Basics of Foundation Engineering
with Solved Problems
Based on “Principles of Foundation Engineering, 7th Edition”
Prepared By:
Ahmed S. Al-Agha
September -2015
, Being rich is not about how
much you have, but is about how
much you can give
, Chapter (2)
Subsoil Exploration
, Foundation Engineering Subsoil Exploration
Introduction:
The soil mechanics course reviewed the fundamental properties of soils and
their behavior under stress and strain in idealized conditions. In practice,
natural soil deposits are not homogeneous, elastic, or isotropic. In some
places, the stratification of soil deposits even may change greatly within a
horizontal distance of 15 to 30 m. For foundation design and construction
work, one must know the actual soil stratification at a given site, the
laboratory test results of the soil samples obtained from various depths, and
the observations made during the construction of other structures built under
similar conditions. For most major structures, adequate subsoil exploration
at the construction site must be conducted.
Definition:
The process of determining the layers of natural soil deposits that will
underlie a proposed structure and their physical properties is generally
referred to as subsurface exploration.
Purpose of Subsurface Exploration:
The purpose of subsurface exploration is to obtain information that will aid
the geotechnical engineer in:
1. Determining the nature of soil at the site and its stratification.
2. Selecting the type and depth of foundation suitable for a given structure.
3. Evaluating the load-bearing capacity of the foundation.
4. Estimating the probable settlement of a structure.
5. Determining potential foundation problems (e.g., expansive soil,
collapsible soil, sanitary landfill, etc...).
6. Determining the location of water table.
7. Determining the depth and nature of bedrock, if and when encountered.
8. Performing some in situ field tests, such as permeability tests, van shear
test, and standard penetration test.
9. Predicting the lateral earth pressure for structures such as retaining
walls, sheet pile, and braced cuts.
Page (1) Ahmed S. Al-Agha
with Solved Problems
Based on “Principles of Foundation Engineering, 7th Edition”
Prepared By:
Ahmed S. Al-Agha
September -2015
, Being rich is not about how
much you have, but is about how
much you can give
, Chapter (2)
Subsoil Exploration
, Foundation Engineering Subsoil Exploration
Introduction:
The soil mechanics course reviewed the fundamental properties of soils and
their behavior under stress and strain in idealized conditions. In practice,
natural soil deposits are not homogeneous, elastic, or isotropic. In some
places, the stratification of soil deposits even may change greatly within a
horizontal distance of 15 to 30 m. For foundation design and construction
work, one must know the actual soil stratification at a given site, the
laboratory test results of the soil samples obtained from various depths, and
the observations made during the construction of other structures built under
similar conditions. For most major structures, adequate subsoil exploration
at the construction site must be conducted.
Definition:
The process of determining the layers of natural soil deposits that will
underlie a proposed structure and their physical properties is generally
referred to as subsurface exploration.
Purpose of Subsurface Exploration:
The purpose of subsurface exploration is to obtain information that will aid
the geotechnical engineer in:
1. Determining the nature of soil at the site and its stratification.
2. Selecting the type and depth of foundation suitable for a given structure.
3. Evaluating the load-bearing capacity of the foundation.
4. Estimating the probable settlement of a structure.
5. Determining potential foundation problems (e.g., expansive soil,
collapsible soil, sanitary landfill, etc...).
6. Determining the location of water table.
7. Determining the depth and nature of bedrock, if and when encountered.
8. Performing some in situ field tests, such as permeability tests, van shear
test, and standard penetration test.
9. Predicting the lateral earth pressure for structures such as retaining
walls, sheet pile, and braced cuts.
Page (1) Ahmed S. Al-Agha
