University of California, Davis

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

ECI-173 Foundation Design
MEMORANDUM
TO:
FR:

ECI-173 Students
R. W. Boulanger

SUBJECT:

Date: January 9, 2016

Assignment No. 1 (Due by 12 pm noon Friday, January 15)

Question 1:
Review the boring log legend sheet and boring logs for our project and watch the video, "An Introduction to Drilling and
Sampling in Geotechnical Practice," which can be found on YouTube (link provided on home page).
(a) What was the drilling method used at our project site, and why might it have been chosen over alternative methods?
(b) What types of samplers were used to obtain soil samples, and how would they compare in terms of the amount of sample
disturbance that they cause?
(c) How do the procedures used to perform the SPT tests differ from what would be considered preferred standard
procedures, as far as you can tell?
(d) Why are some of the reported blow counts only given for a few inches? Why would the engineer stop the test before
driving the full penetration length? Can the engineer still determine what they need to know?
(e) The water table is not always indicated on the logs. Explain why the field engineer might not have obtained, or been able
to obtain, this information with the procedures used at our site.
(f) The logs sometimes show a contact/transition between soil types at a depth that is intermediate to the sampling intervals
(e.g., between samples 11 and 12 in boring 1). How would the engineer know the depth at which such a contact/transition
occurred without having obtained a soil sample at that depth?
(a) Rotary wash drilling was used for the borings. Auger drilling becomes more difficult at greater depths, especially in stiffer
soils, because they develop considerable frictional resistance along the auger that requires more torque at the ground
surface and slows progress. Rotary wash drilling is well suited for drilling deeper holes in these types of soils the hole
will remain stable and the drilling bits/effort can be adapted to advance through any harder gravelly layers that might
obstruct an auger, for example. Auger drilling has been used at nearby sites in setting observation wells because the holes
were not as deep and the whole is "cleaner" (i.e., as opposed to the use of bentonite mud in the rotary wash borings) for
installing an observation well (or piezometer) in.
(b) They used two types of drive samplers (standard split spoon and modified California) and a double-barrel Pitcher coring
sampler (a thin-walled tube sampler). The drive samplers are thick-walled and will greatly disturb the soil samples; this
does not matter for classification tests (which remold the soil anyway), but is important if the samples are used for strength
or consolidation testing. The Pitcher sampler uses a combination of coring and pushing to obtain relatively high-quality
samples in a thin-walled tube; these samples are better suited for testing of strength or consolidation properties.
(c) "Penetration" tests were performed with both a standard split spoon sampler and a modified California sampler. The
recorded blow counts for these two different samplers will be systematically different, and so they are often best plotted
separately (or with separate symbols) to see these differences. The blow counts from the modified California sampler are
not "standard" SPT N values.
The logs show they otherwise largely used the "standard" drilling technique (rotary wash), borehole diameter, hammer
weight, and hammer drop height. The logs do not provide information on other details like the use of sampler liners (or
not), hammer type or efficiency, rate of hammer blows, or drill bit type. Thus, it appears that the SPT tests with the
standard split spoons were close to the appropriate standards, although there are details that we would want confirmed if
we were concerned about the test accuracy (e.g., which we might for an evaluation of earthquake-induced liquefaction).
For our project, the procedures that were followed are reasonable, as we will discuss later in the course.
(d) Once the blow count gets large enough to demonstrate that the soil is either very dense or very hard, especially relative to
the other soils that were encountered, the engineer may decide to stop the test before the full sampler penetration has been
achieved. This is just to save time. Some penetration is still desired for obtaining at least some soil sample for
classification purposes.
(e) The rotary wash drilling technique, with its drilling mud, would mask the water table when it was encountered. After the
borehole was completed, a piezometer could be installed for later measurements of the water table elevation, but this was
not necessary because they already have, or were going to have, information from other nearby borings and piezometers.
(f) A contact/transition between soil types may be identified without taking a sample if the driller/engineer observes: changes
in color and consistency of the drilling mud; changes in the cuttings (soil particles) in the drilling mud; sudden loss of
drilling fluid; or changes in the drill rig effort or advancement rate.

Question 2:
Refer to the project site data and background geology reports at the course web site.
(a) Locate the grain size distribution for sample 5 from boring 3. Determine the percentages that were gravel sized, sand
sized, or fines sized (clay or silt). Provide the USCS classification for the sample based on this lab data and its visual
description on the boring logs.
(b) Locate the grain size distribution for sample 16 from boring 2. Determine the percentages that were gravel sized, sand
sized, or fines sized (clay or silt). Provide the USCS classification for the sample based on this lab data and its visual
description on the boring logs.
(c) Estimate the void ratio and total unit weight for sample 13 from boring 1.
(d) What formation do you expect near the ground surface at our project site based on the surficial geology map from the
USGS? How was this formation deposited, how old is it (in years), and what soil types is it primarily composed of?
(e) Do the boring logs at our site encounter the surface formation shown on the surficial geology map (as identified in d)? If
yes, how deep might this formation extend in each of the available borings?
(f) Trask and Rolston (1951) describe "erosional unconformity" features between some of the primary units. What is the
geologic meaning of this term (a web search may be in order)? How might the erosional unconformity features described
by Trask and Rolston complicate the ability to relate subsurface stratigraphy from one part of Oakland to another part of
Oakland?
Part (a): Sample 5 from boring 3 has 0% gravel, 89% sand, and 11% fines (passing #200 sieve) based on the grain size curve
in the data package. The stratum from which this sample was obtained is visually described as silty sand on the borehole logs.
This specific sample would therefore classify SP-SM because the fines content is between 5 and 15% and the fines were
visually described as silty. Note that if the logs had indicated the fines were clayey and called the soil "clayey sand", then the
soil would be classified as SP-SC.
Part (b): Sample 16 from boring 2 has 0% gravel, 58% sand, and 42% fines (passing #200 sieve) based on the grain size curve
in the data package. The stratum from which this sample was obtained is visually described as clayey sand on the borehole
logs. This specific sample would therefore classify SC because the fines content is between 12 and 50% and the fines were
visually described as clayey.
Part (c): There are three ways you could obtain the void ratio. First, the boring log lists the water content as 29% and the dry
density as 94 pcf (this is actually a dry unit weight). The sample was from below the water table, so it was likely fully
saturated (S=1.0). You could have assumed Gs = 2.65 so you know three things (w, S, Gs), and computed the void ratio as,
0.29 2.65
0.769
1.0
Second, you could have computed it from the dry density using an assumed value for Gs,
2.65 62.4
1
1 0.0759
94
Third, you could from the values of w, S, and d without assuming Gs.
1
3.448
0.29
3.448 62.4
1
1 2.289
1
94
0.776 and
2.68
.
The above three estimates above are quite consistent, given the rounding of values listed on the logs.
The total unit weight can similarly be computed a couple different ways. The easiest is:
1
1.29 94
121.3
Part (d): The surficial geology maps indicate that our site should have Merritt Sands near the surface. This unit is a
combination of eolian (wind-blown) and alluvial beach and near-shore sediments, which some authors have estimated to be late
Pleistocene in age (e.g., 10,000 to 100,000 years old) (estimated ages vary with authors). It is composed primarily of poorly
graded, medium-grained sand with varying amounts of silts and clays.
Part (e): Yes, we encounter the Merritt Sands in our borings. I will wait to see your draft cross-sections before I comment on
the how deep it extends.
Part (f): The erosion of valleys or channels within a given deposit, followed by the filling of those valleys with younger
sediments, produces an erosional unconformity. These filled valleys can mean that contacts between the units can appear
irregular (not horizontal) on a cross-section of a site, or across a city like Oakland.

