Lesson 5.

FOUNDATIONS

5-1

Foundation Selection
Shallow foundations:
• Used at rock sites or when firm soils are at shallow
depth
• Not recommended where soils are:
• Compressible, expansive, collapsible, liquefiable, prone
to scour
Deep foundations are used when shallow
foundations are not suitable
Note: Can excavate and replace or improve problem
soils if shallow enough

5-2

1
 Earthquake Effects on
Foundations
Primary effects:
Force and moment demand due to inertial
forces
Secondary effects:
Displacement demand due to:
• Seismic settlement
• Liquefaction-induced lateral spreading
• Slope instability
• Fault displacement
5-3

Shallow Foundation:
Seismic Vulnerability
• Little field evidence of collapse due to
geotechnical failure modes (excessive
eccentricity, bearing, sliding)
• Structural failure has occurred due to
overstressing of concrete, steel. Modes
include; flexure, shear, and joint shear
• Permanent ground deformation can be a
source of damage

5-4

2
 Seismic Vulnerability of
Deep Foundations
Pile cap / pile head connection failure
Inadequate structural capacity
• Force demand
• Displacement demand
Inadequate geotechnical capacity
• Excessive pile / pile cap deformation

6-5

Soil-Foundation-Structure
Interaction
Seismic loading on foundations depends upon
soil-foundation-structure interaction
• Inertial interaction: interaction between the
superstructure and the structural foundation
• Kinematic interaction: interaction between the
structural foundation and the adjacent soil
• Not important except for stiff piles in very soft ground
and massive structures on shallow foundations (e.g.,
nuclear power plants)

6-6

3
Soil-Structure Interaction:
Inertial Interaction

 x xry
 
 xry ry 

6-7

Soil-Structure Interaction:
Kinematic Effects
1. Kinematic Seismic Response

Kinematic motion

6-8

4
 Modeling Soil-Structure Interaction:
Approach:
Model foundation as a node at the base of the
global bridge model
Procedures:
Attach decoupled linear soil springs to
foundation node
• Linear spring stiffness may depend upon deformation
• Springs represented by stiffness matrix

6-9

Sallow Foudnation Uncoupled

Spring Model

5-10

5
 Foundation Stiffness Matrix

5-11

Deep Foundation Substructure

Modeling

Detailed model of
superstructure

6-12

6
 Pile Head Stiffness Matrix

x y  z x y z
 k11 0 0 0  k15 0 
 0 k 0 k 0 0 
 22 24 
 0 0 k33 0 0 0
 
 0 k 42 0 k 44 0 0 
 k51 0 0 0 k55 0
 
 0 0 0 0 0 k66 

Force Vector for δx=1.0

6-13

General Methodology for Seismic

Design of Foundations
Step 1 - Size foundations for other limit states
Step 2 - Provide foundation stiffness coefficients
to seismic analyst (if required)
• Include embedment, finite layer effects
Step 3 - Check foundations using loads from
seismic analysis
• Re-design foundation, re-compute stiffness, re-
analyze seismic response if necessary
Step 4 - Repeat Steps 2 and 3 to Convergence
5-14

7
 Load Components on Footings

e = M/V
5-15

Stiffness Matrix Evaluation

Stiffness of foundation depends upon:

• Mode of deformation
• Geometry of footing (L/B)
• Shear modulus and Poisson’s ratio of soil
• Footing embedment
See FHWA GEC-3 for more information on
stiffness calculations

5-16

8
Shallow Foundation Design Checks
Global stability
Geotechnical capacity
• Excessive eccentricity
• Bearing resistance
• Sliding resistance

Structural capacity
• Flexure
• Shear
• Joint shear 5-17

Geotechnical Design

Geotechnical Ductile

Excessive eccentricity, Bearing, and Sliding

5-18

9
 Eccentricity Limits

No approval needed when:

• emax = B/3 for soil
• emax = 0.45B for rock

Larger values allowed with owners

approval
• Can limit load transferred to footing
• See Appendix A of 2009 Guide Spec for
rocking limits
5-19

Bearing Capacity of Shallow

Foundations
Footings on soil:
• Reduce footing dimensions to account for
eccentricity
• Treat as uniformly loaded footing, use general
bearing capacity equations
Footings on rock:
• Use trapezoidal or triangular bearing stress as
appropriate
• Compare maximum bearing stress to
unconfined strength
5-20

10
 Reduced Foundation Width
(Meyerhoff’s Method)
B  B  2e

N
q 
B

5-21

Modified Bearing Capacity Equation

Rectangular footings with inclined loads:
qn = cNcsc + qsNqsqdqCwq + 0.5 B’ N s Cw
where
s = Shape factor
Cwq and Cwq = Water table correction factors
dq = correction factor for embedment

5-22

11
 Soil Shear Strength
For seismic loading, FS = 1
Use effective stress parameters (c’, ’) for
medium dense to dense sand, gravel
• For loose sand, reduce c’ and ’ by 1/3rd;
i.e. c = 0.67c’ and ’ = tan-1(0.67 tan’)
Use total stress parameters for saturated silt,
clay
• c = undrained shear strength, Su;  = 0 for
saturated soil
5-23

Sliding (with Passive Resistance)

FS = (R+RP)/ (Ph+PA) Friction and adhesion /
cohesion
Rn = (W+Pv) tan  b
+(ca(B - alb) + c(al b)
+ PP)L

Friction only
Rn = (W + P) tan
 b + PP L

Note active earth pressure

contribution to driving
force
5-24

12
 Secondary Seismic Loads
Displacement demands from permanent
foundation soil deformations

• Vertical settlement
• Lateral displacement

5-25

Deep Foundation Failure Modes

6-26

13
 Geotechnical Capacity of Deep
Foundations
For axial capacity
• Plunging and uplift due to force and moment
demand
• Plunging due to downdrag-induced
displacement demand
For lateral capacity
• Pushover analysis using Lpile-type analysis
with static p-multipliers and passive resistance
of cap
• Stiffness usually governs lateral loading
6-27

Pile Group Effects

Affect both vertical and lateral capacity and
stiffness
Depend upon spacing
– Check equivalent single pile for vertical capacity
– Lateral deformation and capacity based upon
p-y multipliers
Moment capacity relies upon axial capacity

14
 Moment Capacity for a Pile Group

6-29

p-Multipliers for Pushover Analyses

Note:
p-Multipliers
for
displacement
(lateral
stiffness)
analyses are
different
• See GEC-3
for more
information 6-30

15
 Pile Head Pullout Failure
Sudden loss of uplift capacity
Significant reduction in moment capacity
• Theoretically can lead to overturning
Design Requirements
• Anchoring devices for timber, steel H piles and
unfilled pipe piles
• Sufficient embedment length of reinforcement
and dowels for concrete and concrete filled pipe
piles

6-31

Batter Piles
Carry more lateral load
than vertical piles due to
greater stiffness

Provide cost effective

lateral resistance if properly
designed
• Must be capacity
protected or designed for
moment at pile head
6-32

16
Lesson 5.4

Questions?

5-33

17