Spring 2026

Foundation Design
CE-410 (2 Credit Hours)

Introduction to Foundation Engineering

Engr. Muhammad Ibrahim

MS Geotechnical Engineering

Department of Civil Engineering

Sarhad University of Science and Information
1
Technology
 Introduction to course

In this course, the following contents will be discussed;

Chapter 1 Soil Exploration

Chapter 2 Bearing Capacity

Chapter 3 Shallow Foundations

Chapter 4 Deep Foundation

Chapter 5 Soft tools for foundation design and soil exploration

2
 In situ stresses

Das & Sobhan 8th edition 3

Consolidation

4
Slopes

5
Retaining Walls

6
 Sequence of Chapters

Ch-1 Soil Ch-3 Shallow

Ch-2 Intro to
Explorati Foundations
foundations
on

Ch-4
Deep
Foundations

Ch-5 Soft Tools

7
 Foundation Design
CE-403
(course specification form)
Part I: Course Information

Course Title: Foundation Design

Course Code: CE–410

Course Duration: One Semester

Credit Units: 02 Credit Hrs.

Level: 8th Semester, 4th Year

Medium of English
Instruction:
Prerequisites: Geotechnical Engg.

Equivalent Courses: Not Applicable

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 Course Aims, Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CLOs)

Course Aims
After this course the students will
1. In this course, students will learn how to examine a site for geotechnical
investigations.
2. They’ll then be taught to design different types of shallow foundations that suit
various loads and ground conditions. Additionally, the course covers the
assessment of how much load deep foundations can bear in different ground
situations.
3. This knowledge helps students create sturdy and effective foundation designs
based on the specific characteristics of the site and loading condition.
Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CLOs)
1. Design an appropriate type of shallow foundation for various loadings and
ground conditions.
2. Evaluate load bearing capacity of deep foundations for different ground
conditions.
3. Apply the consolidation parameters to estimate amount and time rate of
settlement, lateral earth pressure theories to find lateral earth pressures, and
shear strength parameters to field conditions.

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 Teaching and Learning Activities (TLAs)

Course learning outcomes will be achieved through a combination of the following

teaching strategies.

• Quizzes
• In-class activities
• Video presentations
• Reading assignments
• Classroom discussions
• Homework assignments
• Mid-term major examination
• Final comprehensive examination
• Solved examples in the classroom
• Conducting tutorials in the classroom

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 Weekly schedule
W CLOs Quiz/
EE TOPIC Assignmen
K t
1 Significance/objectives of soil exploration, Planning of soil exploration 1,2
program, Soil exploration methods: probing, test pits, auger boring, wash
percussion, rotary
2 Types of soil samplers ,Disturbed and undisturbed sampling, In situ tests: 1,2 Assignmen
standard penetration test, cone penetration test, and field vane shear test, t-1
Coring of rocks, Core recovery and RQD, Soil liquefaction ,Borehole logs and
subsoil exploration report
3 Purpose and types of foundations, Selection of foundation type and depth, 1,2
Design requirements for the foundations, Foundation design Criteria,
Allowable settlements and angular distortion
4 Solved Examples 3 Quiz-1
5 Types of bearing capacities: gross and net bearing capacity/pressures Modes 1,2
of bearing capacity failures, Development of bearing capacity theory
6 Methods to evaluate soil bearing capacity: Terzaghi's, Meyerhof's, Hansen's, 1,2
Vesic's, Skempton's method Effects of water table on bearing capacity of soils.
Bearing capacity from in-situ tests; SPT, CPT, Plate load test. Presumptive
values of bearing capacity.
7 Solved Examples 3 Assignmen
11 t-2
8 Design of strip, isolated, combined and raft foundations, concept Of f 1,2 Quiz-2
loating/compensated foundations.
 Weekly schedule

9 Foundations on difficult soils: design and preventive measures 2

Related numerical problems. Introduction to deep foundations,
Types of deep foundations, Reasons to use deep foundations,
Classification of piles, Methods of installation of Piles, Load
transfer mechanism of piles, Load carrying capacity of piles in
different soils, Empirical correlations for pile capacity evaluation,
Settlement of Piles.
10 1,2 Assignment
Solved Examples -3
11 Pull out resistance of piles, Pile driven formulas, Negative skin 1,2
friction, Pile load test and interpretation, Pile group capacity,
group efficiency, elastic, and consolidation, settlement of group
of piles, uplift capacity of pile group, Rock socketed piles
12 1,2 Quiz-3
Solved Examples

16 GeoStudio, Plaxis problem discussion 1,2 Quiz-4

FINAL TERM EXAM

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 Assessment Tasks Activities (ATAs)

Assessment Tasks Activities (ATAs)

Indicative of likely activities and tasks designed to assess how well students achieve
the CLOs. Final details will be provided to students in their first week of attendance in
this course.

ATAs CLOs Weight % Remarks

Final-Term Exam 1-4 50% 2 hrs written exams

Mid-Term Exam 1-3 25% 2 hrs written exams

Home Assignments 1-4 10% Total 4 assignments

Quizzes/Class Assessments 1-4 15% Total 4 in-class tests

Total (%) 100 % The final grading is absolute

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 Part III: Syllabus, Recommended Books and Online Sources

Syllabus

− Chapter-01: Soil Exploration

− • Significance/objectives of soil exploration
− • Planning of soil exploration program
− • Soil exploration methods: probing, test pits, auger boring, wash
percussion,
− rotary drilling, and geophysical methods,
− • Types of soil samplers
− • Disturbed and undisturbed sampling
− • In situ tests: standard penetration test, cone penetration test, and
field vane shear test
− • Coring of rocks, Core recovery and RQD
− • Soil liquefaction
− • Borehole logs and subsoil exploration report

