PROPOSED FOUNDATION ON BLACK COTTON SOIL.

4#12 RTS PL.BEAM @FFL

8TIE@6C/C
PILE CAP
BRICK INFILL

PILE

The principle of virendeel girder is made use of in foundation design for residential buildings. There
was an article in ICJ published by Dr.Santhakumar and a PWD engineer that was used for Tamilnadu
Housing board. Also I read in book published by Eyghtian company in which the author used this
technic for a very very low B.C of soil making use of beam top and bottom with brick infill. As I am
out of India I can not furnish exact vol and the month can not furnish the details. As soon I come
back I will send the details.
 The system is being used by me for a building for the ooty coroperation:
The way in which it is adopted is:
1. Design the footings as independent one. Raise the columns upto NGL.
2. Cast the Plinth beam resting over the NGL.
3. While castings introduce 4-12mm di bars for a small column over the pb at a spacing not to exceed
10' or divide the span if the span is less than 20' between main columns. This small column becomes
verticals.
4.Build the brickwall wpto basement leaving a gap for the columns for which 4-12mm bars are
inserted in the pb.
5.Then place the shuttering on bothsides of brick and pour the concrete grount for the vertical.(Note
the composite action of brick and concrete)
6. then cast the top member of the system at basement level a beam.
This system worked very economical one and saved a lot for an apartment building.

Now in this the bottom chord is the grade beam, the plinth beam is the top chord, the verticals are over
the grade beam. The vertical can be 9 width and the breadth shall be the size of the brickwall say 9.
The brick infill will act as a compression chord. The brick infill is built first over the grade beam and the
concrete is filled later in order to get the composite action of brick and the concrete.

As already stated in the link that this system has been used for a building in ooty where the site is over a
swampy and the soil is black cotton soil. Till to date no crack.

Also I informed that this technique was employed in Eyghpt and Dr.N.S also posted an article from ICJ
and others.

This involves only the extra cost for the vertical as the brick wall and the plinth beam will be built
normally.

The system is to be used in the 20 m transverse direction also as it is better to tie the piles in x and y
direction as the piles may be subject to BM and axial forces. Reference can be made regarding this
HANDBOOK OF CONCRETE ENGINEERING by Mark Fintel .

2. Basic Data provided are as follows:

Free swell index- 50 to 80%
Liquid limit- 40 to 70.
Column to column distance -20m
Maximum column Reaction-70mt.

I would like to have the Differential Free swell index of the soil rather than Free swell Index. Depending
upon value of the differential free swell index, the degree of expansiveness can be approximately
determined.
Degree of expansiveness is low if DFS is less than 20.
Degree of expansiveness is moderate if DFS percent varies from 20 to 35.
Degree of expansiveness is high if DFS percent varies from 35 to 50.
Degree of expansiveness is very high if DFS percent is greater than 50.
These data are available in Appendix A of IS: 2911(part-3)
Unfortunately no such details data are available for interpretation of Free Swell Index. The soil is
considered to be problematic if the Free swell index is above 50%. In this case Free swell index varies to
50% to 80% which indicates soil is certainly expansive but the degree of expansiveness cannot be
ascertained. But the liquid limit comes to our rescue. The Indian black cotton soils usually show a liquid
limit varying from 40 to 100%. The Indian black cotton soils also have a degree of expansiveness from
high to very high because of high percentage of montomorillonite which has surface electrical charge to
attract water.
In this case liquid limit varies from 40 to 70 percent. Hence it can be considered that the soil has
moderate to high degree of expansiveness.
I would have preferred to have two more data before I hazard a suggestion regarding foundation.
The depth upto which this property continues ? Though the hard strata is at 10 m depth ,it might so
happen that at a sallow depth say at 2.5m to 3 m,the clay might have contained non-expansive
characteristic. In that case removal of top expansive soil would have been the best solution. In case of
Indian black cotton soil it is usually observed that Kankar and murrum is found below black cotton soil.
Measurement of swelling pressure as per IS: 2720 (part XLI) should have been carried out to
determine whether the load in column is adequate to counter the upward soil pressure. Nevertheless
there are some empirical formulas available to calculate swelling pressure of the soil from the void ratio
and plasticity index of the soil,Viz:
Ps=2.7-24(Ei/Pi)
Ps=swelling pressure in kg/sqcm
Ei=Initial void ratio.
Pi=plasticity Index in form of percentage.
The swelling pressure helps in determining whether a particular column (lightly loaded) in the structure
is getting uplifted by swelling pressure. In other words column loads should counter the upward swelling
pressure. Therefore it is undesirable to guess a very low Safe Bearing Capacity of soil and design the
foundation without proper study of soil parameters. Low bearing capacity gives a large base area of
footing which leads to higher upward pressure while the column load remains constant.

Now let us come back to the problem in hand. The good news is that water table is not encountered upto
depth of 10m when the soil investigation is carried out in the month of June(Rainy season).Now what we
have to take care that surface water due to rain fall should not find its way to foundations of building.
My suggestions are as follows:
1) End bearing pile is not preferred considering the cost factor. Definitely it is a costly proposition.
2) Underreamed pile is not preferred because forming a bulb at such a deeper depth of around 9m is
not easy. The flap of the reamer may not act properly at such a high depth. Formation of proper bulb is
doubtful.
3) Hence go for Isolated footing/combined footing as per the load requirement. In the excavated pit,
provide three layers of WEDGE SHEAR ELEMENT. Each layer of wedge shear element shall be 25cm thick
comprising of 150mm to 200mm of basalt rock with sand and lime in proportion of 10:1. Over three
layers of wedge shear elements provide P.C.C. OF 1:4:8 ratios of 100 mm thick and cast your footing over
it. This arrangement shall give safe bearing capacity of 20t/sqm.
4) Construct compound wall, cover the entire plot with good soil to a height of 500 mm (min). This
overburden pressure shall add to Safe bearing capacity of soil.
5) Provide concrete apron of 5m width all around the building to prevent percolation of surface water
to under the floor the building. The 5m is based on assumption that horizontal coefficient permeability of
soil is 50% of vertical coefficient of permeability.
6) Replace the back cotton soil under the floor with non expansive soil with proper compaction. Do not
submerge the floor area with water for compaction of filled up soil. Submerged water does not help in
compaction of soil under the floor. Rather entrapped water shall create problem at a later date.
I was involved in construction of G+ 3 storied constructions to be used for residential purpose involving
above method. Construction completed sometimes in 2001, performance is reported to be good.