This project emphasizes on the importance of bearing capacity of the soil for any construction project. A large number of buildings are damaged because of the inappropriate design of foundation. The bearing capacity of soil is the maximum average contact pressure between the foundation and the soil which should not produce shear failure in the soil. Some of the questions that are addressed in this project are how water affects the bearing capacity of soil, change in the bearing capacity with addition of cement, change in bearing capacity for various soil types etc.
Tests were conducted on top soil, sand, top soil mixed with cement and sand mixed with cement. The strength of the soil was related to the depth of penetration of objects for which a penetrometer set up was made. Graphs were also plotted with different water content for different soils to determine the best option. It was concluded from the tests that top soil is the best, with highest bearing capacity. The strength further increased with the addition of cement. The fact that top soil is the best for construction is because it consists of hard substances with higher rock content and is thus strong. |
