Raft Foundations,
s t Plots &
SPT-N Values
We excel through experience and learning
Keywords
Raft foundations, s t plot, SPT-N values, soil friction angles
Introduction
Large raft foundations give very high allowable bearing
capacity, and in some cases, the bearing capacity might even
be higher than the equivalent bearing capacity of driven H-piles.
For large rafts, settlement becomes the controlling factor.
Triaxial compression test results, if available, can be used to
prepare an s t plot for determination of soil friction angle(s).
The SPT-N values (field test results) can also be used to
correlate the soil friction angle and the soil compactness,
allowing one to gain some quick feel of the soil bearing capacity.
400
s t Plots
Laboratory tests are normally conducted as part of a
ground investigation programme. Triaxial compression tests on
soil samples would usually be specified by a Designer.
Depending on the laboratory report format, the triaxial test
results are presented quite differently, ranging from full report
on 3, p, q, s, t to just some of these parameters. The most
useful values of c and are usually not reported because
these values are subject to interpretation by the Designer.
For the purpose of determining the soil friction angle, , we
only need to focus on the values of s and t, where:
s
t
= (1 + 3) / 2
= (1 3) / 2
300
200
100
1.0
2.0
500
t (kPa)
Synopsis
This note explains, through examples, the use of triaxial test
results to prepare s t plots for determination of soil friction
angle(s), . Published correlation data (Meyerhoff, 1956)
between SPT-N values and is provided for counterchecking
the result. Given the value, the allowable bearing capacity of
shallow footing (or raft foundations) can be quickly assessed.
0
0
200
400
600
800
1000
s' (kPa)
Two trend lines are shown in the above plot : the broken line is
a best-fit line for the available data, and the solid line is a
lower-bound line. The gradient of these lines is tan, and the
effective soil friction angle, is given by:
= sin-1 (tan)
tan
Best-Fit
35
0.613
42
Lower-Bound
27
0.450
30
3.0
Soil Friction
Angles,
Compactness
<4
< 30
Very loose
4 10
30 35
Loose
10 30
35 40
Medium Dense
30 50
40 45
Dense
> 50
> 45
Very dense
01
Q1
Q2
B
L
h
z
= 50m
= 50m (into paper direction)
= 8m
= 2m
s = 18 kN/m3
w = 10 kN/m3
' = 8 kN/m3
= 30
FOS = 3
Qn
z
qo
The SPT-N value in the drill logs for the site in Yuen Long
ranges from 10 to 24. According to the correlation table, the
soil is considered compact and the corresponding soil friction
angle is within the range of 35 40, which is in reasonable
agreement with value given by the best-fit line in the s t plot.
Bearing Capacity of Raft Foundations / Footing
The bearing capacity of a large raft foundation can be
very high. An assessment is made, based on GEOGUIDE 1, for
a raft foundation having the arrangement shown in the diagram
above.
100.0
30.1
22.4
18.4
4.0
10.0
Nc
Nq
N
1.0
0
' B N s + qo Nq sq
10
20
30
40
50
0.1
The bearing capacity factors, Nc, Nq, N have been derived by
different soil mechanics researchers. Those used in GEOGUIDE
1 Figure A2 are shown in the graph on the right. The
calculated values of these factors are shown below for = 30.
Nc
= 30.1 ;
sc
= 1.61
Nq
= 22.4 ;
sq
= 1.58
= 18.4 ;
= 0.60
Also, qo
Thus, qult
= 182 + 8(8 2)
= 84 kPa
= 0.585018.40.6 + 8422.41.58
= 5180.9 kPa
= [(5180.9 84) / 3] + 84
= 1782.9 kPa
- End -
02