FOUNDATION ENGINEERING BASIC INFORMATION
What Is Foundation Engineering?
What Is Foundation Engineering?
The title
foundation engineer is given to that person who by reason of training and
experience is sufficiently versed in scientific principles and engineering
judgment (often termed "art") to design a foundation. We might say
engineering judgment is the creative part of this design process.
The
necessary scientific principles are acquired through formal educational courses
in geotechnical (soil mechanics, geology, foundation engineering) and
structural (analysis, design in reinforced concrete and steel, etc.)
engineering and continued self-study via short courses, professional
conferences, journal reading, and the like.
Because of
the heterogeneous nature of soil and rock masses, two foundations—even on adjacent
construction sites—will seldom be the same except by coincidence. Since every foundation
represents at least partly a venture into the unknown, it is of great value to
have access to others' solutions obtained from conference presentations,
journal papers, and textbook condensations of appropriate literature.
The
amalgamation of experience, study of what others have done in somewhat similar
situations, and the site-specific geotechnical information to produce an
economical, practical, and safe substructure design is application of engineering
judgment.
The
following steps are the minimum required for designing a foundation:
1. Locate
the site and the position of load. A rough estimate of the foundation load(s)
is usually provided by the client or made in-house. Depending on the site or
load system complexity, a literature survey may be started to see how others
have approached similar problems.
2.
Physically inspect the site for any geological or other evidence that may
indicate a potential design problem that will have to be taken into account
when making the design or giving a design recommendation. Supplement this
inspection with any previously obtained soil data.
3. Establish
the field exploration program and, on the basis of discovery (or what is found
in the initial phase), set up the necessary supplemental field testing and any
laboratory test program.
4. Determine
the necessary soil design parameters based on integration of test data,
scientific principles, and engineering judgment. Simple or complex computer
analyses may be involved.
For complex
problems, compare the recommended data with published literature or engage
another geotechnical consultant to give an outside perspective to the results.
5. Design
the foundation using the soil parameters from step 4. The foundation should be economical
and be able to be built by the available construction personnel.
Take into
account practical construction tolerances and local construction practices.
Interact closely with all concerned (client, engineers, architect, contractor)
so that the substructure system is not excessively overdesigned and risk is
kept within acceptable levels. A computer may be used extensively (or not at
all) in this step.
