Monday, 3 July 2017

Concrete Foundation Information And Different Types

By Christine Stone


Foundations are an architectural structure element which connects and transfers the structure loads to the ground. They are generally considered as either shallow or deep and soil and rock mechanics are applied in designing them. Shallow foundations will be used to support small and light buildings and the deep ones support large and heavy structures.

Open or spread footings are what shallow ones are also called because of their visibility when the earth is excavated first fully until its bottom during construction. Each Kennebunk concrete foundation would then ideally spread the entire load on its footing over a larger area taken from the column. Weight on soil is prevented in exceeding its safe bearing capacity.

These foundations should be protected from freezing in cold climates because the surrounding water would freeze and expand damaging them. They must be build beneath ground level that freezing occurs or the frost line. If this is not possible then an insulation must protect them that is the little heat permeating into the ground from that building to prevent freezing.

There are several types that shallow footings have and first are individual footings where the columns are carrying the building load. Each column has a footing of its own that is either a rectangular or a square tablet of concrete which it sits. The pad sizes depends on the load with the columns being connected usually by a horizontal plinth beam and is built at or below ground level.

Next are strip footings that are common at masonry constructions bearing load which acts to support weight with long strips. These are for when isolated columns are not used in carrying the building loads but uses them instead. Small concrete strips would be placed inside trenches and reinforced by steel.

Raft foundations are another one used commonly when basements will be constructed and its floor slab would act as the foundation. The building weight is evenly spread over its entire footprint and is known as a raft the structure looks like floating in soil. They are used when the weak soil is there so the load can be spread on a huge area.

The next ones are pile foundations which are made from concrete and other strong materials and are long cylinders being pushed into the ground for supporting the structures above. One of the situations to use them are when a weak soil is there that could not support weight so bypassing this layer would be needed. Another situation is for the high rise structures that have heavy concentrated loads.

These have two types and end bearing pile is one where its bottom rest on specially strong layer of soil and rock. The piles act like columns by transferring the load through it in to the strong layer and bypasses the weak one. Its key principle is its resting on the weaker and stronger surface layer intersection.

Another one are friction piles where friction is used in transferring the entire weight across the full height. This can support more if it has greater buried depth. The weight it could support is proportional directly to the length.




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