The University of Texas of Austin

CE360K Foundation Engineering

CE 360K Foundation Engineering

FALL 2013
Instructor:

Dr. Ellen M. Rathje

ECJ 9.227C
232-3683
e.rathje@mail.utexas.edu
Office Hours: MW 2-3pm or by appointment

Teaching Assistant: To be announced

Lectures:

MWF 1:00 - 2:00

ECJ 5.410

Laboratory:

F 2:00-4:00 pm
ECJ 5.410

Prerequisites:

CE357 Geotechnical Engineering. The basic principles of soil mechanics

introduced in CE 357 will be used extensively in this course.

Textbooks:

Coduto, D.P. (2001) Foundation Engineering: Principles and Practices,

Prentice Hall.

Assignments:

Homework assignments will be assigned each week. Student may work in small
groups but each student must hand in his or her own work.

Design Project: A major component of this course will be a design project prepared by teams of
students. Groups will be comprised of 4 to 5 students and assigned by the
instructor. The design project will be based on a real project in Austin and will
consist of three phases:
Phase 1 Proposal for Foundation Engineering Services.
(Report and Presentation)
Phase 2 Progress Report on Foundation System Design.
(Report only)
Phase 3 Final Design Recommendations for Foundation System.
(Report and Presentation)
Further information regarding the design project will be discussed in the
laboratory section.

The University of Texas of Austin

CE360K Foundation Engineering

Exams:

Two exams will be given during the semester. The first will take place during
the laboratory session on Friday, October 17 and on this day there will be no
lecture. The second exam will occur during the Final Exam period (Saturday,
December 14, 9 am noon). One page of handwritten notes on 8.5 x 11 paper
will be allowed in exams.

Grading:

Assignments
Midterm
Final Exam
Design Project

15%
25%
25%
35%

The plus/minus grading scale will be used.

Additional
Requirements:

A minimum exam average of 50% to pass the course

Course Evaluations
An evaluation of the course and instructor will be conducted at the end of the semester using the
approved UT Course/Instructor evaluation forms.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
The focus of this class will be on the design of foundations for buildings and other structures (e.g.,
bridges, retaining walls). Foundation design makes use of the principles of soil mechanics; it also
requires knowledge of geology and involves many considerations that might be called practical,
such as the availability of suitable construction equipment and personnel. We will spend a
significant part of our time on mechanistic types of problems, but we will also spend time
discussing practical types of problems that do not lend themselves to homework problems, exams,
and grading but are important problems in engineering practice.
While you will not become an expert foundation engineer by taking this one course, you will
acquire the technical background necessary to develop professional experience in this field. A
student completing this course will understand how to:
1. Specify appropriate geotechnical site and laboratory investigations as required to prepare a
foundation design.
2. Identify, interpret, and approximate relevant soil properties for designing and analyzing
foundations.
3. Predict the performance of shallow and deep foundations.
4. Design shallow and deep foundations to support a variety of structures and loads.
5. Prepare an engineering proposal and design report, and present both in a professional
manner.
At the end of this course, you will also appreciate how challenging it is to be a foundation engineer.

DESIGN SYNTHESIS

The University of Texas of Austin

CE360K Foundation Engineering

Each student is required to take at least one design synthesis (Level II) course. CE 360K is
designated as the geotechnical engineering design synthesis course. In a design synthesis course,
we want for students to achieve the following skills:
1. Be able to design foundations that are technically feasible and economically viable.
2. Be able to synthesize engineering analyses into a sound design solution.
3. Be able to serve as a constructive, cooperative and productive member of a multidisciplinary project team.
4. Be able to articulate and justify technical analyses through oral, written and graphical
means.
5. Be familiar with professional and ethical codes of conduct for civil engineers.
6. Appreciate the constantly evolving nature of civil engineering design and practice.
A few words of explanation are needed regarding design in geotechnical engineering. Most of the
students who are interested in foundation engineering are also interested in structural design.
Structural designers generally have well developed codes to follow. No comparable codes exist in
the United States in geotechnical engineering. In structural engineering, the properties of the
materials are reasonably well defined because they are a manufactured product. In geotechnical
engineering our major challenge is often defining the properties of the soil materials at a site.
Structural members are of comparatively simple shapes. Soil strata are often discontinuous and the
success of a design may hinge on whether or not your soil exploration program has discovered the
presence of the critical stratum. In the range of stresses typically used, structural materials are
subject to small strains, and may often be taken as linear elastic. Soils are often stressed to large
strains and almost always behave in an inelastic manner.
As a result of these conditions, students should realize that the term "design" carries with it a
different connotation in geotechnical engineering than in some other branches of civil engineering.
Even if you choose not to engage in the practice of geotechnical engineering, there is a good chance
that you will work with geotechnical engineers or read their reports in your work. Therefore, an
understanding of how geotechnical engineers work and think can be very beneficial.
INDEPENDENT INQUIRY FLAG
This course carries the Independent Inquiry flag. Independent Inquiry courses are designed to
engage you in the process of inquiry over the course of a semester, providing you with the
opportunity for independent investigation of a question, problem, or project related to your major.
You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from the independent
investigation and presentation of your own work. This goal is accomplished through the design
project in this course.
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS
In addition to the design project, homework problems will be assigned about every week. Digital
copies of the assignments will be placed on the Electronic Blackboard.
You may and are encouraged to work on the class assignments in small groups. You are free to
form your own homework groups as you desire during the semester. Working together on
assignments should foster your understanding of the course material; avoid working with other
students unless all parties gain from the experience. If you do work with others, you each need to