Question 3:
A water tower is supported by 4 columns spaced 9 m apart (center to center) in a square pattern. The total weight (dead plus
live) of the tower is 14,000 kN. Two options are being considered for the foundation: (1) support the columns on 3 m by 3 m
square footings, or (2) support the tower on a single 12 m by 12 m square mat foundation. The footings or mat will be
embedded to a depth of 1.0 m (i.e., their base will be 1.0 m below the ground surface). The superstructure loads do not include
the weight of the concrete footings/mat, but the concrete for the footings/mat has similar unit weight to the soil excavated, and
thus the above superstructure loads can be approximated using uniform net pressures at the base of the footings/mat.
(a) If the tower is supported on a mat foundation, compute the increase in vertical stress that it produces at depths below the
ground surface of 1 to 30 m immediately beneath the center of one of the columns.
(b) If the tower columns are supported on individual footings, compute the increase in vertical stress that it produces at
depths of 1 to 30 m below ground surface immediately beneath the center of one of the columns; Note that you must still
include stress contributions from the other footings.
(c) Plot the results for the above two cases on the same figure. Attach the spreadsheet solutions. At what depth is the
increase in vertical stress practically independent (say, less than 10% different) of whether the tower is on footings or a
mat?
(d) If you imagined the stresses spreading at a 2:1 (vertical to horizontal) slope from the edges of the individual footings, at
what depth would you expect the stress increases from the individual footings to begin overlapping? How does this depth
compare to the depth you identified in part (c)?
Solve the above problems in Excel by superimposing results from the elasticity solution for stress beneath the corner of a
rectangular uniform surface pressure. Set up the ability to systematically superimpose results for different cases. First,
implement the solution for the stress beneath the corner of a single loaded area. Then, set up the solution for a point that is
located at some distance from the corner of the loaded area, by superimposing results obtained using your previous solution
algorithm (see example 4-7 in the text). Then, if you have more than one loaded area, just superimpose those solutions.
Setting up this general approach will be useful for your design project.
Format your Excel spreadsheet so it is reasonably easy to review. This includes adding a few explanatory comment lines at the
top, setting all cells to an appropriate number of significant figures, using proper fonts to display Greek symbols or using text
names (no unintelligible shorthand terms), and identifying the units for all columns. Points will be deducted for a poorly
formatted spreadsheet.

Part (a): A spreadsheet solution for part (a) is attached. The surface pressure, q, is computed as the tower weight
divided by the mat area. The depth below the footing base (zbase) is 1.0 m less than the depth below the ground
surface (zbgs); stress distributions were computed using zbase. The parameters "m" and "n" are computed with an "if"
statement that sets m and n to a large, but finite, value when z=0; this avoids the error of dividing by zero. I use the
atan2(x,y) function in the stress equation; alternatively, you need to use an "if" statement to get the correct angle
from the atan(y/x) function. Notice that the increase in vertical stress at zbase=0 at the corner of each rectangular
loaded area is of the surface pressure. The resulting increase in vertical stress at zbase=0 beneath the mat at any
point except on the edges or corners is equal to the surface pressure. [Note the original question asked for a solution
starting at 2 m depth, but I am showing it from 1 m because I meant to start just under the footing base.]
Part (b): A spreadsheet solution for part (b) is also attached. Each column transmits the structure's weight to one
of the footings. The surface pressure for each footing is much larger than for a mat because the contact area of the
footings is much smaller than for the mat.
The solution for Footing #1 (cells A5:N55) is the solution for a point that is location a distance (Xo, Yo) away from
the corner of a rectangular footing; the input parameters are highlighted in yellow, and consist of q, B, L, Xo, and
Yo. The solution is based on superimposing the results for four areas (areas #1 to #4) whose dimensions and
pressure (positive or negative) are automatically computed based upon the footing input parameters (in yellow).
The final solution requires inputting dimensions for the 4 individual footings, and then summing the stress
increments from each of the 4 footings. The increase in stress at zbase=0 is equal to the surface pressure for the
overlying footing, as expected.

