FOUNDATION ENGINEERINGHANDBOOK

Design and Construction with the 2009 International Building Code

Robert W. DayPrincipal Engineer

American Geotechnical San Diego, California

Second Edition

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With love to my wife, Deborah

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robert W. Day is a leading geotechnical engineer and the principal engineer atAmerican Geotechnical.

v

CONTENTS

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xiii

Chapter 1. Introduction 1.1

1.1. Definitions / 1.11.2. Project Requirements / 1.31.3. Preliminary Information and Planning the Work / 1.41.4. Engineering Geologist / 1.51.5. Outline of Chapters / 1.7

Part 1 Geotechnical Engineering

Chapter 2. Subsurface Exploration 2.3

2.1. Introduction / 2.32.2. Document Review / 2.32.3. Purpose of Subsurface Exploration / 2.72.4. Borings / 2.92.5. Test Pits and Trenches / 2.492.6. Preparation of Logs / 2.512.7. Geophysical Techniques / 2.552.8. Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering / 2.612.9. Subsoil Profile / 2.65

Notation / 2.66Problems / 2.69

Chapter 3. Laboratory Testing 3.1

3.1. Introduction / 3.13.2. Index Tests / 3.23.3. Oedometer Test / 3.163.4. Shear Strength of Cohesionless Soil / 3.193.5. Shear Strength of Cohesive Soil / 3.293.6. Laboratory Compaction Tests / 3.653.7. Permeability Tests / 3.77

Notation / 3.81Problems / 3.84

Chapter 4. Soil Mechanics 4.1

4.1. Introduction / 4.14.2. Soil Classification / 4.14.3. Phase Relationships / 4.17

4.4. Effective Stress / 4.214.5. Stress Distribution / 4.244.6. Total Stress and Effective Stress Analyses / 4.414.7. Permeability and Seepage / 4.57

Notation / 4.72Problems / 4.74

Part 2 Foundation Design

Chapter 5. Shallow and Deep Foundations 5.3

5.1. Introduction / 5.35.2. Selection of Foundation Type / 5.35.3. Shallow Foundations / 5.45.4. Deep Foundations / 5.6

Problems / 5.17

Chapter 6. Bearing Capacity of Foundations 6.1

6.1. Introduction / 6.16.2. Bearing Capacity for Shallow Foundations / 6.56.3. Bearing Capacity for Deep Foundations / 6.166.4. Lateral Load Capacity of Deep Foundations / 6.316.5. Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering / 6.41

Notation / 6.49Problems / 6.51

Chapter 7. Settlement of Foundations 7.1

7.1. Introduction / 7.17.2. Collapsible Soil / 7.27.3. Settlement of Cohesionless Soil / 7.97.4. Other Common Causes of Settlement / 7.277.5. Foundations on Rock / 7.347.6. Allowable Settlement / 7.40

Notation / 7.46Problems / 7.47

Chapter 8. Consolidation 8.1

8.1. Introduction / 8.18.2. Laboratory Consolidation Test / 8.38.3. Immediate Settlement / 8.118.4. Primary Consolidation / 8.168.5. Rate of Primary Consolidation / 8.248.6. Secondary Compression / 8.338.7. Consolidation of Soil beneath Shallow Foundations / 8.348.8. Consolidation of Soil beneath Deep Foundations / 8.388.9. Settlement of Unsaturated Cohesive Soil / 8.41

Notation / 8.45Problems / 8.47

vi CONTENTS

Chapter 9. Foundations on Expansive Soil 9.1

9.1. Introduction / 9.19.2. Expansion Potential / 9.29.3. Basic Expansive Soil Principles / 9.179.4. Methods Used to Predict Foundation Movement / 9.309.5. Foundation Design for Expansive Soil / 9.419.6. Flatwork / 9.479.7. Expansive Rock / 9.49

Notations / 9.50Problems / 9.52

Chapter 10. Slope Stability 10.1

10.1. Introduction / 10.110.2. Rockfall / 10.510.3. Surficial Slope Stability / 10.1010.4. Gross Slope Stability / 10.1810.5. Landslides / 10.3210.6. Debris Flow / 10.4710.7. Slope Softening and Creep / 10.50

