
Step 1: Write down the consolidation settlement equation: Step 2: Find the effective vertical stress at the midpoint: p’o = density of the clay x distance of the soil at the midpointp’o = γ x h = 115 lbs/cf x 14 ft = 1610 lbs/sf Step 3: Find the increased effective vertical stress due to the footing at the midpoint:
How do you find the settlement of the soil?
The settlement of the soil is computed using – where S f is the settlement of foundation in meter, S p is the settlement of square test plate of size 30 cm under the pressure of σ’ 0, σ’ 0 is the effective pressure from the foundation for which settlement is to be computed, and B is the width of foundation in meter.
How to calculate settlement in construction?
•For settlement calculation, the pressure increase s z can be approximated as : q z where s m represent the increase in the effective pressure in the middle of the layer. Compressible Layer s z under the center of foundation Approach 1: Middle of layer (midpoint rule) s z = s
What are the two major problems with soil settlement analysis?
Two Major Problems with soil settlement analysis are: Obtaining a reliable stress profile from the applied load. ΔH = total settlement, ΔHc = consolidation settlement, ΔH = secondary compression, U = average degree of consolidation.
How is total settlement for cohesive soils estimated?
Total settlement for cohesive soils are generally estimated by the sum of immediate settlement, primary consolidationand secondary compression, where immediate settlement usually constitutes a significant portion of the total settlement. Immediate Settlement of Cohesive Soils, Janbu Approximation

How do you calculate immediate settlement of soil?
1:3251:58Mod-01 Lec-11 Shallow Foundation - Settlement Calculation - I - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipInto I F. Using this expression we can calculate the immediate settlement of the soil. Where Q isMoreInto I F. Using this expression we can calculate the immediate settlement of the soil. Where Q is equal to net foundation pressure so this is Q is the net foundation. Pressure. So this is the net.
How are settlements calculated?
H = Thickness of the field consolidating stratum at the end of primary consolidation. Commonly initial thickness is used unless the primary consolidation is very large. Say more than 10% of initial thickness. t2 = t100 (f) + Δt = time for which secondary settlement is to be calculated.
What is total settlement in soil?
The total settlement of the ground consists of 3 components: immediate settlement (commonly referred to as elastic settlement, although this is a misnomer), consolidation settlement (or primary settlement) and creep settlement (or secondary settlement).
What is the total settlement?
Total settlement refers to the overall change in vertical distance. Differential settlement involves an expected amount that the total settlement will vary between points over a horizontal distance, which can be caused by variations in the foundation soil profile and wall height over a certain distance.
What is a settlement value?
The settlement value of a variable payout contract is the amount of contract value remaining, based on whether it was bought or sold. The difference between the price at which the contract was bought or sold, and the settlement value, determines the profit or loss (excluding any applicable exchange fees).
What is settlement analysis?
Soils consolidate under the application of loads from buildings. All foundations settle as the soil around and beneath the foundation adjust to the loading. Buildings with light loads or built on rock may experience negligible settlement.
What is maximum settlement?
The maximum permissible settlement as per IS-1904(1966) for isolated foundations are 40mm on sandy soil and 65mm in clayey soils. The permissible settlement for the raft foundation on clay soil is 65-100 mm and for sandy soil, it is 65 mm. Differential settlement: Foundation on clay soil = 40 mm.
How long is soil settlement?
If left dry, clay and silt will settle rather quickly, i.e., 1-2 years. If they come in contact with water, they can settle in just a few months. However, we don't recommend using these soils around your foundation for structures or your lawn.
What is allowable settlement?
The allowable settlement is defined as the acceptable amount of settlement of the structure and it usually includes a factor of safety.
What is immediate settlement of soil?
Immediate settlement can be defined as the elastic deformation or volume distortion of the area influenced by the foundation load without significant dissipation of excess pore-water pressures.
How much can I ask for in a settlement agreement?
The rough 'rule of thumb' that we generally use to determine the value of a reasonable settlement agreement (in respect of compensation for termination of employment) is two to three months' gross salary (in addition to your notice pay, holiday pay etc., as outlined above).
How do you ask for more money in a settlement?
Send a Detailed Demand Letter to the Insurance Company Because the insurance company will likely reply with an offer for an amount lower than what you've asked for in the demand letter, you should ask for between 25 and 100 percent more than what you would be willing to settle for.
Should I take a lump sum or structured settlement?
You should take a lump sum settlement for all small settlements and most medium-sized settlements (less than $150,000 or so). But if you are settling a larger case, there are two good reasons for doing a structured settlement. First, the structure guarantees that you won't spend the money too fast.
How do settlements work?
A settlement agreement works by the parties coming to terms on a resolution of the case. The parties agree on exactly what the outcome is going to be. They put the agreement in writing, and both parties sign it. Then, the settlement agreement has the same effect as though the jury decided the case with that outcome.
