Difference between the Typical Foundation and Non-typical Foundation - Coursework Example

Name of the student) (Name of the subject) (Name of the lecturer) (Name of the University) (Submission date) Table of Contents (Name of the student) 1 Table of Contents 2 Typical and non-typical forms of house foundation 3 1.0 Background 3 2.0 Foundations 4 2.1 Non typical house foundations 5 2.1.1 Stone foundation 6 2.1.2 Padstone; 6 2.2.1Shallow foundation 6 2.2.2 Deep foundation structure 7 2.2.3 Monopole foundation 7 2.3 Difference between the typical foundation and non-typical foundation 8 Typical and non-typical forms of house foundation 1.0 Background Construction can be defined as a process which consists of assembling and building of infrastructure in the field of civil engineering and architecture (TRB, 1990). Construction is a multi- process activity which passes various process involving different stages before a structure can be completed. Construction process is being managed by project manager and his assistants. In order for construction process to be successful, there is need for effective planning which must factor in environmental issues and impacts which surrounds the construction process as reported by TRB (1990). There are several types of constructions which includes; i. Residential Building ii. Industrial construction iii. Commercial Building construction iv. Heavy Civil construction Building construction can be defined as the process through which architecture adds structures on a real property (MarcFalane, 1996). Initially, the architecture meets with the owner of the real property and then they discuss the kind of structure he or she needs. Secondly, it involves choosing the appropriate site for the construction before the design process begins. The client will help in the process of filling in the requirement form where the various specifications will be stated including the size, material specification and color. The third phase of construction process involves the designing process. This involves schedules selection and set up where the constructor has to come up with the timetable and flow charts of various activities (MarcFalane, 1996). After the selection process, the specification sheet will be signed by both the client and the constructor. Project or construction manager is normally appointed to oversee the construction project process and a committee or a team is formed to oversee that process. In the process it is also very important to consider the relationship between the construction design work and the environment since to a greater extent the structure will have influence over environment in which it is erected in(TRB, 1990). The initial stage of building construction is its foundation; this paper discusses foundation by giving its meaning in the construction terms, types of the foundations and concludes by giving the different between the different types of foundations. 2.0 Foundations Foundation or basement of the house can be defined as the ground below the floor of apartment or building (MarcFalane, 1996). The choice of building foundation depends on several factors which includes soil type of the site where the construction will take place. Poor soil requires deep foundation while soils which are good do not require deep foundation. Climatic condition of the construction site is another factor which determines the type of building foundation. Some types of foundations do not do well in flooding areas while some foundations perform extremely well in cold weather (MarcFalane, 1996).Foundation work in most cases are subcontracted due to the amount of work involve in putting it up. There are majorly two types of house foundation; 1. Non typical or historical foundations which includes; Earthfast construction Padstone foundation Stone foundation 2. Modern or typical foundation which includes; Shallow foundation Deep foundation Monopole foundation The figure below gives example of foundation lay out 2.1 Non typical house foundations Historically, most buildings foundations have been made of wood in contact with the grounds, though, technically houses have no real foundation but the posts are dug deep into the ground. Pilling’s of the timber were by then used as a soft or wet grounds mostly on masonry walls or below stones. In the bridge construction or in the marine construction both steel and timber beams were used with concrete’s. 2.1.1 Stone foundation Stone foundation was also an example of non-typical house foundation which were made and combined with wood as shown in the figure below. 2.1.2 Padstone; This was one of the simplest forms of foundations of the house as it was built by spreading heavy stones on the grounds and the timbre structure is raised on it. 2.2 Modern/ Typical house foundation These are foundations which are dug into the grounds and are used by the current structural engineers who are constructing high buildings and mansion ate buildings. 2.2.1Shallow foundation In most cases it is called footings as they are usually erected just about one meter below the ground. One of the most used types of the shallow type of house foundation consists of the small strips of pads of cemented concrete or sandblast and cement (Gholmrez, 1996). These materials normally helps in transferring the weight of the wall bricks onto the bed rocks and the foundations are normally strong and firm. Slab on grad e is another type of shallow house foundation where a slab is created using cement and ballast. The weight of the building is normally transfers to the ground bed rock using concrete slab which is strategically placed on top of the surface. Mat lab is used in reinforcing the concrete slab foundation and the slab is made about 20 to 30 cm in thickness. Tensions slabs can also be used in but all this depends on the weight of the structure. 2.2.2 Deep foundation structure In road, bridge construction or high building constructions and places which are prone to floods and other whether conditions, deep foundations are necessary. Deep foundations are used to transfer weight from the structure to the sub soil down the earth bedrock (Gholmrez, 1996). Deep foundation footings are of different types, they include; Driven impact piles Caissons Drilled shaft Geo pies Earth stabilized columns Helical piles 2.2.3 Monopole foundation This is a type of deep foundation which normally uses one single large diameter deep structure element fixed into the subsoil to support all the weight of the building. This is normally used and utilized in the construction of fly overs and other big cylindrical structures. 2.3 Difference between the typical foundation and non-typical foundation i. None typical foundation of house uses mainly trees while typical foundations use mostly concretes ii. In none typical foundations, the foundations are dug and narrow and deep while in typical foundation the foundation is dung like trenches iii. Weight are transferred to the bedrock using poles in non-typical housing foundation while slabs are used in transferring weight to the bedrock in typical house foundation iv. Typical foundation has both deep and shallow foundation while non-typical foundation is only shallow Reference Gholmrez . H (1996) soil mechanics and practices 3rd edition: New York John Wiley sons Pg386 MarcFalane, I.C (1996) Muskeeg Engineering Hand book Muskeeng subcomettee of NRC University of Toronto press TRB (1990); Transportation Research Board and National Research Council: executive committee report on transport and research council Washington D.C volume 3. Read More