Notations / 10.56Problems / 10.57

Chapter 11. Retaining Walls 11.1

11.1. Introduction / 11.111.2. Simple Retaining Wall without Wall Friction / 11.311.3. Simple Retaining Wall with Wall Friction / 11.711.4. Design and Construction of Retaining Walls / 11.1311.5. Restrained Retaining Walls / 11.1711.6. Mechanically Stabilized Earth Retaining Walls / 11.2011.7. Sheet Pile Walls / 11.2511.8. Temporary Retaining Walls / 11.3111.9. Moisture Migration through Basement Walls / 11.37

Notation / 11.41Problems / 11.43

Chapter 12. Foundation Deterioration and Cracking 12.1

12.1. Introduction / 12.112.2. Timber Decay / 12.112.3. Sulfate Attack of Concrete / 12.312.4. Frost / 12.712.5. Historic Structures / 12.812.6. Shrinkage Cracking / 12.1312.7. Moisture Migration through Slab-on-Grade Foundations / 12.18

Chapter 13. Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering for Soils 13.1

13.1. Introduction / 13.113.2. Basic Earthquake Principles / 13.213.3. Peak Ground Acceleration / 13.13

CONTENTS vii

13.4. Liquefaction / 13.1913.5. Slope Stability / 13.31

Notation / 13.45Problems / 13.46

Chapter 14. Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering for Foundationsand Retaining Walls 14.1

14.1. Introduction / 14.114.2. Earthquake Structural Damage / 14.214.3. Foundation Settlement / 14.914.4. Retaining Walls / 14.2014.5. Foundation Alternatives to Mitigate Earthquake Effects / 14.31

Notation / 14.34Problems / 14.35

Part 3 Foundation Construction

Chapter 15. Grading and Other Soil Improvement Methods 15.3

15.1. Grading / 15.315.2. Compaction / 15.1415.3. Soil Improvement Methods / 15.22

Notation / 15.27Problems / 15.27

Chapter 16. Foundation Excavation, Underpinning, and Field Load Tests 16.1

16.1. Introduction / 16.116.2. Foundation Excavation and Construction / 16.216.3. Field Load Tests / 16.2816.4. Foundation Underpinning / 16.3216.5. Observational Method / 16.40

Chapter 17. Geosynthetics and Instrumentation 17.1

17.1. Introduction / 17.117.2. Geosynthetics / 17.117.3. Instrumentation / 17.7

Part 4 2009 International Building Code

Chapter 18. International Building Code Regulations for Soils 18.3

18.1. Introduction / 18.318.2. Soils Investigation / 18.518.3. Excavation, Grading, and Fill / 18.718.4. Presumptive Load-Bearing Values of Soils / 18.1018.5. Expansive Soil / 18.12

viii CONTENTS

CONTENTS ix

Chapter 19. International Building Code Regulations for Foundations 19.1

19.1. Introduction / 19.119.2. General Regulations for Footings and Foundations / 19.119.3. Foundations Adjacent Slopes / 19.219.4. Retaining Walls / 19.419.5. Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering / 19.6

Appendix A. Glossary A.1

A.1. Subsurface Exploration Terminology / A.4A.2. Laboratory Testing Terminology / A.10A.3. Terminology for Engineering Analysis and Computations / A.16A.4. Compaction, Grading, and Construction Terminolgy / A.21A.5. Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering Terminolgy / A.28

Bibliography / A.34

Appendix B. Example of a Foundation Engineering Report B.1

B.1. Introduction / B.1B.2. Site Observations / B.1B.3. Geology / B.4B.4. Site Investigation / B.6B.5. Conclusions / B.6B.6. Foundation Recommendations / B.6B.7. Other Considerations / B.8B.8. Closure / B.8

Appendix C. Solutions to Problems C.1

Appendix D. Conversion Factors D.1

Appendix E. Bibliography E.1

Index I.1

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xi

PREFACE

The goal of the book is to present the practical aspects of geotechnical and foundation engineering.While the major emphasis of college education is engineering analyses, this often represents only aportion of the knowledge needed to practice geotechnical engineering. One objective of this book is todiscuss the engineering judgment that needs to be acquired through experience. An example is theapplication of sufficient redundancy in the design and construction of the project.

In California, structural engineers typically perform the actual structural design of the foundationbased on the recommendations supplied by the geotechnical engineer. Foundation design, in termsof determining the type and spacing of steel reinforcement in concrete footings, is not covered in thistextbook. This book deals only with the geotechnical aspects of foundation engineering. In addition,this book is only applicable for the analyses of clean soil, which does not contain any known or sus-pected hazardous materials. Such environmental issues are outside the scope of this book.