Part (c): The plot for part (c) is also attached. It shows that the stress increase is practically the same (within 10%)
for the footings or mat at depths greater than about 7 m below the base of the footings.
Part (d): The edges of adjacent footings are 6 m apart (the 9 m column spacing minus two times the half-width of
each footing). If stresses spread at 2:1 (V:H), from the edges of each footing, the stresses from each footing would
begin to overlap at a depth of 6 m. This depth is comparable to the depth from part (c), indicating that this simpler
2:1 stress approach can provide a reasonable basis for deciding the depths below which the loads from a large
number of footings may be approximated as a single equivalent uniformly loaded area.

A
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54

Stress beneath one column on the mat foundation

INPUT PARAMETERS -- HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW
Point is located (Xo, Yo) away from corner of loaded area:
Load =
14000 kN
q=
97.2 kPa
B=
12.0 m
L=
12.0 m
Xo =
-1.5 m
Yo =
-1.5 m
Dfooting =
1.0 m

Area #2

Area #1
q=
B=
L=
zbgs (m)
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
8.0
9.0
10.0
11.0
12.0
13.0
14.0
15.0
16.0
17.0
18.0
19.0
20.0
21.0
22.0
23.0
24.0
25.0
26.0
27.0
28.0
29.0
30.0
31.0

zq (m)
0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
8.0
9.0
10.0
11.0
12.0
13.0
14.0
15.0
16.0
17.0
18.0
19.0
20.0
21.0
22.0
23.0
24.0
25.0
26.0
27.0
28.0
29.0
30.0

m=B/z

97.2
10.5
10.5
n=L/z

10500.00 10500.00
10.50
10.50
5.25
5.25
3.50
3.50
2.63
2.63
2.10
2.10
1.75
1.75
1.50
1.50
1.31
1.31
1.17
1.17
1.05
1.05
0.95
0.95
0.88
0.88
0.81
0.81
0.75
0.75
0.70
0.70
0.66
0.66
0.62
0.62
0.58
0.58
0.55
0.55
0.53
0.53
0.50
0.50
0.48
0.48
0.46
0.46
0.44
0.44
0.42
0.42
0.40
0.40
0.39
0.39
0.38
0.38
0.36
0.36
0.35
0.35

q=
B=
L=
v
24.3
24.3
24.2
23.9
23.5
22.8
21.9
21.0
19.9
18.7
17.6
16.5
15.4
14.3
13.3
12.4
11.6
10.8
10.0
9.4
8.7
8.2
7.6
7.2
6.7
6.3
5.9
5.6
5.3
5.0
4.7

m=B/z

Area #3
97.2
1.5
10.5
n=L/z

1500.00 10500.00
1.50
10.50
0.75
5.25
0.50
3.50
0.38
2.63
0.30
2.10
0.25
1.75
0.21
1.50
0.19
1.31
0.17
1.17
0.15
1.05
0.14
0.95
0.13
0.88
0.12
0.81
0.11
0.75
0.10
0.70
0.09
0.66
0.09
0.62
0.08
0.58
0.08
0.55
0.08
0.53
0.07
0.50
0.07
0.48
0.07
0.46
0.06
0.44
0.06
0.42
0.06
0.40
0.06
0.39
0.05
0.38
0.05
0.36
0.05
0.35

q=
B=
L=

Area #4
97.2
10.5
1.5

q=
B=
L=

Sum
97.2
1.5
1.5

m=B/z

n=L/z

m=B/z

n=L/z

24.3
22.3
17.4
13.3
10.6
8.6
7.2
6.2
5.3
4.7
4.1
3.6
3.2
2.9
2.6
2.4
2.1
1.9
1.8
1.6
1.5
1.4
1.3
1.2
1.1
1.0
1.0
0.9
0.8
0.8
0.7

10500.00
10.50
5.25
3.50
2.63
2.10
1.75
1.50
1.31
1.17
1.05
0.95
0.88
0.81
0.75
0.70
0.66
0.62
0.58
0.55
0.53
0.50
0.48
0.46
0.44
0.42
0.40
0.39
0.38
0.36
0.35

1500.00
1.50
0.75
0.50
0.38
0.30
0.25
0.21
0.19
0.17
0.15
0.14
0.13
0.12
0.11
0.10
0.09
0.09
0.08
0.08
0.08
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.05
0.05
0.05

24.3
22.3
17.4
13.3
10.6
8.6
7.2
6.2
5.3
4.7
4.1
3.6
3.2
2.9
2.6
2.4
2.1
1.9
1.8
1.6
1.5
1.4
1.3
1.2
1.1
1.0
1.0
0.9
0.8
0.8
0.7

1500.00
1.50
0.75
0.50
0.38
0.30
0.25
0.21
0.19
0.17
0.15
0.14
0.13
0.12
0.11
0.10
0.09
0.09
0.08
0.08
0.08
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.05
0.05
0.05

1500.00
1.50
0.75
0.50
0.38
0.30
0.25
0.21
0.19
0.17
0.15
0.14
0.13
0.12
0.11
0.10
0.09
0.09
0.08
0.08
0.08
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.05
0.05
0.05

24.3
21.0
13.3
8.2
5.3
3.6
2.6
2.0
1.5
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.5
0.4
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.2
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1

97.2
89.9
72.3
58.7
49.9
43.7
39.0
35.3
32.1
29.3
26.8
24.6
22.5
20.7
19.1
17.6
16.2
15.0
13.9
12.9
12.0
11.2
10.4
9.7
9.1
8.5
8.0
7.5
7.1
6.7
6.3

Increase in vertical stress

0
0

Depth below ground surface (m)