The University of Texas of Austin

CE360K Foundation Engineering

submit a solution with your name and the names of the others in your group on the cover
memorandum.
The primary purpose of the assignments is to help you clarify and practice the lecture material,
with the additional goal of developing your engineering skills. As much as possible, your
assignments will reflect real-world engineering practice where one must work with limited data,
deal with uncertainty in site conditions, and generate appropriate foundation recommendations. I
hope you will find that several of the homework problems are difficult and thought provoking. At
the same time, by encouraging you to work on these problems in small groups, I expect to see a
higher level of effort and performance in your homework submissions.
Each assignment must be submitted with a cover memorandum. As you will quickly learn after
college, practicing engineers spend more time and effort communicating their ideas, analyses, and
results than they do performing technical calculations. A professional engineer's work entails much
more than analysis. Hence, all assignments in this class must be submitted with a cover
memorandum that briefly discusses your analysis, results and recommendations. The cover memo
should be typed, addressed to the instructor, and no more than one page long. The text of your
memo should:

Briefly state the purpose of your work (remind the reader of what was requested and what
you did).
Describe the data, material properties, and other information used to solve the problem,
including any assumptions you may have used.
Review important aspects of the problem and your solution.
Refer to any attached drawings, plots, and other figures, and identify the significant
information they contain.
Summarize important results, conclusions, and recommendations.
Attach your calculations, plots, and drawings behind the cover memo. Write your cover memo as
if you were submitting your results to a professional client. An example memo is attached.
Engineering computation paper is required for your analytical work - pages torn from a spiral
notebook are not acceptable. Data plots and other figures may be drawn with a computer or by
hand on graph paper. When needed, neatly draw all sketches and data plots using a straight edge,
French curve, compass, etc., and show all relevant labels. When feasible, site plans and schematics
should be drawn to a proportional scale. Failure to submit legible, neat, professional-looking
assignments will adversely affect your grade. Above all, present your results clearly and concisely
so that someone else, who may be less knowledgeable than you are, can understand and apply your
recommendations correctly.

The University of Texas of Austin

CE360K Foundation Engineering

Students with Disabilities

The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic adjustments for
qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of
Students at 471-6259, 471-4241 TDD or the College of Engineering Director of Students with
Disabilities at 471-4382.
Academic Integrity
Students who violate University rules on scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties,
including the possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from The University. Since such
dishonesty harms the individual, all students, and the integrity of The University, policies on
scholastic dishonesty will be strictly enforced. Violations will be reported to the Office of the Dean
of Students. Remember, as an engineer, you are also held to a high standard of ethical conduct.
Deadlines and Drop Policy
Students are strongly urged to make any changes in their course schedules during the first week of
classes so that other students who need to add the course can be accommodated. Changes in your
course registration should be completed by the fourth day of classes.
Fourth day of classes.
Dropping a course after the fourth day of classes requires evidence of an extenuating
nonacademic circumstance. Approval for dropping a class after the fourth day of classes
must be obtained through the Engineering Office of Student Affairs in ECJ 2.200.
Twelfth day of classes.
Dropping a course after the twelfth day of classes will be very difficult; poor academic
performance is not an acceptable reason. To drop this course after the twelfth day of classes,
a drop form must be approved by the Dean's office and the Department of Civil
Engineering.

