Study and Analysis of Types of Foundation and Design Construction

Abstract

Lower base of a structure is a very supreme part as it links the main body superstructure to the earth. That lower base is known as Foundation. In this paper we are going to discuss about the types of foundations used in construction industry, there design and also which alternative materials we can utilize as foundation material which can make it more firm, durable and ecofriendly. When it comes to built a structure it is very crucial to construct a firm base which holds the superstructure in all climatic conditions without collapsing or decaying. It is very important to know which type of foundation is essential to use in a particular superstructure, which materials are more suitable, which designs should be used. If any inappropriate material is used for foundation of structure then high risk is involved of collapsing of the structure. Different types of foundation base are utilized in different types of structures, each one of them has a unique design and specific configuration which makes a particular structure more durable and firm. A different foundation type is used in bungalows and in high rise buildings. In short this study presents the foundation types, which type is used for which superstructure, which design is suitable and more precisely we will be discussing about how we can make the foundation base ecofriendly, cost efficient and more durable and strong to withstand the natural calamities.

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Study and Analysis of Types of Foundation and Design Construction
Jayesh Magar1, Adit Kudtarkar2, Jayant Pachpohe3, Pranav Nagargoje4
1-4Student, Department of Civil Engineering, Datta Meghe College of Engineering, Airoli, Navi Mumbai
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Abstract – Lower base of a structure is a very supreme
part as it links the main body superstructure to the earth.
That lower base is known as Foundation. In this paper we
are going to discuss about the types of foundations used in
construction industry, there design and also which
alternative materials we can utilize as foundation
material which can make it more firm, durable and
ecofriendly. When it comes to built a structure it is very
crucial to construct a firm base which holds the
superstructure in all climatic conditions without
collapsing or decaying. It is very important to know which
type of foundation is essential to use in a particular
superstructure, which materials are more suitable, which
designs should be used. If any inappropriate material is
used for foundation of structure then high risk is involved
of collapsing of the structure. Different types of foundation
base are utilized in different types of structures, each one
of them has a unique design and specific configuration
which makes a particular structure more durable and
firm. A different foundation type is used in bungalows and
in high rise buildings. In short this study presents the
foundation types, which type is used for which
superstructure, which design is suitable and more
precisely we will be discussing about how we can make the
foundation base ecofriendly, cost efficient and more
durable and strong to withstand the natural calamities.
Key Words: foundation, superstructure, design,
durable, ecofriendly, base, collapsing.
1. INTRODUCTION
Construction is a very oldest human activity. Knowledge
of deep founding was possessed more than 12000 years
ago in Switzerland by Neolithic inhabitants. They
constructed their home on a long wooden piles, high
above dangerous animals and hostile neighbors driven
into the soft bottoms of shallow lakes. Many years later,
the Babylonians which are found on the deep alluvium
settled themselves under the weight of the construction.
Biggest development in foundation engineering took
place in ancient Rome, where certain rules were
imposed and pozzolanic concrete was used. In later
years many buildings collapsed because of wars
earthquakes and natural calamities and those which
survived suffer from cracks and other problems. From
that period it became very important to have strong
foundation.
Construction of any structure starts with the built up of
foundation base which holds the weight of all beams,
columns, walls, slab, and other household materials.
Hence having a strong and solid base is must.
Foundation is basically classified into two major
category which is further sub divided into number of
categories based on the type of structure to be
implemented. For low rise houses and bungalows
shallow foundation is used and for high rise building and
houses deep foundation is used. The classification
diagram is shown below for better understanding of the
types of foundation. Every foundation has different type
of footing. Not only on ground but underground
foundation is also exists which has a total different type
of construction methodology. Each foundation type has a
unique equation which helps us to design the foundation
on field. For some foundation the underground depth is
3m while for some the underground depth is 10m and
more as it depends upon the height of the structure. Also
a thorough understanding of ground and soil condition is
must for construction of foundation as it plays a major
role in understanding the behavior of the structure,
which materials should be used and also will the
structure stand firm for longer time or not. So before
constructing any foundation it is very important to study
the soil type of the ground and also to check if the area is
an earthquake prone zone or not.
2. TYPES OF FOUNDATION
Foundation is basically classified into two major types
such as:
2.1 SHALLOW FOUNDATION
It is a type of foundation which transfers the structural
load to the earth surface which is very close to the earth.
The depth of the ground in shallow foundation varies
from 1.5m to 3m. Shallow foundation is later divided
into three major types such as:
2.1.1 SPREAD FOOTING FOUNDATION
Spread footing is generally used in residential building,
has a wider bottom portion as compared to the load
bearing foundation walls it supports. This wider bottom
portion spreads the weight of the structure over more
area to achieve more stability. The layout and design of
the spread footing foundation is controlled by some
factors, such as the weight of the superstructure it must
support, penetration of soft near surface layers and

