Helical piles are increasingly being used for a broad range of construction applications covering dynamic industries. They are represented by steel shafts containing a series of circular low pitched steel plates. The helical plates are welded at tactical positions on the steel shafts to provide greater tension and compression bearing capacities on the foundation. The […]
Pier and Beam Foundation – Advantages and Disadvantages
Pier and beam foundation is a popular type of foundation. As the decision to choose the foundation of your building is a big one, it must be taken after considering all the options available. There are many kinds of foundation, of which, crawl space foundation, basement foundation and slab foundation are the most popular ones. Homeowners make […]
Slab on Grade Foundation
What is Slab on Grade Foundation You would know that one of the most important design considerations while constructing a house is its foundation. Slab on grade or ground foundation is a design of foundation that involves pouring of concrete slabs directly on the ground, meaning there is no gap between the ground and the concrete. […]
Advantages of Choosing a Crawl Space Foundation For Your New Home
When building a house, choosing the right kind of foundation is perhaps the first decision that homeowners have to struggle with. There are many options for the right foundation depending upon the climate, the soil types, as well as, the elevation of the ground. For good reasons, crawl space foundation is one of the popular […]
Pier and beam Foundation Vs Slab Foundation Comparison
Pier and Beam Foundations A pier foundation allows you to isolate the house off the ground. This means the house is technically decoupled from the ground as a whole. Steel studs remove the possibility of wood rot and concrete creates roughly one kilogram of CO2 for every kilogram of concrete. This means pier and beam […]
Slab Foundation Vs Crawl Space Foundation Vs Basement – What’s The Difference?
There are some confusions among civil engineering students as well as professionals on relative differences among slab foundations, crawl space foundations and basement. So we have decided to write a post on this topic. First, we will go through the basic concepts of each of the topics and then we will summarize the relative differences between slab […]
Pile Foundation – How To Install Piles In A Pile Foundation
Pile Foundation Pile foundations can be defined as a special type of deep foundation, where piles are used to transfer the loads from the low bearing capacity soil to the high soil bearing capacity strata at depth. Pile foundations are generally used for large structures. It is also used in places where the soil settlement […]
How To Build a Garage Foundation
Garage Foundation construction can be tricky if you do not have a general knowledge on construction and construction materials. There are specific steps that need to be taken to ensure that the garage foundation is sturdy and will hold the weight of the garage structure plus the weight of the vehicle that will be housed […]
Slab on Grade Foundation – Advantages, Disadvantages and Uses of Slab Foundations
Slab on grade foundations are also commonly known as floating slab foundations. The foundation is formed using a mold that is set into the ground rather than digging a basement for the structure. There is no space between the ground and the poured concrete. Uses of Slab Foundations Slab foundations are used under the following […]
Two Column Footings – Basics of Combined Footing Design
It is desirable to design combined footing so that the centroid of the footing area coincides with the resultant of the two column loads. This produces uniform bearing pressure over the entire area and forestalls a tendency for footings to tilt. In plane, such footing are rectangular, trapezoidal, or T shaped, the details of the […]
Concrete Block Foundation – Advantages and Disadvantages of Concrete Block Foundations
Concrete block foundations are built using concrete blocks that are typically 8 inches by 16 inches. Although they do come in various sizes, this is the size that is most commonly used for foundations. The concrete blocks rest on a concrete footing that has been poured deep and wide enough to accommodate the load of […]
4 Functions Of Pile Foundation – Why Piles Are Used
When the soil beneath the level at which a footing or raft would normally be established is too weak or too compressible to provide adequate support, the loads are transferred to more suitable material at greater depth by means of piles or piers. The distinction between the two is somewhat arbitrary. What Are The […]
Comparative Study Between Combined Footing, Strip Footing and Mat foundation
Combined Footings Spread footings that support more than one column or wall are known as combined footing. They can be divided into two categories: those that support two columns and those that support more than two columns. Combined Footings – Two Column Two-column combined footings are seen become necessary in 2 situations: If columns are so close to […]
Spread Foundations – Types and When To Use Spread Footing Foundations
The horizontal outline of the most common spread footing foundation types are given. A wall footing is simply a strip of reinforced concrete, wider than the wall that distributes its pressure. Single-column footings are usually square, sometimes rectangular, and represent the simplest and most economical type. Their use under exterior columns meets with difficulties if property rights prevent […]
5 Common House Foundation Problems and Solutions
One of the biggest headaches that homeowners face regarding home repairs and maintenance is when the foundation of the house begins to shift or crack. There are usually simple and easy fixes for foundation problems if they are caught early enough. It is always good stewardship to check basement walls and foundations about once a […]