10

15

20

25

30

50

100

150

1 Stress beneath the center of one of the four footings

2
3 INPUT PARAMETERS -- HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW
4
Footing #1
5
6
7
Point is located (Xo, Yo) away from corner of loaded area:
8
Load =
3500 kN
9
q=
389 kPa
10
B=
3.0 m
11
L=
3.0 m
12
Xo =
-1.5 m
13
Yo =
-1.5 m
14
Dfooting =
1.0 m
15
16
17
Area #2
Area #1
18
19
q=
388.8889
q=
388.8889
20
B=
1.5
B=
1.5
21
L=
1.5
L=
1.5
22
23
m=B/z
n=L/z
m=B/z
n=L/z
v
v
z
24 zbgs (m)
25
1.0
0.0
10000.00 10000.00
97.2
10000.00 10000.00
97.2
26
2.0
1.0
1.50
1.50
83.8
1.50
1.50
83.8
27
3.0
2.0
0.75
0.75
53.3
0.75
0.75
53.3
28
4.0
3.0
0.50
0.50
32.7
0.50
0.50
32.7
29
30
5.0
4.0
0.38
0.38
21.1
0.38
0.38
21.1
31
6.0
5.0
0.30
0.30
14.5
0.30
0.30
14.5
32
7.0
6.0
0.25
0.25
10.5
0.25
0.25
10.5
33
8.0
7.0
0.21
0.21
7.9
0.21
0.21
7.9
34
9.0
8.0
0.19
0.19
6.2
0.19
0.19
6.2
35
10.0
9.0
0.17
0.17
4.9
0.17
0.17
4.9
36
11.0
10.0
0.15
0.15
4.0
0.15
0.15
4.0
37
12.0
11.0
0.14
0.14
3.3
0.14
0.14
3.3
38
13.0
12.0
0.13
0.13
2.8
0.13
0.13
2.8
39
14.0
13.0
0.12
0.12
2.4
0.12
0.12
2.4
40
15.0
14.0
0.11
0.11
2.1
0.11
0.11
2.1
41
16.0
15.0
0.10
0.10
1.8
0.10
0.10
1.8
42
17.0
16.0
0.09
0.09
1.6
0.09
0.09
1.6
43
18.0
17.0
0.09
0.09
1.4
0.09
0.09
1.4
44
19.0
18.0
0.08
0.08
1.3
0.08
0.08
1.3
45
20.0
19.0
0.08
0.08
1.1
0.08
0.08
1.1
46
21.0
20.0
0.08
0.08
1.0
0.08
0.08
1.0
47
22.0
21.0
0.07
0.07
0.9
0.07
0.07
0.9
48
23.0
22.0
0.07
0.07
0.9
0.07
0.07
0.9
49
24.0
23.0
0.07
0.07
0.8
0.07
0.07
0.8
50
25.0
24.0
0.06
0.06
0.7
0.06
0.06
0.7
51
26.0
25.0
0.06
0.06
0.7
0.06
0.06
0.7
52
27.0
26.0
0.06
0.06
0.6
0.06
0.06
0.6
53
28.0
27.0
0.06
0.06
0.6
0.06
0.06
0.6
54
29.0
28.0
0.05
0.05
0.5
0.05
0.05
0.5
55
30.0
29.0
0.05
0.05
0.5
0.05
0.05
0.5
56
31.0
30.0
0.05
0.05
0.5
0.05
0.05
0.5
57

1/9/2016

Area #3
q=
B=
L=
m=B/z

Area #4
388.8889
1.5
1.5
n=L/z

10000.00 10000.00
1.50
1.50
0.75
0.75
0.50
0.50
0.38
0.38
0.30
0.30
0.25
0.25
0.21
0.21
0.19
0.19
0.17
0.17
0.15
0.15
0.14
0.14
0.13
0.13
0.12
0.12
0.11
0.11
0.10
0.10
0.09
0.09
0.09
0.09
0.08
0.08
0.08
0.08
0.08
0.08
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.05
0.05
0.05
0.05
0.05
0.05

q=
B=
L=
v
97.2
83.8
53.3
32.7
21.1
14.5
10.5
7.9
6.2
4.9
4.0
3.3
2.8
2.4
2.1
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.3
1.1
1.0
0.9
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.7
0.6
0.6
0.5
0.5
0.5

m=B/z

Sum
388.8889
1.5
1.5
n=L/z

10000.00 10000.00
1.50
1.50
0.75
0.75
0.50
0.50
0.38
0.38
0.30
0.30
0.25
0.25
0.21
0.21
0.19
0.19
0.17
0.17
0.15
0.15
0.14
0.14
0.13
0.13
0.12
0.12
0.11
0.11
0.10
0.10
0.09
0.09
0.09
0.09
0.08
0.08
0.08
0.08
0.08
0.08
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.07
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.06
0.05
0.05
0.05
0.05
0.05
0.05

97.2
83.8
53.3
32.7
21.1
14.5
10.5
7.9
6.2
4.9
4.0
3.3
2.8
2.4
2.1
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.3
1.1
1.0
0.9
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.7
0.6
0.6
0.5
0.5
0.5

388.8
335.4
213.4
130.7
84.5
58.1
42.0
31.7
24.7
19.7
16.1
13.4
11.3
9.7
8.4
7.3
6.4
5.7
5.1
4.6
4.1
3.8
3.4
3.1
2.9
2.7
2.5
2.3
2.1
2.0
1.8

4_footings

Q
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57

AA

AB

AC

AD

AE

Footing #2

Point is located (Xo, Yo) away from corner of loaded area:

Load =
3500 kN
q=
389 kPa
B=
3.0 m
L=
3.0 m
Xo =
7.5 m
Yo =
-1.5 m
Dfooting =
1.0 m

Area #2

Area #1
q=
B=
L=
z
0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
8.0
9.0
10.0
11.0
12.0
13.0
14.0
15.0
16.0
17.0
18.0
19.0
20.0
21.0
22.0
23.0
24.0
25.0
26.0
27.0
28.0
29.0
30.0

