Every Building consists of two basic components:I)

II)

Substructure or foundation
Superstructure

The superstructure is usually a part of the building which is above ground .the substructure is the lower portion of
the building usually located below ground level which the load of the superstructure to the sub soil foundation is
the part of the structure which is direct conduct with the ground which the loads are transmitted. The soil which is
located immediately below the base of the foundation is called the sub soil or foundation soil.
The basic function of foundation is to transmit the dead load super-imposed loads and wind loads from building
to the soil. When loads are transmitted to the sub soil it settles. If this settlement is slide and uniform throughout
no damage will be cost to the building. But if the settlement, If the settlements is excessive or unequal serious
damage may result in the form of cracked walls distorted door and window openings cracked lintels walls thrown
out of plumb etc.
The foundation is most important part of a building. A foundation should be sufficiently strong to prevent
excessive settlement as well as unequal settlements. Unequal settlements or differential settlements may be
caused by.
i) Weak Sub-soil as made up ground
ii) Shrinkable and expensive soils (such as clay)
iii) Frost action
iv) Movement of ground water
v) Slow consolidation of saturated clay
vi) Slipping of strata on sloping site.

Foundation may be broadly classified under two heads:-

a) Shallow Foundation.
b) Deep Foundation.

Shallow Foundation :According to Terzaghi a foundation is shallow if its depth is equal to or less than its width . A shallow foundation
is also known as an open foundation, since such foundation is constructed by open excavation. A shallow
foundation is placed immediately below the lowest part of the super structure supported by it .

TYPES OF SHALLOW FOUNDATION :i)

ii)
iii)
iv)
v)

Strip Footing
Spread Footing
Combined Footing
Strap Footing
Mat Footing

In our side they use shallow foundation i.e. Continuous Footing which have 1.5 m depth from
ground level.

DEEP FOUNDATION:-

In which the depth of the foundation is very large in comparison to its width. Deep foundation are not
constructed by ordinary methods of open pit excavations.

Types of Deep Foundation:i)

ii)
iii)

Pile Foundation.
Coffer Dams.
Caisson.

DEFINATION:Foundation is the lowest part of a structure which provides a base for the super structure proper.

Purpose of foundation:It is misunderstood that the foundation is provided to support the load of the structure. In fact it is a device to
transmit the loads on the structure including the dead weight of the structure itself to the soil below.
Foundation is provided for the following four main purposes:
i)

To distribute the weight of the structure over the large area so as to avoid over loading of the soil
beneath.

ii)

To load the sub stratum evenly and thus prevent unequal settlement.

iii)

To provide a level surface for building operations.

iv)

To take the structure deep into the ground and thus increase its stability, preventing overturning.

LOADINGS
There are three main types of load:
1. Dead loads are the static or constant weight of the structure made up from the walls, oors, roof,
etc.
2 .Live loads (also known as imposed loads) such as furniture, goods and people, are movable. In
addition there are variable loads caused by the weather, such as snow and rain.
3 Wind loads can be positive or negative. They are not dead or imposed and therefore require specic
consideration.
Loads can be calculated and expressed as a force (weight) that is to be transferred onto the substrata.

TYPES OF FOUNDATION:-

Foundations can be broadly classified into two types:

SHALLOW FOUNDATION:When the foundation is placed immediately beneath the lowest part of the super structure, it is termed as super
structure. The object of this type of foundation is to distribute the structural loads over a wide horizontal area at
shallow depth below the ground level i.e, if B is the width of foundation and Df is the depth of foundation then
according to Terzaghis

Df /B

Footings are structural members, made of brick work, masonry or concrete, that are used to transmit the load of
the wall or column such that the load is distributed over a large area.

Types of Shallow Foundation:-

Strip Footing:-

A strip footing is provided for a load bearing wall and also for a row of columns which are so closely spaced that
there spread footings overlap or nearly touch each other. A strip footing is also known as Continuous Footing.

In our project site (i.e. Circuit House) Continuous Footing are used.

EXCAVATION :Excavation was carried out both manually as well as mechanically normally1-2 earth excavators
(JCBs)where used for excavation the soil. Adequate precautions are taken to see that the
excavation operation do not damage the ad dressing of excavation bottom. The soil present
beneath surface was too clayey so it was dumped and was not used for back filling. The filling is
done in layer not exceeding 20cm layer and than its compacted. Depth of excavation was 1.5m
from ground level.