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penetration through near surface layers which are likely
to change volume due to shrink swell or frost heave.
This type of footing is basically used to construct
basements in residential buildings. Spread footing
behaves like an inverted cantilever with load applied in
the upward direction. Builders and civil engineers prefer
spread footing as it beneficial, as it helps transfer the
load to the ground surface making it an excellent
solution for stabilizing weak soil. Benefits of spread
footing are it reduces the cracking caused by settlement,
cost efficient in design, construction and quality control,
and stabilize the soil around the structural base, less
complicated procedure. Spread footing is further divided
into two sub categories such as
2.1.1.1 PAD FOUNDATION
Pad foundation is a sub category of shallow foundation
which settles and spreads over the soil safely. If the soil
at the site has sufficient strength and is not too deep
them Pad foundation is preferred. Thickness of pad
foundation is generally uniform. Pad foundation spreads
safely over the concentrated load to the bearing stratum.
Hence the design of the foundation should be stiff so that
uniform spreading of load to the soil takes place without
making the foundation pressure exceed the permissible
bearing stress. This is achieved by making the pad deep
or by reinforcing the pad as both the techniques helps to
spread the force in a predefined angle.
The angle of spreading is calculated by the bearing
capacity of the underlying soil and concrete strength.
Size of the pad should be design such that the tension
inside the concrete should be prevented; as a result no
cracking will take place which will result in failure. The
arrangement of pad foundation mainly depends on load
bearing capacity of the soil, available space, imposed
loads and the structure to be supported. Materials that
can be used in pad foundation are reinforcement and
cast in – situ concrete (OPC or SRPC).
ADVANTAGES OF PAD FOUNDATION
 Can be designed to accommodate tight sites
 Reinforcement for tension and shear can be
added.
 Economic due to control of foundation size.
 Shallow form of foundation needs little
excavation.
DISADVANTAGES OF PAD FOUNDATION
 Foundation size can be a very large to cope with
high point loads.
 Limited foundation suitability to point loads of
framed buildings.
 Separate foundations make this design weak
against differential settlement that may affect
the building.
 Deep excavations for foundations would require
support to prevent caving in.
 Weak against uplift forces, wind forces and
earthquake forces.
Fig 1: Pad foundation
2.1.1.2 STRIP FOUNDATION
Strip foundation which is also called as strip footing
which is sub category of shallow foundation are use
to provide continuous level or stepped strip of
support to a linear structure for example walls or
closely spaced rows or columns built in centre above
them. Strip foundations can be done in mostly all sub
soils, but a soil of good bearing capacity is suitable.
This type of foundation is generally used for the
construction of medium or low rise domestic
buildings.
The underside of strip footing should be deep so that
frost action does not take place. The position and
size of strip foundation depends upon the overall
width of the wall. The old or traditional strip
foundation is basically equal or greater than overall
wall width and also the foundation width is three
times the width of the supported wall.