1/9/2016

m=B/z

388.8889
10.5
1.5
n=L/z

10000.00 10000.00
10.50
1.50
5.25
0.75
3.50
0.50
2.63
0.38
2.10
0.30
1.75
0.25
1.50
0.21
1.31
0.19
1.17
0.17
1.05
0.15
0.95
0.14
0.88
0.13
0.81
0.12
0.75
0.11
0.70
0.10
0.66
0.09
0.62
0.09
0.58
0.08
0.55
0.08
0.53
0.08
0.50
0.07
0.48
0.07
0.46
0.07
0.44
0.06
0.42
0.06
0.40
0.06
0.39
0.06
0.38
0.05
0.36
0.05
0.35
0.05

q=
B=
L=
v
97.2
89.4
69.5
53.3
42.3
34.6
29.0
24.7
21.3
18.6
16.4
14.5
12.9
11.6
10.4
9.4
8.5
7.8
7.1
6.5
6.0
5.5
5.1
4.7
4.4
4.1
3.8
3.6
3.3
3.1
2.9

m=B/z

Area #3
-388.889
7.5
1.5
n=L/z

10000.00 10000.00
7.50
1.50
3.75
0.75
2.50
0.50
1.88
0.38
1.50
0.30
1.25
0.25
1.07
0.21
0.94
0.19
0.83
0.17
0.75
0.15
0.68
0.14
0.63
0.13
0.58
0.12
0.54
0.11
0.50
0.10
0.47
0.09
0.44
0.09
0.42
0.08
0.39
0.08
0.38
0.08
0.36
0.07
0.34
0.07
0.33
0.07
0.31
0.06
0.30
0.06
0.29
0.06
0.28
0.06
0.27
0.05
0.26
0.05
0.25
0.05

q=
B=
L=
v
-97.2
-89.3
-69.4
-53.0
-41.6
-33.6
-27.7
-23.2
-19.6
-16.8
-14.5
-12.6
-11.0
-9.7
-8.6
-7.7
-6.9
-6.2
-5.6
-5.1
-4.7
-4.3
-3.9
-3.6
-3.3
-3.1
-2.9
-2.7
-2.5
-2.3
-2.2

m=B/z

Area #4
388.8889
10.5
1.5
n=L/z

10000.00 10000.00
10.50
1.50
5.25
0.75
3.50
0.50
2.63
0.38
2.10
0.30
1.75
0.25
1.50
0.21
1.31
0.19
1.17
0.17
1.05
0.15
0.95
0.14
0.88
0.13
0.81
0.12
0.75
0.11
0.70
0.10
0.66
0.09
0.62
0.09
0.58
0.08
0.55
0.08
0.53
0.08
0.50
0.07
0.48
0.07
0.46
0.07
0.44
0.06
0.42
0.06
0.40
0.06
0.39
0.06
0.38
0.05
0.36
0.05
0.35
0.05

q=
B=
L=
v
97.2
89.4
69.5
53.3
42.3
34.6
29.0
24.7
21.3
18.6
16.4
14.5
12.9
11.6
10.4
9.4
8.5
7.8
7.1
6.5
6.0
5.5
5.1
4.7
4.4
4.1
3.8
3.6
3.3
3.1
2.9

m=B/z

Sum
-388.889
7.5
1.5
n=L/z

10000.00 10000.00
7.50
1.50
3.75
0.75
2.50
0.50
1.88
0.38
1.50
0.30
1.25
0.25
1.07
0.21
0.94
0.19
0.83
0.17
0.75
0.15
0.68
0.14
0.63
0.13
0.58
0.12
0.54
0.11
0.50
0.10
0.47
0.09
0.44
0.09
0.42
0.08
0.39
0.08
0.38
0.08
0.36
0.07
0.34
0.07
0.33
0.07
0.31
0.06
0.30
0.06
0.29
0.06
0.28
0.06
0.27
0.05
0.26
0.05
0.25
0.05

-97.2
-89.3
-69.4
-53.0
-41.6
-33.6
-27.7
-23.2
-19.6
-16.8
-14.5
-12.6
-11.0
-9.7
-8.6
-7.7
-6.9
-6.2
-5.6
-5.1
-4.7
-4.3
-3.9
-3.6
-3.3
-3.1
-2.9
-2.7
-2.5
-2.3
-2.2

0.0
0.0
0.2
0.6
1.2
1.9
2.5
3.1
3.5
3.7
3.8
3.9
3.8
3.7
3.6
3.4
3.3
3.1
2.9
2.8
2.6
2.5
2.3
2.2
2.1
2.0
1.9
1.8
1.7
1.6
1.5

4_footings

AF
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57

AG

AH

AI

AJ

AK

AL

AM

AN

AO

AP

AQ

AR

AS

AT

Footing #3

Point is located (Xo, Yo) away from corner of loaded area:

Load =
3500 kN
q=
389 kPa
B=
3.0 m
L=
3.0 m
Xo =
-1.5 m
Yo =
7.5 m
Dfooting =
1.0 m

Area #2

Area #1
q=
B=
L=
z
0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
8.0
9.0
10.0
11.0
12.0
13.0
14.0
15.0
16.0
17.0
18.0
19.0
20.0
21.0
22.0
23.0
24.0
25.0
26.0
27.0
28.0
29.0
30.0

1/9/2016

m=B/z

388.8889
1.5
10.5
n=L/z

10000.00 10000.00
1.50
10.50
0.75
5.25
0.50
3.50
0.38
2.63
0.30
2.10
0.25
1.75
0.21
1.50
0.19
1.31
0.17
1.17
0.15
1.05
0.14
0.95
0.13
0.88
0.12
0.81
0.11
0.75
0.10
0.70
0.09
0.66
0.09
0.62
0.08
0.58
0.08
0.55
0.08
0.53
0.07
0.50
0.07
0.48
0.07
0.46
0.06
0.44
0.06
0.42
0.06
0.40
0.06
0.39
0.05
0.38
0.05
0.36
0.05
0.35

q=
B=
L=
v
97.2
89.4
69.5
53.3
42.3
34.6
29.0
24.7
21.3
18.6
16.4
14.5
12.9
11.6
10.4
9.4
8.5
7.8
7.1
6.5
6.0
5.5
5.1
4.7
4.4
4.1
3.8
3.6
3.3
3.1
2.9