What is the difference between creep and immediate settlement?
Since soil particles are practically incompressible, consolidation settlements is caused by a reduction in voids due to gradual squeezing out of water. Finally, creep settlement occurs under a constant load and is depended on the stress history, the type of soil and the anisotropy of the soil.
How long does creep settlement last?
The settlement process may be completed almost immediately or may last for a significant amount of time (even decades) depending on the soil’s permeability and water drainage paths.
What is the term for the movement of soil in the vertical direction?
Settlements refer to the soil’s movement in the vertical direction typically induced by stress changes. The total settlement of the ground consists of 3 components: immediate settlement (commonly referred to as elastic settlement, although this is a misnomer), consolidation settlement (or primary settlement) and creep settlement (or secondary settlement).
Which soil has higher permeability?
In particular, cohesionless soils have higher permeability than cohesive soils that have small voids blocking the water movement. In geotechnical design, the total settlement of the soil has to be properly predicted and must meet the requirements of the project. If the soil’s characteristics are not adequate to meet the aforementioned requirements ...
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CE 179-Geosystems Engineering Design. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of the most famous constructions in the world. Its fame not only comes from the original trigger for its construction – to show the importance of this city after...
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What do we need to know
To make a calculation of settlement, we must characterize three fundamental things:
Estimating stiffness
There are many tools in the toolbox for the engineer to estimate stiffness based on the results of laboratory or in-situ tests. Alternatively, published tabulated ranges of values and local experience are available for preliminary estimates. A list of possible methods is described below:
Applied loads and their dimensions
In practice at the stage a geotechnical report is written, detailed information on the dimension and magnitude of applied loads is unlikely to be available. We may at best have some preliminary information on the type of building (warehouse, apartment building).
Variation of stress with depth
To calculate the compression of the soil, we will need to determine how the stress applied at the surface translates into stress at depth. If the loaded area is very large relative to the thickness of the compressible layer, we can simply assume that the change in stress at depth is the same as at the surface.
Example calculation
In this section I will present an example calculation that demonstrates the method. Consider the case of a 3.0 m square footing, with a service load of 100 kPa. The ground profile consists of a firm clay and we have assessed a modulus of 8 MPa based on the results of a site investigation program comprising CPTs.
Spreadsheet
The method described in the article has been implemented in the spreadsheet below. You can enter in the load, dimensions of the load, and modulus parameters and output a quick estimate of settlement.
Improvements and disclaimers
I wouldn’t be a geotechnical engineer if I didn’t write some disclaimers into my article. There are of course many ways to improve upon (or complicate), and they all center around the three fundamental ‘need to knows’. I have of course greatly simplified things for presentation in this article. Some examples are listed below:
What are the challenges of soil?
Civil engineers are always faced with one challenge or another on site, and one of the major challenges on site has to do with the nature of the soil to support the structure to be constructed. Some soils exhibit excessive change in volume under constant load and changes in moisture content. Under field conditions, if the addition of water under constant load causes the void ratio to reduce drastically, the soil is said to have collapsed. These soils are predominantly found in the arid regions and appear strong and stiff in their dry natural state, but lose strength and undergo high compression upon wetting. According to Behzad (2013), almost all natural deposits of collapsible soils are either debris flow deposits or wind deposited soils (loess).
What is collapsible soil?
Soils which exhibit this behaviour are usually unsaturated granular soils which in a loose state are maintained by apparent cohesion. This apparent cohesion may be due to the presence of clays at the intergranular contact areas or the accumulation of soluble salts as binders (Murthy, 2012). In South-Western Nigeria, collapsible soils have been observed and studied by Owolabi and Ola (2014).
What happens when you add water to soil?
Some soils exhibit excessive change in volume under constant load and changes in moisture content. Under field conditions, if the addition of water under constant load causes the void ratio to reduce drastically, the soil is said to have collapsed.
How much soil do I need?
To answer this question, the first step is to establish the volume of soil needed. You can do it in the following way:
How to calculate the volume of soil needed?
You can calculate the required volume of soil by multiplying the grass yard area by the desired thickness of soil. The last thing to do is to assess the estimated weight of the required soil and its cost. The weight of the cargo may come in handy when transporting the soil.
How to calculate weight of cubic yard of soil?
To calculate the weight of a cubic yard of soil, you simply have to multiply the volume by its density. Just type the density of soil (you will probably find it on the packaging) into the topsoil calculator and this calculation will be performed effortlessly.
What is soil made of?
