1

This Powerpoint presentation was prepared by

Dr. Terry Weigel, University of Louisville.
This work and other contributions to the
text by Dr. Weigel are gratefully
acknowledged.

Support structural members and transfer

loads to the soil
Structural members are usually columns or
walls
Design for load transfer to soil uses
unfactored loads
Structural design of footing is done with
factored loads
3

Footings must be designed to prevent bearing

failure, sliding and overturning
Footings must be designed to prevent
excessive settlement or tilting
Typically, bottom of footing must be located
below frost line
Excavation may be required to reach a depth
where satisfactory bearing material is
located
4

Wall footings enlargement of the bottom of

the wall

Isolated or single column square footing

loads relatively light and columns not
closely spaced

Combined footings support two or more

columns heavily loaded columns; closely
spaced columns; columns near property line

Mat or raft foundation continuous concrete

slab supporting many columns; soil strength
relatively low; large column loads; isolated
spread footings would cover more than 50
percent of area; reduce differential
settlement

Pile caps distribute column loads to groups

of piles

Soil pressure is assumed to be uniformly

distributed beneath footing if column load
is applied at the center of gravity of the
footing
Footings supported by sandy soils

Footings supported by clayey soils

Footings supported eccentric loads
10

11

12

13

Actual soil pressure is based on unfactored

loads
Allowable soil pressure may be determined by
a geotechnical engineer
When soil exploration is not feasible, values
provided by building codes may be used
Factor of safety is typically 3

14

Maximum Allowable Soil Pressure

Material
Rock

Allowable Pressure,
ksf
20% of ultimate
strength

Compact coarse or fine sand,

hard clay or sand clay

Medium stiff clay or sandy clay

Compact inorganic sand and silt

mixtures

Loose sand

Soft sand clay or clay

Loose inorganic sand-silt

mixtures

Loose organic sand-silt mixtures,

muck or bay mud

0
15

Generally, beam design theory is used

Shear strength almost always controls

footing depth
Compute moment at the face of the wall
(concrete wall) or halfway between wall
face and its centerline (masonry walls)

16

17

18

19

20

Shear may be calculated at distance d from

face of the wall
Use of stirrups is not economical set d so
that concrete carries all the shear
Vc 2 f c' bw d
d

Vu
2 f c' bw

21

Design a 12-in wide strip

Section 15.7 of ACI Code:
Depth of footing above bottom
reinforcement not less than 6 in
for footings on soil and not less
than 12 in for footings on piles
Minimum practical depth of footing is 10 in
and 16 in for pile caps
22

23

Design a wall footing to support a 12-in. wide

reinforced concrete wall with a dead load
of 20 k/ft and a live load of 15 k/ft. The
bottom of the footing is to be 4 foot
below final grade, the soil weighs 100
lb/ft3 the allowable soil pressure is 4 ksf.
The concrete strength is 3,000 psi and the
steel is Grade 60.

24

25

Assume a footing thickness of 12 in. With a

minimum cover of 3 in., this gives a d value
of about 8.5 in. Compute the footing
weight and
Footing weight
soil weight:

12 in

150 150 psf

12 in/ft
Soil weight
36 in

100 300 psf

12 in/ft
26

Effective soil pressure and required width of

footing:
qe 4000 psf 150 psf 300 psf 3550 psf
Width of footing required
20 k/ft 15 k/ft
9.86 ft
3.55 ksf
Use 10 ft

