What is Bearing Capacity of Soil?

All civil engineering structures whether they are buildings, dams, bridges etc. are built on soils. A foundation is required to transmit the load of the structure on a large area of soil. The foundation of the structure should be so designed that the soil below does not fail in shear nor there is the excessive settlement of the structure. The conventional method of foundation design is based on the concept of bearing capacity.

Soil when stressed due to loading, tend to deform. The resistance to deformation of the soil depends upon factors like water content, bulk density, angle of internal friction and the manner in which load is applied on the soil. The maximum load per unit area which the soil or rock can carry without yielding or displacement is termed as the bearing capacity of soils.

Soil properties like shear strength, density, permeability etc., affect the bearing capacity of soil. Dense sand will have more bearing capacity than loose sand as unit weight of dense sand is more than loose sand.

If the bearing capacity of soil at shallow depth is sufficient to safely take the load of the structure, a shallow foundation is provided. Isolated footing, combined footing or strip footing are the option for the shallow foundation. Deep foundations are provided when soil immediately below the structure does not have the adequate bearing capacity. Pile, piers or well are the options for deep foundations. Mat or raft foundations are useful for soil which is subjected to differential settlement or where there is a wide variation in loading between adjacent columns.

Methods of determining bearing capacity

The various methods of computing the bearing capacity can be listed as follows:

• Presumptive Analysis
• Analytical Methods
• Plate Bearing Test
• Penetration Test
• Modern Testing Methods
• Centrifuge Test