6 4.932 7 14960

Bn 1 4.93

111 .6 4 .932
899.2 4.93

424.9 Bn 1 4.87
Bn 1 4.93
714 5.5
5) Let Bn = 4.87m

37.2 4.873 449.6 4.87 2 7 14960

Bn 1 4.87

111.6 4 .87 2
899.2 4.87

0.23 Bn 1 4.87
Bn 1 4.87
70 2 5.9

Assume foundation size of 4.9m x 4.9m >>> 5m x 5m