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T
his is the first of a two-part sis software and is referred to as the uni-
article covering the use of sim- versal method.
ple springs to model soil behav- Modeling soil behavior with simple
ior. Covered in this article are suggestions springs is a discrete approach to analysis
for spring placement and procedures for that has been used for well over a century.
calculating spring stiffness and ultimate A summary of foundation-soil interac-
spring strength. Covered in the second tion models developed by researchers
part of this article (to be published in the who have used this discrete approach
June 2014 issue) are the use of springs in a has been provided by Maheshwari (2011).
plane-frame structural analysis and deter- Within the post-frame building com-
mination of the ultimate lateral capacity munity, McGuire (1998) used a spring
of a post or pier foundation. Part 2 also model to study the behavior of noncon-
includes an overview of safety factors for strained posts subjected to ground-line
allowable stress design and resistance fac- shear forces and ground-line bending
tors for load and resistance factor design. moments applied such that they caused
below-grade post rotation in opposite
The interaction between an embed- directions (see Load Case B in Figure 1).
ded post or pier foundation and the McGuire conducted his investigation to
surrounding soil is a complex, three- illustrate that when shear and bending
dimensional problem that is simplified moments are so applied, most equations
for structural analysis. When assessing used to calculate allowable embedment
this interaction, designers are interested depth are not applicable.
in two different but related phenomena.
First is the deformation of the soil as load When to Model with Soil Springs
is applied to the soil by the foundation The modifier universal used in ANSI/
system. Second is the ability of the soil ASAE EP 486 was given to the soil spring
to resist the applied load without failing. method because the method can be used
These two phenomena are herein referred without restriction. Conversely, use of
to as soil stiffness and soil strength. the simplified method assumes the fol-
In assessing the effects of lateral forc- lowing:
es applied to the soil by a shallow post 1. At-grade pier/post forces are not
or pier foundation, the latest version of dependent on below-grade deformations.
ANSI/ASAE EP486.2 takes two different 2. The below-grade portion of the foun-
approaches. The first approach uses the dation has an infinite flexural rigidity (EI).
set of equations published in the docu- 3. Soil is homogeneous for the entire
ment. This approach is referred to as the embedment depth.
simplified method because it does not 4. Soil stiffness either is constant for all
require any special computer software, depths below grade or linearly increases Figure 1. Free body diagrams of noncon-
just a basic calculator. In many respects, with depth below grade. strained post foundations. Load Case A:
this approach could be referred to as the 5. Width of the below-grade portion both ground-line shear and bending moment
traditional method because it mirrors of the foundation is constant. This gen- cause clockwise rotation of embedded por-
past procedures. erally means that there are no attached tion of post. Load Case B: ground-line shear
The second approach relies on mod- collars or footings that are effective in and bending moment cause clockwise and
eling soil with a series of simple springs. resisting lateral soil forces. counterclockwise rotation, respectively, of
This approach requires structural analy- The second of the preceding simplify- embedded portion of post.
www.FrameBuildingNews.com 49
RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY
Tabulated Values
Soil spring stiffness values are com-
piled in Table 4. The A E values for unex-
cavated soil and ES,U values in Table 4
are identical to the A E and ES values in
Table 3. Equation 3a was used to calcu-
late an effective Young’s modulus for
the soil, ES , from Young’s modulus for
the unexcavated soil, ES,U, and Young’s
modulus for the backfill, ES,B. Values for
ultimate spring strength Fult have not
been included in Table 4 because they
are identical to those in Table 3. As previ-
THERMOBLOK
POLE BARNS • WORKSHOPS
REFLECTIVE EPS INSULATION
ted
an
s W
below all the springs, the effective verti- in example 1 with the exception that the
u t or
cal stress for all soil springs was numeri- backfill is a mixture of the ML silt and SW i b
str
cally equal to the total vertical stress. sand removed by the 18-inch-diameter Di
auger used to form the post hole. The mix-
Comments ture is compacted by hand in 6-inch lifts.