27

Factored bearing pressure for design of

concrete:
1.2 20 k/ft 1.6 15 k/ft
qu
4.80 ksf
10 ft

28

Compute design shear (at distance d from

face of wall):
6 in
8.5 in
10 ft
Vu

4.80 ksf 18.2 k

12 in/ft 12 in/ft
2
18, 200 lb
d
18.46 in
0.75(1.0) 2 3000 ksi 12 in

Much larger than orginal assumption

Try a thicker footing - say 20 in thick
d 16.5 in
29

 20 in
qe 4000 psf
150 psf
12 in/ft
28 in

100 psf 3517 psf

12 in/ft
Width of footing required
20 k/ft 15 k/ft
9.95 ft
3.517 ksf
Use 10 ft

30

6 in
16.5 in
10 ft
Vu

4.80 ksf 15.0 k

12 in/ft 12 in/ft
2
15,000 lb
d
15.21 in
0.75 2 3000 ksi 12 in/ft

h 15.21 in 3.5 in 18.71 in

Use a 20 in thick footing

31

10 ft
6 in

4.5 ft
2
12 in/ft
Compute moment on a one-foot-long strip
wL 4.80 k/ft 4.5 ft
Mu

48.6 k-ft/ft
2
2
12 in/ft 48, 600 lb-ft/ft

Mu

198.3 psi
2
2
bd
0.9 12 in 16.5 in
2

32

Appendix Table 4.12, r = 0.00345 < 0.0136,

section is tension controlled; = 0.9
2

in
As 0.00345 12 in 16.5 in 0.68
ft

Use No 7 at 10 in (As = 0.72 in2 / ft from

Table A.6)

33

Development length:
t e s 1
cb 5 in side cover
db
0.875
cb 3
3
3.4375 use cb 3.5 in
2
2
10 in
cb
5 in one-half c-c spacing of bars
2
cb K tr 3.5 in 0

4.0 Use 2.5

db
0.875 in
34

3 f y t e s

'
c

K
d b 40 f c b
tr
db
d

3 60,000 psi 1
32.86 diameters
40 3000 psi 2.5
2

0.68
in
/ft
s
,
required
d

32.86
31.03 diameters
2
d b As , provided
0.72 in /ft
d 31.03 0.875 in 27.15 in

35

Available length for development

10 ft 12 in/ft 6 in 3 in 51 in 27.15 in
2

36

Temperature and shrinkage steel

As 0.0018 12 in 20 in 0.432 in 2 / ft

Use No 5 at 8 in (As = 0.465 in2 / ft)

37

Most isolated square footings have a constant

thickness
For very thick footings, it may be economical
to step or taper footing
Two types of shear must be considered oneway shear and two-way shear

38

Constant thickness

39

Stepped

40

Tapered

41

Same as for wall footings

Vu
2 f c' bw

42

43

ACI Code Section 11.11.1.2 states that critical

section is at a distance d/2 from face of
support

44

45

46

Vc 4 f c' bo d

<- ACI Code Equation 11-33

4
Vc 2 f c' bo d <- ACI Code Equation 11-35
c

c ratio of the length of the long side of the

column to the length of the short side of
the column bearing on the footing

sd
'
Vc 2

c bo d <- ACI Code Equation 11-34

bo

47

s = 40 for interior columns

s = 30 for exterior columns
s = 20 for corner columns

48

Flexural reinforcement is required in two

directions

The values of d for the layers of steel in

the two directions will be different
For square footings, design using the value of
d for the upper layer is typical
For square footings supporting non-square
columns, moments are larger in the
shorter direction of the column
49

Reinforcing steel areas required to resist

moment are often less than minimum
required steel:
200
As ,min
As ,min

fy

bw d

3 f c'

bw d
fy

Code Section 10.5.4 states that minimum

area and maximum spacing need only be
equal to values required for temperature
and shrinkage steel
50

Maximum steel spacing may not exceed three

times the footing thickness or 18 in.

51

All forces at the base of the column must be

transferred to the footing
Compressive forces must be transferred by
bearing

Tensile forces may be transferred by

reinforcement or mechanical connectors

52

Columns transfer loads directly over the area

of the column

Load transfer into the footing may by

assumed to occur over an effective area
which may be larger than the column area
For the same strength of concrete, the
footing can support more bearing load
than can the column
53

Bearing strength permitted at the base of

the column -> 0.85 f c' A1
Bearing strength permitted on the footing is
the same value multiplied by -> A2
A1

See ACI Code Section 10.14.1

54

A1 is the area of the column

A2 is the area of footing geometrically similar

to and concentric with the column
55

56

Excess bearing load can be carried by dowels

or column bars extended into footing
ACI Code Section 15.8.2 requires that the
dowel area not be less than 0.005 times
the gross cross-sectional area of the
column

57

Development length of dowels must be

sufficient to transfer column force to
footing
Development length of dowels may not be less
than the length required if bearing stress
was not exceeded

58

ACI Code does not permit splicing of No 14 or

No 18 bars
ACI Code Section 15.8.2.3 does permit No 14
or No 18 bars to be spliced to No 11 (or
larger) dowels in footings
These dowels must extend into the column
not less than the development length for
the No 14 or No 18 bar, or the
compression lap splice length for the
dowels, whichever is larger
59