Common Methods Used For Bracing Sides of Shallow Excavations
The foundations for most structure are established below the surface of the ground. Therefore, they cannot be constructed until the soil or rock above the base level of the foundation has been excavated. Ordinarily it is not the function of the foundation engineer to select the equipment for excavating at a given site or to […]
How To Build a Building Foundation – 10 Steps
When constructing a foundation for a building, it is generally best to have a professional come in and do most of the work. There are some skilled do-it-yourselves out there, though, who can properly build a foundation for a small outbuilding. A civil engineer must to know the details of foundation construction as it’s the […]
Differential Settlement of Soil – Factors To Consider in Foundation Design
The substructure or foundation is the part of a structure that is usually placed below the surface of the ground and that transmits the load to the underlying soil or rock. 2 Important Factors in Foundation Design Regarding Settlement The two essential requirements in the design of foundations are that the total settlement of the […]
How To Build a Shed Foundation: 5 Simple Steps
When building a shed foundation, there are two basic categories: on-grade and frost-proof. Most sheds are built using on-grade foundations as they are the simpler of the two. Frost-proof or permanent foundations are much more difficult to build and they are strong and long-lasting. On-grade foundations do not require deep digging. To build a shed […]
How To Repair Concrete Foundation Cracks – 5 Simple Steps
Foundations will shift and settle over time and cracks will form. Many times minor cracks do not cause any really problems to the structural integrity of the structure. It is essential, however, to stop the cracks from spreading and becoming problematic in the future. It can be relatively simple to fix foundation problem that does […]
Foundation Crack – Cost of Cracked Foundation Repair
Cracked foundations can be disastrous for a structure. The most common cause of a cracked foundation is settlement. As the foundation shifts and settles into the ground over time, cracks can occur. Depending upon the severity of the settlement the cost of cracked foundation repair will vary. Cracked Foundation Repair Average Cost The average cost […]
Caisson Foundation | Types, Uses, Advantages and Disadvantages of Caisson Foundation
Caisson Foundation Caisson foundation is also known as pier foundation. Caisson is a cylinder or hollow box that is sunk into the ground to a specified depth by auguring a deep hole into the strata. The cylinder or box is then back filled with concrete, thus creating the foundation. This type of foundation is most […]
Foundation Construction Requirements and Foundation Failure Causes
Foundation Construction Requirements For a good building foundation construction, there are some requirements to be followed in general. These helps foundation to provide stability and increase bearing capacity. Foundations should be such that it can easily carry dead load and imposed load of the structure and transfer the loads to the soil. Foundation base should […]
Shallow Foundation | Advantages and Disadvantages of Shallow Foundation
Shallow foundations are the foundations that have a depth less than or equal to its width. Advantages of Shallow Foundation Foundations with shallow depths are beneficial for some aspects. Some advantages of shallow foundation is listed below. Shallow foundation is convenient for foundations having depth is equal or less than the foundation width. It is used […]
Timber Piles | Advantages and Disadvantages of Timber Piles
When Timber Piles are used Timber piles are advantageous in wet and compressive soils to build light structures. Cost is reduced in timber piling. Piles are generally used as friction piles. Timber pile are mostly square or circular shaped. Advantages of Timber Piles Timber piles are used in many developed countries for its ease of […]
Drilled Piers – Advantages and Disadvantages of Drilled Piers
Drilled Piers A drilled pier is a large diameter concrete cylinder built in the ground. For construction of a drilled pier, a large diameter hole is drilled in the ground and subsequently filled with concrete. The difference between a drilled pier and a bored pile is basically of the size. Generally bored piles are of […]
Pile Foundation | Concrete Piles, Steel Piles, Timber Piles and Composite Piles
Pile Foundation A pile is a slender structural member made of steel, concrete or timber. In pile foundation, a pile is either driven into the soil and or formed in-situ by excavating a hole and filling it with concrete. There are piles made of different types of materials used in pile foundation. Generally four types […]
Mat or Raft Foundation | Advantages and Disadvantages of Raft Foundation
Raft Foundation Mat or raft foundation is a large slab supporting a number of columns and walls under the entire structure or a large part of the structure to lower the contact pressure compared to spread footing. When Mat/Raft Foundation is Recommended It is recommended for the following purposes. Bearing capacity of soil is low, […]
Machine Foundation | Types of Machine Foundation
Machine Foundation Machine foundation is the foundation that is provided beneath the super structure of vibrating and rotating machine. Machine foundations are subjected to the dynamic forces caused by the machine. These dynamic forces are then transferred to the foundation supporting the machine. Though the moving parts of the machine are generally balanced, there is […]