A.P.
SATASHIA
CIVIL DEPT., SSASIT
SURAT
When the depth of the foundation is equal to or
less than the width of the foundation, than it is
called as shallow foundation.
Advantages:
a) Cost (affordable)
b) Construction Procedure (simple)
c) Material (mostly concrete)
d) Labour (doesn’t need expertise)
Shallow Foundation
i) Spread Footing
ii) Combined Footing
iii) Mat / Raft Footing
iv) Strap Footing
It’s an enlargement at the bottom of a column/
bearing wall that spreads the applied structural
loads over a sufficiently large soil area.
Each column & each bearing wall has its own
spread footing, so each structure may include
dozens of individual footings.
The spread footings may be following kinds:
1. Single footing for a column
2. Stepped footing for a column
3. Slopped footing (trapezoidal) for a column
4. Wall footing without step
5. Stepped footing for wall
6. Grillage footing
SINGLE FOOTING:
Either known as the Isolated footing or Pad footing
In framed structures where several columns are to
be constructed, isolated footings can be adopted.
The columns involved can be provided with masonry
or concrete footing.
If masonry footing is provided, steps are given and
the foundation area is thus increased so that the
stresses developed at the base is within the limit.
In case of masonry footing, the projection of each
step must be ½ brick thick and each step is made of
1 or 2 bricks put together.
Concrete can be moulded to any shape and hence a
concrete footing may be a sloping one to provide
sufficient spread.
Continuous Spread Footings / Strip Foundation:
- Used to support bearing walls
GRILLAGE FOUNDATION:
A grillage foundation is generally provided when a
soil having poor or low bearing capacity of soil.
It is lighter and more economical.
It can be divided in to two categories:
1. Steel grillage
2. Wooden grillage
Method of construction for Steel Grillage Foundation:
i. For constructing steel grillage foundation, a trench is
excavated to the calculated width and about 0.90 m – 1.50
m deep. Bottom of the trench is rammed and levelled.
ii. Then a layer of lean cement concrete ( 1: 8 : 16 ), about
30cm thick, is laid and compacted.
iii. After this, a layer of rich cement concrete (1: 2 :4 ), about
15cm thick is spread and compacted to form a concrete
bed.
iv. Over the concrete bed thus prepared, the bottom tier
consisting of a number of steel I – beams of designed
dimensions are placed at specified distance apart, using
spacer bars. The space in between and around the steel
beams is then filled with cement concrete.
v. The entire space is then filled with cement concrete 1: 2 : 4.
On the grillage bed thus prepared, the structure in the
form of a steel stanchion, column, pier is built.
Method of construction for Timber Grillage Foundation:
i. Wooden planks, usually 5 to 8 cm in thickness, are laid
side by side longitudinally on the prepared bed of the
trench excavated for this purpose.
ii. The planks should be arranged in a width 45 to 60 cm
more on either side than the designed width of the base
course of the structure.
iii. On this bottom layer of planks, rectangular timber
sections of suitable size are laid at about 35 cm centre to
centre.
iv. Then a top layer of planks, usually 8 to 10 cm in
thickness, arranged side by side, in width equal to that of
the base course of the structure is to be built over it
v. On the timber platform thus prepared, the structure in the
form of a timber column or even a masonry wall is built.
A foundation system in which essentially the entire
building is placed on a large continuous footing.
It is a flat concrete slab, heavily reinforced with steel,
which carries the downward loads of the individual
columns or walls.
Raft foundations are used to spread the load from a
structure over a large area, normally the entire area of the
structure.
This type of foundation is useful for public buildings, office
buildings, school buildings, residential quarters etc, where
the ground conditions are very poor and bearing power of
the soil is so low that individual spread footing cannot be
provided.
Strap Footing:
A strap footing is one that usually supports two columns,
and therefore is a special type of combined footing.
If a property line exists at or near the edge of an exterior
column, an isolated footing would be placed eccentrically
under this column.
Overturning of the exterior footing is prevented by
connecting it with the adjacent interior footing by a strap
beam.
The use of a strap footing may be justifiable under
conditions where the distance between columns is large.