m=B/z

Area #3
388.8889
1.5
10.5
n=L/z

10000.00 10000.00
1.50
10.50
0.75
5.25
0.50
3.50
0.38
2.63
0.30
2.10
0.25
1.75
0.21
1.50
0.19
1.31
0.17
1.17
0.15
1.05
0.14
0.95
0.13
0.88
0.12
0.81
0.11
0.75
0.10
0.70
0.09
0.66
0.09
0.62
0.08
0.58
0.08
0.55
0.08
0.53
0.07
0.50
0.07
0.48
0.07
0.46
0.06
0.44
0.06
0.42
0.06
0.40
0.06
0.39
0.05
0.38
0.05
0.36
0.05
0.35

q=
B=
L=
v
97.2
89.4
69.5
53.3
42.3
34.6
29.0
24.7
21.3
18.6
16.4
14.5
12.9
11.6
10.4
9.4
8.5
7.8
7.1
6.5
6.0
5.5
5.1
4.7
4.4
4.1
3.8
3.6
3.3
3.1
2.9

m=B/z

Area #4
-388.889
1.5
7.5
n=L/z

10000.00 10000.00
1.50
7.50
0.75
3.75
0.50
2.50
0.38
1.88
0.30
1.50
0.25
1.25
0.21
1.07
0.19
0.94
0.17
0.83
0.15
0.75
0.14
0.68
0.13
0.63
0.12
0.58
0.11
0.54
0.10
0.50
0.09
0.47
0.09
0.44
0.08
0.42
0.08
0.39
0.08
0.38
0.07
0.36
0.07
0.34
0.07
0.33
0.06
0.31
0.06
0.30
0.06
0.29
0.06
0.28
0.05
0.27
0.05
0.26
0.05
0.25

q=
B=
L=
v
-97.2
-89.3
-69.4
-53.0
-41.6
-33.6
-27.7
-23.2
-19.6
-16.8
-14.5
-12.6
-11.0
-9.7
-8.6
-7.7
-6.9
-6.2
-5.6
-5.1
-4.7
-4.3
-3.9
-3.6
-3.3
-3.1
-2.9
-2.7
-2.5
-2.3
-2.2

m=B/z

Sum
-388.889
1.5
7.5
n=L/z

10000.00 10000.00
1.50
7.50
0.75
3.75
0.50
2.50
0.38
1.88
0.30
1.50
0.25
1.25
0.21
1.07
0.19
0.94
0.17
0.83
0.15
0.75
0.14
0.68
0.13
0.63
0.12
0.58
0.11
0.54
0.10
0.50
0.09
0.47
0.09
0.44
0.08
0.42
0.08
0.39
0.08
0.38
0.07
0.36
0.07
0.34
0.07
0.33
0.06
0.31
0.06
0.30
0.06
0.29
0.06
0.28
0.05
0.27
0.05
0.26
0.05
0.25

-97.2
-89.3
-69.4
-53.0
-41.6
-33.6
-27.7
-23.2
-19.6
-16.8
-14.5
-12.6
-11.0
-9.7
-8.6
-7.7
-6.9
-6.2
-5.6
-5.1
-4.7
-4.3
-3.9
-3.6
-3.3
-3.1
-2.9
-2.7
-2.5
-2.3
-2.2

0.0
0.0
0.2
0.6
1.2
1.9
2.5
3.1
3.5
3.7
3.8
3.9
3.8
3.7
3.6
3.4
3.3
3.1
2.9
2.8
2.6
2.5
2.3
2.2
2.1
2.0
1.9
1.8
1.7
1.6
1.5

4_footings

AU
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57

AV

AW

AX

AY

AZ

BA

BB

BC

BD

BE

BF

BG

BH

BI

Footing #4

Point is located (Xo, Yo) away from corner of loaded area:

Load =
3500 kN
q=
389 kPa
B=
3.0 m
L=
3.0 m
Xo =
7.5 m
Yo =
7.5 m
Dfooting =
1.0 m

Area #2

Area #1
q=
B=
L=
z
0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
8.0
9.0
10.0
11.0
12.0
13.0
14.0
15.0
16.0
17.0
18.0
19.0
20.0
21.0
22.0
23.0
24.0
25.0
26.0
27.0
28.0
29.0
30.0

1/9/2016

m=B/z

388.8889
10.5
10.5
n=L/z

10000.00 10000.00
10.50
10.50
5.25
5.25
3.50
3.50
2.63
2.63
2.10
2.10
1.75
1.75
1.50
1.50
1.31
1.31
1.17
1.17
1.05
1.05
0.95
0.95
0.88
0.88
0.81
0.81
0.75
0.75
0.70
0.70
0.66
0.66
0.62
0.62
0.58
0.58
0.55
0.55
0.53
0.53
0.50
0.50
0.48
0.48
0.46
0.46
0.44
0.44
0.42
0.42
0.40
0.40
0.39
0.39
0.38
0.38
0.36
0.36
0.35
0.35

q=
B=
L=
v
97.2
97.1
96.7
95.7
93.8
91.2
87.8
83.8
79.5
75.0
70.4
65.9
61.5
57.3
53.3
49.7
46.2
43.0
40.1
37.4
34.9
32.7
30.6
28.7
26.9
25.3
23.8
22.4
21.1
20.0
18.9

m=B/z

Area #3
-388.889
7.5
10.5
n=L/z

10000.00 10000.00
7.50
10.50
3.75
5.25
2.50
3.50
1.88
2.63
1.50
2.10
1.25
1.75
1.07
1.50
0.94
1.31
0.83
1.17
0.75
1.05
0.68
0.95
0.63
0.88
0.58
0.81
0.54
0.75
0.50
0.70
0.47
0.66
0.44
0.62
0.42
0.58
0.39
0.55
0.38
0.53
0.36
0.50
0.34
0.48
0.33
0.46
0.31
0.44
0.30
0.42
0.29
0.40
0.28
0.39
0.27
0.38
0.26
0.36
0.25
0.35