PCC (Plain Cement concrete)

After the process of excavation ,laying of plain cement concrete that is PCC is done .A layer of 4inches was
made in such a manner that it was not mixed the soil .It provides a solid base for the raft foundation and a mix of
1:5:10 that is 1 part of cement to 5 parts of fine aggregates and 10 parts of coarse aggregates by volume were
used in it .Plain concrete is vibrate to achieve full compaction .Concrete placed below ground should be protected
from filling earth during and after placing .Concrete placed in ground containing deleterious substances should be
kept free contact with such a ground and with water draining there from during placing and for period of seven
days When joint in a layer of concrete are unavoidable ,and end is sloped at an angle of 30 and junctions of
different layers break joint in laying upper layer of concrete .The lower surface is made rough and clean watered
before upper layer is end.

LAYING OF FOUNDATION

At our site raft foundation are used to spread the load from a structure over a large area normally the entire area
of the structure. Normally raft foundation is used when large load is to be distributed and it is not possible to
provide individual footings due to space constraints that is they would overlap on each other. Raft foundation
have the advantage of reducing differential settlement as the concrete slab resists differential movements between
loading position. There often needed on soft of loose soil with low bearing capacity as they can spread the loads
over a larger area. In laying raft foundation of, special care is taken in the reinforcement and construction of
plinth beams and columns. Which is the main portion ultimately whole of the structure is to cum. So a slightest
error can cause huge problems and therefore all this is checked and passed by the engineer in charge of the site.

SPREAD FOOTING:A spread or isolated or pad footing is provided to support an individual column . A spread footing is circular ,
square or rectangular slab of uniform thickness. Sometimes it is stepped or haunched to spread the load over a
large area.

COMBINED FOOTING:-

A combined footing is the one which supports two columns. If the footing supports more than two columns, it is
known as a continuous footing. A combined footing is provided under the following circumstances:
i) When the columns are very near to each other so that their footings overlap.
ii) When the bearing capacity of the soil is less , requiring more area under individual footing.
iii) When the end column is near a property line so that its footing cannot spread in that direction.

A combined footing may be rectangular or trapezoidal in plan. The aim is to get uniform pressure distribution
under the footing.

STRAP FOOTING:A strap (or cantilever) footing consists of two isolated footings connected with a structural strap or a lever. The
strap connects the two footing s such that they behave as one unit. When the allowable soil pressure is relatively
high and the distance between the columns is large in that situation we preferred strap footing instead of
combined footing.

Mat or Raft footing:A mat or raft foundation is a large slab supporting a number of columns and walls under the entire structure or a
large part of the structure. A mat is required when the allowable soil pressure is low or where the columns and
walls are so close that individual footings would overlap.
Raft foundation consists of thick reinforced concrete slab covering the entire area of the bottom of the structure
like a floor . The slab is reinforced

DEEP FOUNDATION:-

When the soil at or near the ground surface is not capable of supporting a structure, deep foundation are required
to transfer the loads to deeper strata. Deep foundation are ,therefore, used when surface soil is unsuitable for
shallow foundation, and a firm strata is so deep that it cannot be reached economically by shallow foundation.
Deep foundation are those in which the depth of foundation is very large in comparison to its width. i.e, if B is

the width foundation and Df is the depth of foundation then according to Terzaghis

Df /B

Types of Deep Foundation:-

PILE FOUNDATION:-

Pile foundation is generally used when simple spread foundation at a suitable depth is not possible either because
the stratum of required bearing capacity bearing capacity is at a greater depth or steep slopes are encountered. In
compressible soil or water-logged soil or soil of made-up type , piles are used with advantage for providing safe
foundation for any type of structure . Piles are used for foundation for buildings , trestles, bridges of structure.

COFFER DAMS:-

A cofferdam may be defined as a temporary structure constructed in a river or a lake or any other water-bearing
surface for excluding water from a given site to enable the building the operation to be performed on dry surface.
During the construction period, a certain amount of pumping is constantly needed because some water will leak
through the coffer dam and the foundation. A coffer dam may be made of earth materials, timber or steel sheet
piling or a combination thereof.

CAISSONS:-

The term Caisson is derived from French word caisse meaning a chest or box. A caisson may be defined as a
watertight structure made up of wood, steel or reinforcement concrete, constructed in connection with excavation
for foundation of bridges, piers, abutments in rivers and lakes, dock structure for shore protection, break waters,
lamp house etc. The caisson remain in its position and ultimately becomes an integral part of the permanent
structure.