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Fig 2: strip foundation
ADVANTAGES OF STRIP FOUNDATIONS:
 Ability to withstand great loads.
 They have subtypes from which you can choose
the one you need for particular purposes.
 The price is much lower than that of cast-in-situ
structures, although strip foundations are not
inferior to them in strength.
 Easy to build, no special training requirements
for personnel.
 Very long service life.
 You can insulate the floors much better if you
use a strip foundation.
DISADVANTAGES OF STRIP FOUNDATIONS:
 Not suitable for every soil type.
 You have to do the filling on a single go and the
amount of material to prepare for filling is a
problem.
 It is only suitable in low rise buildings.
2.1.2 COMBINED FOUNDATION
When two or more columns are close to each other and if
there foundation are overlapping then combined
foundation is constructed. Generally it is carried out on
fields which have low soil bearing capacity. It is very
economical when isolated footing columns are
constructed over it. Combined foundation is again sub
divided into three categories such as:
2.1.2.1 RECTANGULAR FOUNDATION
Rectangular footing is constructed when one of the
projections of footing is restricted or width of the footing
is restricted. In longitudinal direction, it acts as an
upward loaded beam spanning between columns and
cantilevering beyond.
Fig 3: Rectangular foundation
2.1.2.2 TRAPEZOIDAL FOUNDATION
In trapezoidal footing two columns carry unequal load
and the distance outside the column of the heaviest load
is limited. In such scenario using any other footing
method may result in resultant of load does not fall at
the middle length of footing. The solution to this problem
is using trapezoidal footing in such a way that the centre
of gravity of the footing lies under the resultant of the
loads. Trapezoidal footing is more economical than other
foundation types as it saves concrete. While designing
the foundation, the bending moments are critical at the
face of the column and the depth requirement reduces as
we go further away from it. As a result we should use
slope or else we will end up using more unnecessary
concrete. In colder regions where water freezes on
footing results in additional pressure crack formation in
the foundation(freezing and thawing effect), in such area
it is very necessary to give slope to the footing so that
water will slide over it causing no damage to the
foundation.

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Fig 4: Trapezoidal foundation
2.1.2.3 STRAP FOUNDATION
Strap footing is also known as cantilever footing. When
two columns having independent footing base,
connected by a beam is called as strap foundation. Strap
footing consists two or more columns footing connected
by concrete beam. Such type of footing distributes the
load of heavy or eccentrically loaded column footing to
adjacent footing. Strap footing works as a conjunction
with columns which are located along builder’s property
line or lot line. Main benefit of using strap footing is it
gives extra stability to the footing by sharing of loads.
Strap footing can also be used in soft soil as it avoids the
sinking of an individual footing. In strap footing the strap
is attached to the footing and column by the use of
dowels in such a way that the footing and the strap act as
unit. The footing is subjected to one way end.
Fig 5: Strap foundation
2.1.3 MAT OR RAFT FOUNDATION
Mat or raft foundation is a continuous slap resting on the
soil that extends over an entire footprint of the building,
thus supporting the building the building and
transferring its weight to the ground. Mat or raft footing
is basically a thick concrete slab reinforced with steel
that covers the entire contact area of the structure like a
thick floor. They are large concrete slabs which supports
a number of walls and columns. In this the foundations
are constructed by excavating soil in order to compact,
strong, undisturbed natural soil which is at least a few
feet’s below the ground level. This soil is stronger as
compared to the loose soil at the surface hence it is very
good for basements. Raft or mat foundation is required
in areas where soil has to support heavy structural loads
and has low bearing capacity.
Fig 6: Mat or Raft foundation