q=
B=
L=
v
-97.2
-97.1
-96.3
-94.4
-91.4
-87.3
-82.4
-77.1
-71.7
-66.3
-61.1
-56.2
-51.7
-47.5
-43.7
-40.2
-37.0
-34.2
-31.6
-29.3
-27.1
-25.2
-23.5
-21.9
-20.5
-19.1
-17.9
-16.8
-15.8
-14.9
-14.1

m=B/z

Area #4
-388.889
10.5
7.5
n=L/z

10000.00 10000.00
10.50
7.50
5.25
3.75
3.50
2.50
2.63
1.88
2.10
1.50
1.75
1.25
1.50
1.07
1.31
0.94
1.17
0.83
1.05
0.75
0.95
0.68
0.88
0.63
0.81
0.58
0.75
0.54
0.70
0.50
0.66
0.47
0.62
0.44
0.58
0.42
0.55
0.39
0.53
0.38
0.50
0.36
0.48
0.34
0.46
0.33
0.44
0.31
0.42
0.30
0.40
0.29
0.39
0.28
0.38
0.27
0.36
0.26
0.35
0.25

q=
B=
L=
v
-97.2
-97.1
-96.3
-94.4
-91.4
-87.3
-82.4
-77.1
-71.7
-66.3
-61.1
-56.2
-51.7
-47.5
-43.7
-40.2
-37.0
-34.2
-31.6
-29.3
-27.1
-25.2
-23.5
-21.9
-20.5
-19.1
-17.9
-16.8
-15.8
-14.9
-14.1

m=B/z

Sum
388.8889
7.5
7.5
n=L/z

10000.00 10000.00
7.50
7.50
3.75
3.75
2.50
2.50
1.88
1.88
1.50
1.50
1.25
1.25
1.07
1.07
0.94
0.94
0.83
0.83
0.75
0.75
0.68
0.68
0.63
0.63
0.58
0.58
0.54
0.54
0.50
0.50
0.47
0.47
0.44
0.44
0.42
0.42
0.39
0.39
0.38
0.38
0.36
0.36
0.34
0.34
0.33
0.33
0.31
0.31
0.30
0.30
0.29
0.29
0.28
0.28
0.27
0.27
0.26
0.26
0.25
0.25

97.2
97.0
95.9
93.3
89.2
83.8
77.7
71.3
65.0
58.9
53.3
48.3
43.7
39.6
35.9
32.7
29.8
27.2
25.0
22.9
21.1
19.5
18.1
16.8
15.6
14.5
13.6
12.7
11.9
11.2
10.5

0.0
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.3
0.5
0.7
0.9
1.1
1.4
1.5
1.7
1.8
1.9
1.9
1.9
1.9
1.9
1.9
1.8
1.8
1.7
1.7
1.6
1.6
1.5
1.4
1.4
1.3
1.3
1.2

4_footings

1/9/2016

BL

z (m)

%diff from mat

0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
8.0
9.0
10.0
11.0
12.0
13.0
14.0
15.0
16.0
17.0
18.0
19.0
20.0
21.0
22.0
23.0
24.0
25.0
26.0
27.0
28.0
29.0
30.0

300%
273%
196%
125%
75%
43%
22%
10%
2%
-3%
-6%
-7%
-8%
-8%
-8%
-8%
-8%
-8%
-7%
-7%
-7%
-6%
-6%
-6%
-5%
-5%
-5%
-5%
-4%
-4%
-4%

BM

BN

BO

BP

BQ

BR

BS

BT

BU

BV

Increase in vertical stress (kPa)

0

200

400

600

10

15

20

25

BX

BY

BZ

CA

10

100

1000

10

15

20

25

4 footings

4 footings

Mat

30

BW

Increase in vertical stress (kPa)

Depth below ground surface (m)

BK

Depth below ground surface (m)

BJ
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18 Sum of
all 4
19
20 footings
21
22
23
v
24
25
388.8
26
335.5
27
213.9
28
132.1
29
87.3
30
62.4
31
47.8
32
38.7
33
32.7
34
28.5
35
25.3
36
22.8
37
20.7
38
19.0
39
17.4
40
16.1
41
14.9
42
13.8
43
12.9
44
12.0
45
11.2
46
10.4
47
9.8
48
49
9.2
50
8.6
51
8.1
52
7.6
53
7.2
54
6.8
55
6.4
56
6.1
57

Mat

30

4_footings

Question 4:
A 5-story office building will be supported on square spread footings. The building is rectangular in shape and 54 m by 81 m in
plan view. Columns are spaced 9-m apart (center to center) in both directions, such that there are 70 columns (7 rows of 10
columns/row). The vertical loads in the columns will be 8,100 kN for interior columns, 4,050 kN for edge columns, and 2,025
kN for corner columns. All columns will be supported on 2-m square footings, each embedded to a depth of 1.0 m below the
ground surface. Estimate the increase in vertical stress at a depth of 15 m below the ground surface at the center of the
building.
The stress distribution at depths greater than about 7 m below the base of the footings can be estimated assuming the loads of
the building are evenly distributed across the building footprint; this depth of about 7 m corresponds to the clear spacing
between footings, which is the criteria we established in our answer to the previous question. The current question asks for the
increase in vertical stress at a depth of 14 m below the base of the footings.
The average surface pressure produced by the building is estimated as the weight of the building divided by its footprint area.
The building weight is estimated as 40 interior column loads, plus 26 edge column loads, and 4 corner column loads, for a total
building weight of 437,400 kN. The footprint area is 54 m times 81 m, for a total footprint area of 4,374 m2. The average
pressure is therefore 100 kPa.
The vertical stress at a depth of 14 m below the footing bases, assuming a uniform surface pressure and as computed on the
attached spreadsheet is 95 kPa. Note that the solution for stresses at depths less than about 7 m will be greatly in error because
the actual building loads are supported by footings.
We can check the above solution using the 2:1 method, wherein the stress increase at 14 m depth can be estimated as:
437,400
68

54
14
81
14
The approximate 2:1 solution is 28% smaller than the solution using elasticity theory for a point immediately beneath the
center of the building. As a side note, if we instead looked at a point beneath the corner of the building, then the vertical stress
increase by the elasticity solution is 25 kPa and by the 2:1 method solution is still be 68 kPa. Thus, the 2:1 method provides an
estimate of the average stress increase at a given depth, but this estimate will be low for points beneath the center of the
building and high for points closer to the edges or corners.

