MINIMUM FOOTING DIMENSIONS FOR A GIVEN SETTLEMENT IN GRANULAR DEPOSITS

The allowable pressure applied to the foundation in granular soils governed by the consideration of settlement rather than shear strength of soil except for very narrow, shallow footings on loose materials with high water table. Accurate prediction of the settlement of structures founded on granular material is of considerable importance. Several methods are available for predicting the settlement of footing on granular deposits. This paper presents the comparison of the three methods namely, DeBeers and Martens (1957) using 2:1 pressure distribution, DeBeers and Martens (1957) using Bousinessiq stress distribution charts and Schmertmann (1970) Method for proportioning three shapes of foundations namely circular, square and rectangular for equal settlement on granular deposits using field test results.