Understanding the Effect of Soil Types in Bearing Capacity for Shallow Square Footings

The common issue in foundation design is how the bearing capacity of a soil varies with variation in soil types and how the presumptive estimation of bearing capacity of soil may lead to unsafe designs. The factors that most significantly influence the bearing capacity of soil are friction angle, cohesion, unit weight, and depth and width of foundation. This study explores the soil behavior in shallow foundation, through an analysis of 40 distinct soil types and variations of all these parameters, which are derived from literature surveys. The goal of the study is to clarify how several soil characteristics interact with bearing capacity. However, presuming the bearing capacity of soil without analyzing the soil is a common practice among foundation designers in most of the cases. The results of this study, however, suggest that clay and high plastic silt soils commonly have reduced bearing capabilities and fall below the presumptive barrier. These findings cast doubt on the widely held design presumptions and highlight how crucial it is for engineers and designers to make well-informed decisions. Additionally, this investigation identifies the soil with the lowest bearing capacity and examines the impact of shallow footing depth (from 4 to 7 feet) and breadth (from 4 to 7 feet) changes in these soil types. For instance, in such soil, modest increase in the footing depth feet resulted in better increment in bearing capacity. In regions with poor soil profiles, practitioners can improve the safety and dependability of structure designs by emphasizing these linkages. This study explores on various ways by which soil properties impact the soil bearing capacity in shallow foundations, and it aims to provide information which may be used to make better judgements especially in regions with lower soil properties.