The stiffness of an individual spring is
not a function of the width of the founda- Spring Placement
tion element that the spring is acting upon. The abrupt change in soil and/or
Consequently, a spring that will be push- post design properties that affect spring
ing on an 18-inch-wide footing is assigned placement are the same as for example 1;
the same stiffness as one at the same thus the same spring placement is used.
depth in the same soil that is pushing on
a 6-inch-wide post. Conversely, ultimate Presumptive Properties • LIGHT WEIGHT
spring strength is a function of the width Properties for the unexcavated soil • VAPOR BARRIER
of the foundation element upon which the remain as compiled in Table 3. The mix- • 1”- 4” THICK SHEETS − 4’ X 8’ STD
spring acts. The significant impact that ture of approximately 2.5 feet of ML silt • SAVE LABOR ON 24’ LONG SHEETS
this dependence can have on ultimate with approximately 2 feet of SW sand is • RADIANT FLOOR HEATING
spring strength is evident when compar- likely to produce a soil that would grade • DURABLE WHITE WOVEN FACING
ing Fult for springs 7 and 8 in Table 3. out as a silty sand (SM). Determination
• AVAILABLE IN ROLLS 4’X64’
of the exact designation would require
Example 2 knowledge of the particle size distribu-
tions of the ML and SW soils prior to 1-800-339-4850
Wauseon, Ohio
Foundation Description mixing. Hand compaction of this backfill
This is the same foundation described in 6-inch lifts should provide a medium WWW.NOFP.COM
Circle Reader Service #365
www.FrameBuildingNews.com 53
RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY
References
American Society of Agricultural and
Biological Engineers (ASABE). 2012.
ANSI/ASAE EP486.2. Shallow post and
ously noted, this is because backfill does This includes situations where soil proper- pier foundation design. St. Joseph, Mich.:
not factor into calculations of Fult . ties vary with depth and the thickness of the ASABE. Available at www.asabe.org.
foundation is not constant. Maheshwari, P. 2011. Foundation-oil
Summary This article summarized and dem- interaction. In Geotechnical Engineering
The latest version of ANSI/ASAE EP486 onstrated methods for calculating the Handbook (chap. 4), ed. B. M. Das.
incorporates the ability to use soil springs stiffness and strength of these soil Plantation, Fla.: J. Ross Publishing.
to model the behavior and predict the ulti- springs. In Part 2 of this article, meth- McGuire, P. M. 1998. Overlooked
mate strength of shallow post/pier founda- ods for incorporating the use of springs assumption in nonconstrained post embed-
tions for conditions not previously possible. in plane-frame structural analyses will ment. Practice Periodical on Structural
Design and Construction, 3(1), 19–24.
EXPO UPDATE
A
t the 2014 Frame Building Expo the task force that worked on the 3-hour ent each time we discuss one of the T&R
in Nashville, NFBA presented fire-wall assembly. He currently chairs Committee projects. He is constantly
the distinguished Bernon G. the committee’s task force on insurance ensuring that all aspects of a problem
Perkins Award to Ron Sutton of Morton industry guidelines. Besides serving on are evaluated and that the final project
Buildings. The award, given annually to NFBA’s Editorial Review Committee for results show post-frame construction in
an outstanding industry professional, was Frame Building News since the magazine’s the best possible light.”
named after the man who furthered the beginning, he has contributed to a num- “Ron is able to convey a clear and con-
pole building’s evolution from a tempo- ber of NFBA’s publications, including its cise plan of action for the broad range of
rary structure into a long-lasting one. The Post-Frame Building Design Manual. In projects that are handled by the commit-
award is among NFBA’s highest honors. 2003 he received the Rural Builder Hall of tee,” Williams continued. “From seismic
Sutton, licensed as a professional engi- Fame Award. design to the field use of engineering and
neer in 42 states, is co-chair of the NFBA “I would like to personally congratu- construction details, Ron has a wealth of
Technical and Research Committee, late Ron on achieving the Perkins Award,” experience that he draws on to make sure
sharing responsibility for overseeing the said NFBA board chair Rick Hess. “Ron a project is correctly executed. I find his
general work assigned to the committee. has given his time and expertise to the knowledge level—and understanding of
This work includes identifying techni- post-frame industry for many years. As how post-frame construction interfaces
cal issues facing the post-frame industry, co-chair of the T&R Committee, he helps with the ‘real world’—to be of tremen-
establishing the technical research agen- lead that group in promoting the indus- dous help in identifying which areas of the
da, and recommending standards for the try. He has earned this prestigious award post-frame market deserve emphasis.”
post-frame industry. through all of his efforts. Thanks, Ron!” NFBA congratulates Ron Sutton and
On the T&R Committee, Sutton coor- Andy Williams, NFBA’s technical thanks him for his dedication to the
dinated the testing of NFBA’s 1-hour- director, said of Sutton: “Ron’s passion advancement and integrity of the post-
rated fire-wall assembly and served on about post-frame construction is appar- frame industry. FBN