These dowels must extend into the footing

for a distance not less than the
development length for dowels

60

Use a larger number of smaller dowels

Use a deeper footing

Add a cap or pedestal to the footing

61

Development length must be those for

tension
Splice requirements are those found in ACI
Code Section 12.17

62

Square footings are more econonical than

rectangular footings
Long direction steel is uniformly distributed
along short direction

Short direction steel is non uniformly

distributed along long direction

63

ACI Code Section 15.4.4.2

Reinforcement in band width
2

Reinforcement in short direction 1

is the ratio of the length of the footing in

the long direction to the length in the
short direction
Remaining steel is distributed uniformly
throughout the two portions of the
footing outside the band
64

65

66

Design a square column footing for a 16-in.

square tied interior column that supports
loads of D = 200 k and L = 160 k. The
column is reinforced with eight No 8 bars,
the bottom of the footing is 5 foot below
final grade, the soil weighs 100 lb/ft3 the
allowable soil pressure is 5 ksf. The
concrete strength is 3,000 psi and the
steel is Grade 60.
67

Assume a footing thickness of 24 in. with a

minimum cover of 3 in., this gives a d value
of about 19.5 in. Compute the footing
weight and
Footing weight
soil weight:

24 in

150 300 psf

12 in/ft
Soil weight
36 in

100 300 psf

12 in/ft
68

Effective soil pressure and required area of

footing:
qe 5000 psf 300 psf 300 psf 4400 psf
200 k 160 k
A
81.82 ft 2
4.40 ksf
Use 9 ft x 9 ft

69

Factored bearing pressure for design of

concrete:
1.2 200 k 1.6 160 k
qu
6.12 ksf
2
81 ft

70

Depth required to resist punching shear:

bo 4(16 19.5) 142 in

Vu 2 81.0 ft 2.96 ft
d

6.12 442.09 k

442, 090 lb

0.75 4 3000 psi 142 in

18.95 in 19.5 in Ok

442, 090 lb
d
40 19.5 in

0.75
2 3000 psi 142 in
142 in

10.12 in 19.5 in Ok
71

72

Depth required to resist one-way shear:

Vu1 9 ft 2.208 ft 6.12 ksf 121.62 k
d

121, 620 lb

0.75 2 3000 psi 108 in

13.71 in 19.5 in Ok

73

Flexural design
wL 6.12 ksf 9 ft 3.83 ft
Mu

404 k-ft
2
2
12 in/ft 404, 000 lb-ft

Mu

131.2 psi
2
2
bd
0.9 108 in 19.5 in
2

74

Appendix Table 4.12, r = 0.00225 < rmin

200
r
0.0033
60, 000 psi
3 3000 psi
r
0.00274
60, 000 psi
As 0.0033108 in 19.5 in 6.95 in 2

Use nine No 8 (As = 7.07 in2)

75

Development length:
t e s 1
cb bottom cover 3.5 in
cb one-half center-to-center bar spacing 6 in
cb K tr 3.5 in 0

3.5 Use 2.5

db
1.0 in

76

3 f y t e s

'
db 40 f c cb K tr
db
d

3 60, 000 1
32.86 diameters
40 3000 2.5
2

6.95
in
s , required
d
32.30 diameters

32.86
2
db As , provided
7.07 in
d 32.30 1.0 in 32.30 in

77

Available length for development

9 ft 12 in/ft 16 in 3 in 43 in 32.30 in
2

78

Design for load transfer for the column and

footing in Example 12.2. The strength of
the sand-lightweight concrete (different
from Example 12.2) in the column is 4 ksi.

79

Bearing force at the column base:

1.2 200 k 1.6 160 k 496 k

Design bearing force at the column base:

0.85 f A1 0.65 0.85 4 ksi 16 in
'
c

566 k 496 k Ok

80

Design bearing
force in the
footing
concrete:

108 in
2
16 in

6.75 Use 2

0.85 f A1
'
c

A2

A1

0.65 0.85 3 ksi 16 in 2

2

848.6 k 496 k Ok

Minimum dowel area:

0.005 16 in 1.28 in 2
2

81

Dowel development length into the column

d

0.02db f y

f c'

0.02 0.75 in 60, 000 psi

0.85

4000 psi

16.74 in

Dowel development length into the footing

d

0.02db f y

f c'

0.02 0.75 in 60, 000 psi

1.0

3000 psi

16.43 in

82

Development length must not be less than:

d

0.0003db f y 0.0003 0.75 in 60, 000 ksi

13.50 in

8.0 in

83

Design for load transfer for a 14-in. square

column to a 13 ft square footing if Pu =
800 k. Normal weight concrete is used in
both the column and the footing. The
concrete in the column is 5 ksi and in the
footing is 3 ksi. The column is reinforced
with eight No 8 bars.