Have you ever wondered what are you stomping on? Was it it always here or has it been here since eternity? Well, the easiest way to answer these questions would be to explain that the soil definition is that it is a mixture of things that have fallen or just found themselves on the ground. It consists of organic matter, liquids, gases, minerals, and living organisms. The soil has been created by endless interactions between those ingredients, with the additional influence of some third parties, such as climate, weather and lots and lots of time. It usually starts with a parent material such as quartz, calcite or feldspar which undergoes weathering – the process of disintegration. Weathering can be caused by:
What is soil degradation?
Soil degradation is the soil process most feared by farmers and gardeners alike. It makes the soil lose its cultivating capabilities by weakening the structure and washing out the rich ingredients. There are several mechanisms of soil degradation:
What is the best type of soil for a garden?
Loamy soil – the best type of soil a gardener can dream of! It is very rich in ingredients, it holds water very well, and its structure assures good drainage. These perfect properties are caused by a well-balanced composition of sand, clay, and silt.
How to prevent soil degradation?
In order to prevent soil degradation and keep it in good condition, you should care about the soil in your garden, yard or field just as much as you care for your plants or grass. Maintaining the quality of your soil is called a soil conservation.
Who used static cone test data to calculate settlement?
Schmertmann (1970) presented a method to compute settlements using static cone test data. The soil, over the depth 2B below the base of the foundation, is divided into a convenient number of layers and the average static cone resistance of each layer is determined. Schmertmann gave the following equation for the calculation of settlements –
Can you determine the compressibility of cohesionless soil?
There is no practicable laboratory procedure for the determination of compressibility characteristic s of cohesionless soils because of the difficulty of sampling of these soils. Therefore, settlement of cohesionless soils may be estimated by a semi-empirical method, based on the results of SCPT, DCPT, or PLT.
What is a LIR?
LIR is defined as the change in pressure of the pressure increment divided by the initial pressure before the load is applied.
What is total pressure?
The total pressure includes effective overburden pressure and net additional pressure due to the structure.
What is the OCR of NC soils?
oFrom the definition of NC soils, they always have OCR=1.
What does "as desired" mean in a mathematical analysis?
in a mathematical analysis, as is desired in order to make settlement calculations.
What is the difference between stage 1 and stage 2?
Stage II: Primary consolidation, during which excess pore water pressure gradually is transferred into effective stress because of the expulsion of pore water. Stage I II: Secondary consolidation, which occurs after complete dissipation of the excess pore water pressure, caused by plastic readjustment of soil fabric.
Who suggested a simple graphic construction to determine the preconsolidation pressure s’?
Casagrande (1936) suggested a simple graphic construction to determine the preconsolidation pressure s’
Which part of the e-log splot is curved?
The upper part of the e –log s’plot is as shown below somewhat curved with a flat slope, followed by a linear relationship having a steeper slope.
What is the one dimensional consolidation test?
LIMITATIONS OF THE ONE -DIMENSIONAL CONSOLIDATION TEST As seen in the descriptions of the appa- ratus and the testing procedure, the one- dimensional consolidation test represents the settlement of a soil structure that has total lateral restraint, and in which there is drainage only in the vertical direction. It is quite apparent that these conditions are not truly comparable to the conditions found in most foundations. The degree of reliance to be placed on settlement studies based on this type of test depends on how nearly the foundation conditions will approach those of the test specimen In any event, sound rea- soning is necessary to make the best appli- cation of the data. In general, it is felt that the actual structural loading most compa- rable to the laboratory test loading is that exerted on a compressible stratum at rel- atively great depth and of fine material of finite thickness, and which is bounded above and below by dense free-draining materials. In order for the consolidating load to be uni- form over a reasonably large portion of the stratum, the structural loading would have to cover a rather large surface area. The laboratory testing equipment, pri- marily intended for use in the study of the consolidation of clays, limits the grain size to minus No. 4 (4.76 mm diameter). Actu- ally, the maximum grain size should be considerably smaller than No. 4 for best results in estimating settlement. It has been found by experiment that gravelly material reduces consolidation. I4 l4 Gibbs, Harold J., “The Effect of Rock Content and Placement Density on Not only do the gravel particles replace compressible soil, but there is a definite indication that particle interference of the gravel reduces the consolidation of the fine material. This reduction in consolidation becomes more pronounced as the rock con- tent becomes greater. Although this effect does occur with small rock contents, in general it is believed that the effect is only slight for rock contents less than 25 percent. In the case of a settlement study for a stratum near the surface and for a small loaded area, lateral bulging may be of con- siderable importance. Under these condi- tions the soil would not have complete lateral confinement and much settlement may be attributed to the shifting of material and not to consolidation Figure 10 is a diagram- matic sketch that illustrates the action of the settlement of a loaded area. I5 The solid lines below footing represent an idealized pressure bulb or zone within which appre- ciable stresses are caused by the loading on the footing. The displaced posi- tions of these lines are shown by the dashed lines with the magnitude of change consid- erably exaggerated. If the settlement is caused principally by the squeezing out of the soil from under the loaded area, the zone and the element shown in the center of the zone are distorted with little change in Consolidation and Related Pore Pressure in Embankment Construction,” Proceedings ASTM, Volume 50, 1950, pp. 1343-1360. I5 Taylor, op. cit., p. 570. Loading Intensity, q
How to study consolidation load data?