The University of Texas of Austin

CE360K Foundation Engineering

Course Outline
1.

Introduction (Weeks 1-2)

Foundation Types
Selection of Foundations
Allowable Movements (Section 2.3)

2.

Soil Mechanics Review (Week 3)

Soil Description, Classification (Sections 3.1-3.2)
Effective Stress (Section 3.4)
Consolidation (Section 3.5)

3.

Geotechnical Site Characterization (Weeks 4-6)

Site Exploration, Borings (Section 4.1)
Soil Sampling (Section 4.1)
In Situ Tests (Section 4.3)
Shear Strength (Section 3.6)

4.

Shallow Foundations (Weeks 7-9)

Bearing Capacity (Sections 6.1-6.8, 8.1-8.3, 8.9)
Evaluation of Settlements (Sections 7.1-7.4, 7.6-7.11)
Mat Foundations (Sections 10.1-10.3, 10.5-10.6)

5.

Introduction to Deep Foundations (Week 10)

Pile foundations (Sections 11.1, 11.3, 12.3)
Drilled shaft foundation (Sections 11.4, 12.4)
Load transfer mechanisms (Sections 11.2, 12.5, 13.1)

6.

Axial Load Capacity of Deep Foundations (Weeks 11-12)

Static Capacity Analysis for Piles (Sections 14.1-14.5)
Static Capacity Analysis for Drilled Shafts (Sections 14.1-14.5)
Field Load Tests (Sections 13.2-13.7)
Group Effects (Sections 14.6)
Settlement (Sections 14.7)

7.

Construction of Deep Foundations (Weeks 13-14)

Pile Driving (Section 11.3)
Pile Driving Formula (Section 15.1)
Wave Equation Analysis (Sections 15.2-15.5)
Drilled shaft construction (Section 11.4)

8.

Foundations on Expansive Soils (Week 15)

Design approaches (Sections 19.1-19.6)

The University of Texas of Austin

CE360K Foundation Engineering

Tentative Laboratory Schedule

Date

No.

Laboratory

August 30

Extra lecture (Dr. Rathje)

September 6

Project Assigned

September 13

Extra lecture (Dr. Rathje), Project Team Meetings

September 20

Guest Lecture: Dr. Charles Woodruff on Austin Geology

September 27

Extra lecture (Dr. Rathje), Project Team Meetings

October 4

Phase I Project Presentations

October 11

Project Team Meetings

October 17

Exam #1 (no lecture)

October 25

Project Team Meetings

November 1

10

Project Team Meetings

November 8

11

Phase II Progress Report Due

November 15

12

Project Team Meetings

November 22

13

Project Team Meetings

November 29

14

- no laboratory -

December 6

15

Phase III Project Presentations

Note: Students are expected to attend all laboratory sessions, although laboratory sessions in
bold are mandatory. Laboratory session will also be used for make-up lectures and
guest lectures, which also will be mandatory. These mandatory sessions will be
scheduled as the semester progresses.

The University of Texas of Austin

CE360K Foundation Engineering

Example Cover Sheet for Class Assignments

MEMORANDUM

To:

Prof. Ellen M. Rathje

From:

CAEE Student

Date:

September 1, 2011

Subject:

Allowable Bearing Pressures for Alamo Bank Footings

I have attached an analysis to estimate the allowable bearing pressures for the proposed footings
for the Alamo Bank Building.
Your memo of November 28, 2008 indicated that column loads up to 175 tons will be placed on
square spread footings located at shallow depths in compacted fill. Accordingly, the following
bearing pressures can be used to design these square footings:
Depth of Footing (ft)
3
5
8

Allowable Bearing Pressure (psf)

6800
7600
8800

These bearing pressures are allowable values that include a factor of safety of 3 against bearing
failure. This analysis is based on the undrained strength of the unsaturated, compacted soil
(expressed as c=700 psf, =19) as determined from the UU triaxial test data that you provided. It
has been assumed that the soil will be compacted in the field to a density and water content similar
to that used in preparing the laboratory test specimens.
A footing design based on these allowable pressures should yield an adequate margin of safety
against a catastrophic bearing failure. We have not considered long-term settlement of the footings;
we can conduct additional work to estimate the magnitude of potential settlements in this
foundation system if it is of interest or concern.
If you need additional information, or have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.