Because of the assumptions and uncertainties associated with geotechnical engineering, it is oftendescribed as an “art,” rather than an exact science. Thus simple analyses are prominent in this book,with complex and theoretical evaluations kept to an essential minimum. For most projects, a limitednumber of borings or test pits are used to investigate the soil and geologic makeup of a site. Hence,except for cases where the site consists of solid rock, there will usually be uncertainty in the finalanalyses. Because of this, when dealing with foundations bearing on soil, it is always best to take aconservative approach.

Part 1 (Chapters 2 to 4) deals with basic geotechnical field and laboratory studies, such as subsur-face exploration and laboratory testing of soil, rock, or groundwater samples. Part 2 (Chapters 5 to 14)presents the geotechnical aspects of foundation engineering, including the conditions commonlyencountered by the design engineer, such as settlement, expansive soil, and slope stability. Part 3(Chapters 15 to 17) provides a discussion of the performance or engineering evaluation of foundationconstruction, and Part 4 (Chapters 18 and 19) consists of concluding chapters dealing with the appli-cation of the building code for foundation engineering.

The book presents the practical aspects of geotechnical and foundation engineering. The topicsshould be of interest to design engineers, especially Part 4 that deals with the International BuildingCode. In this second edition, Part 4 has been revised to be in conformance with the 2009International Building Code. The remainder of the book is essentially unchanged from the first edi-tion.

Robert W. Day

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xiii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am grateful for the contributions of the many people who helped to make this book possible.Special thanks are due to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the InternationalCode Council (ICC), who jointly sponsored this work. The continued support of Mark Johnson atICC is greatly appreciated as well as the effort of Hamid Naderi at ICC for his review and commentsconcerning Chapters 18 and 19.

Portions of this book are reproduced from Geotechnical and Foundation Engineering: Designand Construction and I would like to thank Professor Charles C. Ladd, at the Massachusetts Instituteof Technology, who reviewed that text and offered many helpful suggestions. I would also like tothank Professor Ladd for the opportunity to have worked on his Orinoco clay project. Several figures,especially those in the section on shear strength, are reproduced from my M.I.T. thesis (EngineeringProperties of the Orinoco Clay ). In addition, I would like to thank Dr. Ladd for the opportunity tohave worked with him on various projects over the years.

Numerous practicing engineers provided valuable assistance during the development of the text.In particular, I am indebted to Tom Marsh, principal engineer at American Geotechnical, who providedextensive technical support and assistance. The contributions of my fellow engineers, includingRobert Brown, Eric Lind, Rick Walsh, and Scott Thoeny, are also appreciated. Thanks also to DennisPoland, Ralph Jeffery, and Todd Page for their help with the geologic aspects of the book, and RickDorrah for drafting various figures for the book.

For contributions to the chapter on laboratory testing, I would like to thank Professor TimothyStark, at the University of Illinois, who performed the ring shear tests, provided a discussion of thetest procedures and the photographs, and prepared the ring shear test plots. Thanks also to Kean Tan,principal of Kean Tan Laboratories, who performed the triaxial compression tests and provided thephotographs. I also appreciate the help of Sam Mahdavi, laboratory manager at American Geotechnical,who provided the direct shear test results and photographs.

For contributions to the sections on geotechnical earthquake engineering, I would like to thankProfessor Nelson, who provided Figure 13.22 and additional data concerning the Turnagain Heightslandslide. The help of Thomas Blake, who provided assistance in the use and understanding of hiscomputer programs, is also appreciated.

I would also like to thank Gregory Axten, president of American Geotechnical, who providedvaluable support during the review and preparation of the book. Thanks also to Carl Bonura and JohnPizzi for their longtime friendship and technical inputs.

Tables and figures taken from other sources are acknowledged where they occur in the text.Finally, I wish to especially thank Larry Hager at McGraw-Hill who has always supported my workand had the patience to see my books completed. Thanks also to Pamela Pelton, David Fogarty, andothers in McGraw-Hill.

Finally, I would also like to thank the production team at D&P Editorial Services, for managing theproduction of my book, providing editorial services, and refining it to its final form.

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