84

Bearing force at the column base = 800 k

Design bearing force at the column base:

0.85 f A1 0.65 0.85 5 ksi 14 in
'
c

541.5 k 800 k No good

85

Design bearing force in the footing concrete:

156 in
2
14
in

A2

A1

0.85 f A1
'
c

11.14 Use 2

A2

A1

0.65 0.85 3 ksi 14 in 2

2

649.7 k 800 k No good

86

Design dowels to resist excess bearing force:

800 k 541.5 k 258.5 k
258.5 k
As
4.79 in 2
0.9 60 k
0.005 14 in 0.98 in 2
2

Use eight No 7 bars (As = 4.80 in2)

87

Dowel development length into the column

0.02db f y

0.02 0.875 in 60, 000 psi

14.85 in

1 5000 psi
d 0.0003d b f y 0.0003 0.875 in 60, 000 ksi
d

'
c

15.75 in
d

8.0 in

88

Dowel development length into the footing

0.02db f y

0.02 0.875 in 60, 000 psi

19.42 in

1.0 3000 psi

d 0.0003d b f y 0.0003 0.875 in 60, 000 ksi
d

f c'

15.75 in
d

8.0 in

89

Design a rectangular footing for an 18-in.

interior square column for D = 185 k and
L = 150 k. The long side of the footing
should be twice the length of the short
side. The normal weight concrete
strength for both the column and the
footing is 4 ksi. The allowable soil
pressure is 4000 psf and the bottom of
the footing is 5 ft below grade.
90

Assume a footing thickness of 24 in. with a

minimum cover of 3 in., this gives a d value
of about 19.5 in. Compute the footing
weight and
Footing weight
soil weight:
24 in

150 300 psf

12 in/ft
Soil weight

60-24 in

100 300 psf

12 in/ft
91

Effective soil pressure and required area of

footing:
qe 4000 psf 300 psf 300 psf 3400 psf
185 k 150 k
A
98.5 ft 2
3.40 ksf
Use a footing 7'-0" x 14'-0" A 98.0 ft 2
1.2 185 k 1.6 150 k
qu
4.71 ksf
2
98.0 ft

92

Depth required to resist one-way shear. Take

b = 7 ft.
Vu1 7 ft 4.625 ft 4.71 ksf 152.49 k
d

152, 490 lb

0.75 1 2 4000 psi 84 in

19.14 in

h 19.14 4.5 in 23.64 in

93

94

Depth required to resist punching shear:

bo 4 18 19.5 in 150 in

Vu 2 98.0 ft 2 3.125 ft
d

415,580 lb

4.71 ksf 415.58 k

0.75 1 4 4000 psi 150 in

14.60 in 19.5 in Ok

415,580 lb
d
40 19.5 in

0.75
2 4000 psi 150 in
150 in

8.11 in 19.5 in Ok
95

96

Flexural design (steel in long direction)

14 ft
9 in

6.25 ft
2
12 in/ft
6.25 ft
M u 6.25 ft 7 ft 4.71 ksf
643.9 k-ft
2
12 in/ft 643,900 lb-ft

Mu

268.8 psi
2
2
bd
0.9 84 in 19.5 in

97

Appendix Table 4.13, r = 0.00467

As 0.0046784 in 19.5 in 7.65 in 2

Use ten No 8 (As = 7.85 in2)

98

Flexural design (steel in short direction)

7 ft
9 in

2.75 ft
2 12 in/ft
2.75 ft
M u 2.75 ft 14 ft 4.71 ksf
249.3 k-ft
2
12 in/ft 249,300 lb-ft

Mu

52.0 psi
2
2
bd
0.9 168 in 19.5 in

Too low for Table A.13

99

200
r
0.0033
60, 000 psi
3 4000 psi
r
0.00316
60, 000 psi
As 0.0033168 in 19.5 in 10.81 in 2

Use 18 No 7 (As = 10.82 in2)

100

Reinforcement in band width

2
2
2

Reinforcement in short direction 1 2 1 3

Use 2/3 x 18 = 12 bars in band width

101

102