A
B
C
D
E
INPUT PARAMETERS -- HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW

Point is located (Xo, Yo) away from corner of loaded area:

Load =
437400 kN
q=
100.0 kPa
B=
54.0 m
L=
81.0 m
Xo =
-27.0 m
Yo =
-40.5 m
Dfooting =
1.0 m

Area #2

Area #1
q=
B=
L=
zbgs (m)
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
8.0
9.0
10.0
11.0
12.0
13.0
14.0
15.0
16.0
17.0
18.0
19.0
20.0
21.0
22.0
23.0
24.0
25.0
26.0
27.0
28.0
29.0
30.0
31.0

zq (m)
0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
8.0
9.0
10.0
11.0
12.0
13.0
14.0
15.0
16.0
17.0
18.0
19.0
20.0
21.0
22.0
23.0
24.0
25.0
26.0
27.0
28.0
29.0
30.0

m=B/z

100.0
27
40.5
n=L/z

27000.00 40500.00
27.00
40.50
13.50
20.25
9.00
13.50
6.75
10.13
5.40
8.10
4.50
6.75
3.86
5.79
3.38
5.06
3.00
4.50
2.70
4.05
2.45
3.68
2.25
3.38
2.08
3.12
1.93
2.89
1.80
2.70
1.69
2.53
1.59
2.38
1.50
2.25
1.42
2.13
1.35
2.03
1.29
1.93
1.23
1.84
1.17
1.76
1.13
1.69
1.08
1.62
1.04
1.56
1.00
1.50
0.96
1.45
0.93
1.40
0.90
1.35

q=
B=
L=
v
25.0
25.0
25.0
25.0
25.0
24.9
24.9
24.8
24.7
24.6
24.4
24.3
24.1
23.9
23.7
23.4
23.1
22.9
22.5
22.2
21.9
21.6
21.2
20.8
20.5
20.1
19.7
19.4
19.0
18.6
18.2

m=B/z

Area #3
100.0
27
40.5
n=L/z

27000.00 40500.00
27.00
40.50
13.50
20.25
9.00
13.50
6.75
10.13
5.40
8.10
4.50
6.75
3.86
5.79
3.38
5.06
3.00
4.50
2.70
4.05
2.45
3.68
2.25
3.38
2.08
3.12
1.93
2.89
1.80
2.70
1.69
2.53
1.59
2.38
1.50
2.25
1.42
2.13
1.35
2.03
1.29
1.93
1.23
1.84
1.17
1.76
1.13
1.69
1.08
1.62
1.04
1.56
1.00
1.50
0.96
1.45
0.93
1.40
0.90
1.35

q=
B=
L=
v
25.0
25.0
25.0
25.0
25.0
24.9
24.9
24.8
24.7
24.6
24.4
24.3
24.1
23.9
23.7
23.4
23.1
22.9
22.5
22.2
21.9
21.6
21.2
20.8
20.5
20.1
19.7
19.4
19.0
18.6
18.2

m=B/z

Area #4
100.0
27
40.5
n=L/z

27000.00 40500.00
27.00
40.50
13.50
20.25
9.00
13.50
6.75
10.13
5.40
8.10
4.50
6.75
3.86
5.79
3.38
5.06
3.00
4.50
2.70
4.05
2.45
3.68
2.25
3.38
2.08
3.12
1.93
2.89
1.80
2.70
1.69
2.53
1.59
2.38
1.50
2.25
1.42
2.13
1.35
2.03
1.29
1.93
1.23
1.84
1.17
1.76
1.13
1.69
1.08
1.62
1.04
1.56
1.00
1.50
0.96
1.45
0.93
1.40
0.90
1.35

q=
B=
L=
v
25.0
25.0
25.0
25.0
25.0
24.9
24.9
24.8
24.7
24.6
24.4
24.3
24.1
23.9
23.7
23.4
23.1
22.9
22.5
22.2
21.9
21.6
21.2
20.8
20.5
20.1
19.7
19.4
19.0
18.6
18.2

m=B/z

Sum
100.0
27
40.5
n=L/z

27000.00 40500.00
27.00
40.50
13.50
20.25
9.00
13.50
6.75
10.13
5.40
8.10
4.50
6.75
3.86
5.79
3.38
5.06
3.00
4.50
2.70
4.05
2.45
3.68
2.25
3.38
2.08
3.12
1.93
2.89
1.80
2.70
1.69
2.53
1.59
2.38
1.50
2.25
1.42
2.13
1.35
2.03
1.29
1.93
1.23
1.84
1.17
1.76
1.13
1.69
1.08
1.62
1.04
1.56
1.00
1.50
0.96
1.45
0.93
1.40
0.90
1.35

25.0
25.0
25.0
25.0
25.0
24.9
24.9
24.8
24.7
24.6
24.4
24.3
24.1
23.9
23.7
23.4
23.1
22.9
22.5
22.2
21.9
21.6
21.2
20.8
20.5
20.1
19.7
19.4
19.0
18.6
18.2

100.0
100.0
100.0
99.9
99.8
99.7
99.5
99.2
98.8
98.3
97.8
97.1
96.4
95.5
94.6
93.6
92.6
91.4
90.2
88.9
87.6
86.2
84.8
83.4
81.9
80.4
78.9
77.4
75.9
74.4
72.9

Increase in vertical stress

0
0

Depth below ground surface (m)

3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53

10

15

20

25

30

50

100

150