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 Part III: Syllabus, Recommended Books and Online Sources

− Chapter-2 Introduction to Foundations

− • Purpose and types of foundations

− • Selection of foundation type and depth
− • Design requirements for the foundations
− • Foundation design Criteria
− • Allowable settlements and angular distortion

− Chapter-3 Bearing Capacity and Design of shallow foundations

− • Types of bearing capacities: gross and net bearing capacity/pressures

− • Modes of bearing capacity failures
− • Development of bearing capacity theory.
− • Methods to evaluate soil bearing capacity: Terzaghi's, Meyerhof's, Hansen's,
− Vesic's, Skempton's method.
− Effects of water table on bearing capacity of soils.
− • Bearing capacity from in-situ tests; SPT, CPT, Plate load test
− • Presumptive values of bearing capacity.
− • Design of strip, isolated, combined and raft foundations, concept of
floating/compensated foundations.
− • Foundations on difficult soils: design and preventive measures
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− • Related numerical problems.
 Part III: Syllabus, Recommended Books and Online Sources

− Chapter-4 Pile Foundations

− • Introduction to deep foundations
− • Types of deep foundations
− • Reasons to use deep foundations.
− • Classification of piles
− • Methods of installation of Piles
− • Load transfer mechanism of piles
− • Load carrying capacity of piles in different soils.
− • Empirical correlations for pile capacity evaluation
− • Settlement of Piles.
− • Pull out resistance of piles.
− • Pile driven formulas.
− • Negative skin friction
− • Pile load test and interpretation.
− • Pile group capacity, group efficiency, elastic, and consolidation settlement of group
of piles, uplift capacity of pile group.
− • Rock socketed piles
− Chapter-5 Introduction to relevant software
− GeoStudio, Plaxis etc.
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 Part III: Syllabus, Recommended Books and Online Sources

Recommended Books and References

1. Robert Wade Brown (2004), Practical Foundation Engineering Handbook,
McGraw-Hill.
2. Donald P. Coduto (2001), Foundation Design: Principals and Practice,
(Latest Ed), Prentice Hall, NJ.
3. Principles of Foundation Engineering eight edition by B.M Das and
Khaled Subhan 8th edition
[Link], M. J. (2001) Foundation Design and Construction, 7th Ed (or
latest), Pearson Education.
5. Bowles, J. E. (1998), Foundation Analysis and Design, 5th Edition (or
latest ed), McGraw Hill International Press.
6. Smith and Ian Smith (1998), Elements of Soil Mechanics, 7th Ed (or
latest), Blackwell Science.

Online Resources
[Link] online videos/animations for shear and consolidation tests.
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 Fully saturated soil

Total Effective Pore

stresses Stresses water
Pressure

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 Unsaturated Soil
Example#02: A soil profile is shown in Figure below. Given: H1 = 1.83 m, H2 =0.91 m,
H3=1.83 m. Plot the variation of s, u, and s with depth. (Das & Sobhan 2014)

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Response of Effective Stress to a change in total stress

z
o=sat z = total stress

us =w z = hydrostatic pwp

ꞌo =o –us= effective stress

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Consolidation settlement/Spring Analogy

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Das & Sobhan 8th edition
 @ t > 0 (Dissipation of Excess PWP)

u= us + ue
∆Hc

ꞌ= ꞌo +(∆-ue )

ue = Excess pore water pressure at

z
Drainage

t>0
∆ ue < ui
ꞌo > ꞌ & ꞌ= ꞌo +(∆-ue )
u=us+ue
o ꞌ > ꞌo
u
∆
us
time
o ꞌ

ꞌo
time
0
t
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 Example#01

A 5 m depth of sand overlies a 6 m layer of

clay, the water table being at the surface;
the permeability of the clay is very low. The Fill
4m
saturated unit weight of the sand is 19 = 20kN/m3
kN/m3 and that of clay is 20 kN/m3. A 4 m
depth of fill material of unit weight 20
kN/m3 is placed on the surface over an sand
5m
extensive area. sat= 19kN/m3
8m
Determine the Effective vertical stress ,
Total Vertical stress , pore water pressure
3m
(u) at the center of the clay layer;
6m Clay
sat= 20kN/m3
(a) Immediately after the fill has been
placed, assuming this to take place
rapidly and
(b) Many years after the fill has been placed
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 Solution
Change in Total Stress = ∆ = 4 x 20 = 80 kPa

Fill (a) Immediately After Construction

4m
= 20kN/m3
Total Vertical Stress
Sand v = o+∆
sat= 19kN/m3 v = (19*5)+(3*20)+80= 235 kPa
5m
ꞌ=9.2 kN/m3 8m
Effective Vertical Stress
Since clay is of low permeability, all the ∆ (change
Clay 3m in total stress) is taken by pore water as excess pore
sat= 20 kN/m3 water pressure. Hence no increase in the effective
6m
ꞌ=10.2 kN/m3 stress due to ∆
ꞌv =5*(9.2)+(3*10.2)=76.6 kPa
Static PWP (us)
us =9.8*8=78.4 kPa
Excess PWP (ue)
ue=∆ =80 kPa
Total PWP (u)
u = us+∆ =78.4+80=158.4 kPa
 Solution

(b) Long time after the fill has been placed

Total Vertical Stress
v =ꞌ+(us+ ∆)= 235 kPa
Effective Vertical Stress
After long time the excess PWP will dissipate and the
change in stress (∆) will be taken by the soil skeleton and
hence an increase of 80 kPa in effective will occur.
ꞌv =76.6+80 = 156.6 kPa
us=9.8*8 =78.4 kPa
Static PWP (us)
us =9.8*8=78.4 kPa
Excess PWP (ue)
ue= 0
Total PWP (u)
u = us=78.4 kPa
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