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ADVANTAGES OF MAT OR RAFT FOUNDATION
 It can be constructed in poor soil condition.
 It resists differential settlement.
 It distributes load over a larger area.
 It requires less earth excavation.
DISADVANTAGES OF MAT OR RAFT FOUNDATION
 It is prone to edge erosion.
 When subjected to concentrated load it requires
special measurements.
2.2 DEEP FOUNDATION
A deep foundation is a type of foundation that transfers
building loads to the earth. The depth of the ground in
deep foundation is above 3m. This is because; to
construct high rise buildings it is necessary to go deep
into the ground to provide necessary support to the
superstructure and protects it from collapsing. Deep
foundations are further classified into four sub
categories such as:
2.2.1 PILE FOUNDATION
Pile foundation is type of foundation in which columns of
small cylindrical diameter are driven or cast into the
ground. It is made up of concrete, timber or steel. This
type of foundation is basically used for bridge type of
construction. Pile foundation is done in the areas where
the upper layer of soil is compressible or weak. Pile
foundation is basically used when the soil below the
foundation does not have sufficient bearing capacity to
carry the weight of the structure into deep soil up to
hard strata.
Fig 7: Pile foundation
ADVANTAGES OF PILE FOUNDATION
 Initial cost is low.
 Easy to handle and construct.
 Best suitable for friction pipes.
DISADVANTAGES OF PILE FOUNDATION
 Vulnerable to damage.
 Vulnerable to decay.
 Its durability decreases if subject to wetting and
drying.
2.2.2 PIER FOUNDATION
It is also known as post foundation. Pier foundation is
basically a collection of large cylindrical diameter to up
hold the structure and transfer large super imposed load
to the firm strata below. It is placed few feet’s below the
ground. This is very convenient method as the materials
are easily available and the method is easy and requires
fewer amounts of materials and labors. It is also very
cost efficient. It is preferred in locations where the top
strata consist of decomposed rock overlying strata of
sound rock.
Fig 8: Pier foundation

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ADVANTAGES OF PIER FOUNDATION
 Wide range of varieties in terms of design.
 Its bearing capacity can be increased ny under
reaming the bottom.
 It is cost efficient and time efficient as it does
not needs extensive excavation.
DISADVANTAGES OF PIER FOUNDATION
 Moisture problems and rain accumulation.
 Creaking sagging and bouncy floors.
 Poor ventilation.
2.2.3 COMPENSATED FOUNDATION
Compensated foundation works on the principle that if
the load of the excavated material is equal to the weight
of the building added then no additional stresses is
applied on the soil. It is also called as floating foundation.
Compensated foundation consists of deep basements
which are used to support high rise buildings and
swimming pools, in which large amount of material is
excavated. It is a very convenient method of construction
as it has minimal impact on adjacent structure.
Fig 9: compensated foundation
ADVANTAGES OF COMPENSATED FOUNDATION
 Simple to construct with minimal impact and
disturbance to neighbors.
 Consolidation settlement is eliminated or
controlled.
 It provides protection to rising damp, drainage,
and thermal insulation.
DISADVANTAGES OF COMPENSATED FOUNDATION
 Comparatively primitive technology.
 Lesser options for design.
 No underground access for utility lines.
2.2.4 CAISSON FOUNDATION
The origin of word caisson is from a Latin word caspa
which means case or box. Caissons are basically water
tight structures build in connection with the excavation
for the foundation of piers, bridges, foreshore protection,
abutments in river and lakes dock structure, etc. it can
be made of reinforcement concrete, wood, steel etc. It is
used to construct foundation when the depth of the
water level in the river and sea is high. It is build in the
areas where the soil contains large boulders, which
obstruct the penetration of piles.
Fig 10: Caisson foundation
ADVANTAGES OF CAISSON FOUNDATION
 Economic and environment friendly.
 Less sound pollution and reduced vibration.
 Suitable for variable underwater soil condition.
 Less handling equipments required.
DISADVANTAGES OF CAISSON FOUNDATION
 Extremely sensitive and problematic.
 Not a good option for polluted sites.
 Only skilled labors required.

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3. CONCLUSION
All the different types of foundation and footing types
have a specific use in a specific area for a particular
weather condition. It is very important to know the
foundation work to carry out construction activities.
This is the very first and foremost step carried out to
build any superstructure. The main objective of this
article is to provide detailed and collective information
about the types of foundation, there advantages and
disadvantages, suitable conditions, design construction.
All the major types of foundation are covered in this
article to give an overview about various types of
foundation.
4. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to express our special thanks of gratitude
to our project guide and our mentor Prof. Nitin S. Kapse
for their guidance and support in completing our project.
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