WHAT IS A FOOTING?

It is the bottommost part of a foundation wall, with a course of concrete wider that
the base of the wall, usually reinforced with rebar.
That portion of the foundation of a structure that spreads and transmits the load
directly to the soil.
Generally, the term footing is used in unison with shallow foundations.
The selection of the size and type of footings depends on:

the weight and type of house construction

The site class.

WHAT IS A FOUNDATION?
It is the lowest load bearing part of the building typically below ground level. The
entire masonry substructure below the first floor or frame of a building, including the
footing upon which the building rests.
Foundation has its purpose, to transmit the collective building load to the soil in such
a way that the supporting soil will not be over stressed (overloaded) and will not
undergo deformation that may cause serious building settlements, the transfer
device is called the foundation.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF FOUNDATION
a. Shallow Foundation
1. Mat or Raft Foundations
- Raft Foundations, also called Mat Foundations, are most often used when
basements are to be constructed. In a raft, the entire basement floor slab
acts as the foundation; the weight of the building is spread evenly over the
entire footprint of the building. It is called a raft because the building is like
a vessel that 'floats' in a sea of soil.
- Mat Foundations are used where the soil is week, and therefore building
loads have to be spread over a large area, or where columns are closely
spaced, which means that if individual footings were used, they would
touch each other.
- Mat foundations are those which are spread across the entire area of the
building to support heavy structural loads from columns and walls.
- These foundations should not be used where the ground water table is
above the bearing surface of the soil. Use of foundation in such conditions
may lead to scour and liquefaction.

2. Strap or Cantilever Footing

- A strap (or cantilever) footing consists of two isolated footings connected
with a structural strap or a lever. The strap connects the two footings such
that they behave as one unit. The strap is designed as a rigid beam. The
individual footings are so designed that their combined line of action
passes through the resultant of the total load. a strap footing is more
economical than a combined footing when the allowable soil pressure is
relatively high and the distance between the columns is large.

3. Spread or Isolated Footing

-

COMMON SHAPES:
a. Square
1. Square Block
2. Square sloped
3. Square stepped
b. Rectangular
c. Trapezoidal
d. Long strips

Individual footings are one of the

most simple and common types of
foundations. These are used when
the load of the building is carried by
columns. Usually, each column will
have its own footing. The footing is
just a square or rectangular pad of
concrete on which the column sits.
To get a very rough idea of the size
of the footing, the engineer will take
the total load on the column and
divide it by the safe bearing capacity
(SBC) of the soil. For example, if a
column has a vertical load of 10T,
and the SBC of the soil is 10T/m2,
then the area of the footing will be
1m2. In practice, the designer will
look at many other factors before
preparing a construction design for
the footing

4. Combined Footing
- A combined footing supports two columns. It is used when the two
columns are so close to each other that their individual footings would
overlap. A combined footing is also provided when the property line is so
close to one column that a spread footing would be eccentrically loaded
when kept entirely within the property line. By combining it with that of an
interior column, the load is evenly distributed. A combined footing may be
rectangular or trapezoidal in plan.

5. Strip Footing
-

b. Deep Foundation

Strip footings are commonly found in

load-bearing masonry construction
(load-bearing walls), and act as a
long strip that supports the weight of
an entire wall. These are used
where the building loads are carried
by entire walls rather than isolated
columns, such as in older buildings
made of masonry. A strip footing is
also provided for a row of columns
which are so closely spaced that
their spread footings overlap or
nearly touch each other. In such a
case, it is more economical to
provide a strip footing than to provide
a number of spread footings in one
line. A strip footing is also known as
continuous footing.

1. Pile and Pier Foundation

- A pile is basically a long cylinder of a strong material such as concrete
that is pushed into the ground so that structures can be supported on top
of it.
- Pile foundations are used in the following situations:
a. When there is a layer of weak soil at the surface. This layer
cannot support the weight of the building, so the loads of the
building have to bypass this layer and be transferred to the layer
of stronger soil or rock that is below the weak layer.
b. When a building has very heavy, concentrated loads, such as in a
high rise structure.
c. Pile foundations are capable of taking higher loads than spread
footings.
- Pile foundations are used to transfer heavy loads of structures through
columns to hard soil strata which is much below ground level and where
shallow foundations such as spread footings and mat footings cannot be
used. This type of foundation is also used to prevent uplift of structure
due to lateral loads such as earthquake and wind forces.
- Pier units are formed in place by excavating an opening to the desired
depth where concrete is poured. Such foundation are large enough to
allow an individual to enter and inspect the exposed earth layer.
- A clear distinction between pile and pier type foundation is not definite
because of the changes and innovations in construction or installation
methods.

2. Caissons- Caissons are hollow substructures designed to be constructed on or near

the surface and then sunk as a single unit to their required level.

TWO TYPES OF CAISSON

A. Open caisson- may be of box or pile type. The top and bottom are open druring
installation. When in place, the bottom may be sealed with concrete if needed to
keep out of water. Sometimes, the bottom is socketed into rock to obtain a high
bearing capacity.
B. Pneumatic Caisson- has top and side sealed and used compressed air to
prevent water and soil from entering the lower chamber.
GENERAL TYPES OF FOUNDATION
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Spread Footing
Mat or Raft Foundation
Pile or Pier Foundation
Caissons
Floating Foundations- a special type of foundation applied in location where deep
deposits of compressible cohesive soil exist and use of pile is impractical. It
requires that the building structure was assembled as a combination of mat and
caisson to create a rigid box.

It is recommended to a selected depth where the total weight of the soil

excavated for the rigid box is equal to the total weight of the planned building.

WHAT ARE PILES?

Pile is a structural member of small cross-sectional area with reasonable length driven
down into the ground by means of hammer or vibratory generator
Piles are classified according to:
A. Type and size
a.1. End bearing Pile- the bottom end of the pile rests on a layer of especially
strong soil or rock. The load of the building is transferred through the pile onto
the strong layer. In a sense, this pile acts like a column. The key principle is that
the bottom end rests on the surface which is the intersection of a weak and
strong layer. The load therefore bypasses the weak layer and is safely
transferred to the strong layer.
a.2. Friction Pile- Friction piles work on a different principle. The pile transfers
the load of the building to the soil across the full height of the pile, by friction. In
other words, the entire surface of the pile, which is cylindrical in shape, works to
transfer the forces to the soil.

B. Shape as to the cross section

C. Material
c.1. Timber
c.2. Concrete
i. Cased Pile is a concrete cased inside a metal shell form
left underground. It is cased or uncased
ii. Uncased Pile is a reinforced concrete pile minus the
metal casing or shell thereby reducing the cost of
construction.

c.3. Metal
FUNCTIONS AND USES OF PILES:
a. As friction pile, the load at the bottom portion is transmitted from the oft strata to
the stiffer lower strata.
b. As friction pile, utilizing the surface of its full length.
c. As soil compactor
d. As end bearing column
e. As stabilizer of banks
f. As batter pile
g. As a dolphin
h. As sheeting

BUILDING TECHNOLOGY 2
AR 222S1

FOUNDATION,
FOOTING AND
PILES
SUBMITTED BY:
CARMELA JANE H. ESCALONA
AR22FB1
SUBMITTED TO:
ARCH.ROEL SAMSON
JAN.23, 2016