THEORETICAL INTERPRETATION FOR THE APPLICATION OF TEST DA’TA The consolidation-load and consolidation- time data may be studied in greater detail by further analysis of the test curves. A con- venient way to study consolidation-load data is to plot void ratio against pressure. This curve may be plotted by arithmetic scales or with the pressure values to a logarithmic scale, depending on the type of material. The usual method is to use a semilogarith- mic plot sheet, as in Figures 4 and 5. When using such a plot for clayey soils the rec- ognized theories 6y7 related to this plotting method are very often helpful. Load Consolidation The shape of the consolidation curve for 6 Terzaghi, K:, and Peck, R. B., U Mechanic in ngineerine: Prac i e Wiley &‘S%s,%ew York, 1948, ki &I%? 7 Taylor, op. cit., pp. 217-219. a natural clay soil, initially deposited in very loose condition and gradually loaded with increasing overburden and structural pressures (referred to as normally-loaded soil), has been found to be an approximately straight line on a semilogarithmic plot. It may be represented by the empirical equation, e = e, - c, Loglo- P, +AP . (1) PO where C, = compression index
What is the time factor of 100.OOl?
100 .OOl .Ol 1.0 TIME FACTOR -T, FOR CASE I,*;, FOR CASE 2, T3 FOR CASE 3 10.0
What does a sudden downward bend in soil mean?
A sudden downward bend may indicate a break- down of soil structure at a particular load- ing, whereas normally the shape of the con- solidation curve is concave upward. Figure 2 (load-consolidation curve for a moist clay) shows that the addition of water after appli- cation of the final load does not affect con- solidation. Yet some soils, such as those tested when they are initially quite dry, may show effects due to saturation that will be indicated by a change in settlement at the time water is added. This feature is fre- quently important in arid regions where ordinarily dry soils will eventually become wetted through the operation of hydraulic structures. Another characteristic may be obtained from the load release data. The position of the load release point indicates the amount of the elastic rebound. For an ordinary soil, it will, in general, be only a portion of the total settlement. On other hand an expansive characteristic is seen in a specimen which rebounds almost its initial volume or beyond it. Many more
What does the dotted vertical iinee represent?
Note : The dotted vertical iinee represent the time intervals a are ueually me&e for etandard teats. tt which readinge FIGURE 3 - Time--Consolidation teat data for each increment of load application.
Why are soil samples tested in the laboratory?
Soil samples are tested in the laboratory to determine the settlement characteristics of the soil under load. These characteris- tics are used to estimate the amount of settlement of a structure which would result from the consolidation of its earth foundation because of the structure load.

Soil Settlement and Soil Shear
- A soil shear failure can result in excessive building distortion and even collapse. Excessive settlements can result in structural damage to a building frame nuisances such as sticking doors and windows, cracks in tile and plaster, and excessive wear or equipment failure from misalign…
Components of Settlement
- The components of settlement of a foundation are: 1. Immediate settlement 2. Consolidation Settlement, and 3. Secondary compression (creep) ΔH = ΔHi + U ΔHc + ΔHs ΔH = total settlement, ΔHc = consolidation settlement, ΔH = secondary compression, U = average degree of consolidation. Generally, the final settlement of a foundation is of interest and U is considered e…
Consolidation Settlement Calculations
- After primary consolidation the soil structure continues to adjust to the load for some additional time. This settlement is termed secondary consolidation/secondary compression. At the end of secondary consolidation the soil has reached a new Ko-state (at-rest state). Secondary consolidation may be the larger component if settlement in some soils, particularly in soils with …
Settlement Limits
- Total settlement is the magnitude of downward movement. Differential settlement is non-uniform settlement. It is "the difference of settlement between various locations of the structure. Angular distortion between two points under a structure is equal, to the differential settlement between the points divided by the distance between them. Theoretically, no damage will be done to a structur…
What Do We Need to Know
Estimating Stiffness
Applied Loads and Their Dimensions
Variation of Stress with Depth
The Calculation Method
- The equation we will use to tackle this problem is as follows: Where: S = Settlement of foundation M = Stiffness moduli (Constrained modulus in this case) Zf = Thickness of each sub-layer = Change in effective stress at the center of each layer The calculation method proceeds as follows: 1. Divide the soil into sublayers of thickness Zf (0.1m is wh...
Example Calculation
Spreadsheet
Improvements and Disclaimers