Foundations 1 (SANS 10100, SANS 10160-5)

Design the foundations under a building: the soil and its bearing resistance, pad footings with moments and uplift, strip and combined footings, rafts, piles, pile caps and retaining walls. Each lesson has short theory with many sketches, a worked example by hand, the same problem in a STATIX foundation calculator, exercises and a quiz.

Lessons

Lesson 1Soils for structural engineersAllowable pressure and bearing resistance, drained and undrained soil, SANS 10160-5 factors, water, eccentricity and settlement in outline. Lesson 2Pad footings: moments, biaxial loads and upliftThe middle third and the kern, pressure with and without full contact, overturning, sliding and uplift. Lesson 3Strip and combined footingsStrips per metre with an off-centre wall; combined bases sized for uniform pressure, beam moments, shear, punching and bands. Lesson 4Rafts as a Winkler plateThe subgrade modulus, the plate on springs, pressure and settlement, mats and punching at edge and corner columns. Lesson 5Piles: capacityShaft friction and end bearing by layer, working and ULS checks, downdrag, tension piles and groups. Lesson 6Pile caps: strut and tiePile reactions, the truss model, tie steel, shear, punching and layout for 2-, 3- and 4-pile caps. Lesson 7Retaining walls: stability and the stemEarth pressure, surcharge and water, overturning, sliding with a key, bearing, GEO and slip circle checks, stem, toe and heel.

Who it is for

Students in civil and structural engineering.
Graduate engineers working towards registration.
Technologists who design footings, rafts, pile caps and retaining walls.
Draughtsmen and detailers who draw foundations and want to know why they look the way they do.

Before this course

It builds on RC Design 1, lesson 7 (pad footings and punching) and Loads 1 (actions, combinations and the load take-down).

The STATIX calculators it uses

Lessons 1 and 2: the pad footing calculator, with its optional soil-strength (GEO bearing) check.
Lesson 3: the strip footing and combined footing calculators.
Lesson 4: the raft calculator.
Lessons 5 and 6: the pile capacity and pile cap calculators.
Lesson 7: the retaining wall calculator.

How each lesson works

Learning outcomes and what you need before you start.
Short theory, with SANS clause numbers to look up in your own copy of the code.
A worked example, every number shown step by step.
The same problem in a STATIX calculator, so you can check your hand answer.
Exercises with answers, a short self-check quiz and the lesson on one page.

Universities and colleges

Universities and colleges: one licence for the department; students sign in with their university email. Lecturers can use the lessons and the calculators in class and in tutorials.

Course material for learning, not a design. Check every value against the current code and your own project, have the soil values given by a geotechnical engineer, and have the design checked and signed by a registered professional engineer.

Early access

Be first to use STATIX 3D and STATIX 2D.

Leave your email and we will tell you when each part is ready for testing. One confirmation now, one message then. A short monthly update only if you tick the box.