Foundation Engineering: Key Topics for Viva Preparation
For a Foundation Engineering viva, a deep understanding of both theoretical concepts and practical applications is essential.
For a Foundation Engineering viva, a deep understanding of both theoretical concepts and practical applications is essential. Here's a detailed list of topics you should focus on:
1. Soil Mechanics Basics
- Types of Soils: Classification (cohesive vs. non-cohesive), properties of clay, sand, silt, and gravel.
- Soil Properties: Unit weight, density, porosity, permeability, consistency, plasticity, and compaction.
- Soil Shear Strength: Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion, effective stress concept, and drained vs. undrained conditions.
- Soil Consolidation: Primary and secondary consolidation, settlement analysis, and time-rate of consolidation.
2. Soil Exploration and Investigation
- Importance of Site Investigation: Objectives and need for soil investigation before foundation design.
- Methods of Soil Exploration: Test pits, boreholes, and trial pits.
- In-situ Testing: Standard Penetration Test (SPT), Cone Penetration Test (CPT), Plate Load Test, and Vane Shear Test.
- Laboratory Testing: Grain size analysis, Atterberg limits, Proctor compaction, and triaxial shear tests.
- Borehole Logs: Interpretation and use in foundation design.
3. Bearing Capacity of Soil
- Definition and Concepts: Ultimate bearing capacity, safe bearing capacity, and allowable bearing pressure.
- Terzaghi’s Bearing Capacity Theory: Understanding the equation for strip, square, and circular footings.
- Factors Influencing Bearing Capacity: Water table, soil type, foundation size and depth, load conditions.
- Methods for Improving Bearing Capacity: Soil stabilization techniques, use of deep foundations.
4. Types of Foundations
- Shallow Foundations:
- Types: Isolated footings, strip footings, combined footings, raft (mat) foundations.
- Design Criteria: Based on load-bearing capacity, settlement control, and soil conditions.
- Construction Process: Excavation, reinforcement, formwork, concreting, curing.
- Deep Foundations:
- Types: Pile foundations (friction, end-bearing), drilled shafts (caissons), well foundations.
- Selection Criteria: When and why deep foundations are used over shallow foundations.
- Load Transfer Mechanism: Understanding of how load is transferred through piles.
5. Settlement of Foundations
- Types of Settlement: Immediate settlement, primary consolidation, and secondary consolidation.
- Differential Settlement: Causes and effects on structures, ways to minimize.
- Settlement in Clay vs. Sand: Understanding settlement characteristics for different soil types.
- Calculation Methods: Methods for determining settlement based on soil type and loading conditions.
6. Foundation Design
- Footing Design:
- Isolated footings (pad footings), strip footings, combined footings, raft foundations.
- Design based on bearing capacity and settlement considerations.
- Mat (Raft) Foundations: When to use, types of rafts, and load distribution analysis.
- Pile Design: Determining pile capacity, group action of piles, and settlement of pile groups.
- Structural Reinforcement: Basics of reinforcement used in foundations to resist bending, shear, and punching shear.
7. Pile Foundations
- Types of Piles:
- Based on material: Concrete, steel, timber.
- Based on function: End-bearing, friction, tension piles.
- Pile Driving Methods: Hammer-driven piles, bored piles, vibratory methods.
- Pile Capacity: Calculation of load-bearing capacity of piles using empirical methods (Meyerhof, Vesic).
- Pile Load Tests: Static load test, dynamic load test, integrity testing.
- Group Effects in Piles: Pile group efficiency, load distribution, settlement analysis.
8. Retaining Walls
- Types of Retaining Walls: Gravity walls, cantilever walls, counterfort walls, anchored walls.
- Lateral Earth Pressure:
- Rankine’s theory, Coulomb’s theory.
- Active, passive, and at-rest earth pressures.
- Stability Analysis: Sliding, overturning, bearing capacity failure.
- Drainage behind Retaining Walls: Importance of weep holes, geotextiles, and backfill material.
9. Earth Pressure Theories
- Rankine’s Theory: Assumptions, formulas for active and passive pressures, influence of wall friction.
- Coulomb’s Theory: Differences from Rankine, effect of wall inclination, surcharge, and slope.
- Types of Earth Pressure: At-rest, active, and passive earth pressures and their applications.
10. Seismic Considerations in Foundation Design
- Earthquake Effects on Foundations: Understanding of how seismic waves affect soil and structures.
- Liquefaction of Soils: Definition, conditions under which liquefaction occurs, and its impact on foundations.
- Seismic Design of Foundations: Guidelines for designing foundations in earthquake-prone areas.
- Base Isolation Techniques: Methods to improve foundation performance during seismic events.
11. Soil Stabilization Techniques
- Mechanical Stabilization: Compaction, soil reinforcement (geosynthetics, geogrids).
- Chemical Stabilization: Lime, cement, fly ash, bitumen stabilization.
- Ground Improvement Methods: Vibro-compaction, grouting, deep soil mixing, stone columns.
12. Foundation Failures and Remedial Measures
- Common Causes of Foundation Failure: Inadequate design, soil movement, settlement, poor construction practices.
- Types of Failures: Bearing capacity failure, settlement failure, sliding and overturning.
- Remedial Measures: Underpinning techniques, grouting, increasing foundation size, drainage improvements.
- Case Studies of Foundation Failures: Learning from past foundation failures and understanding corrective actions.
13. Underpinning and Strengthening Techniques
- Definition of Underpinning: Why underpinning is required, methods used in strengthening foundations.
- Types of Underpinning: Pit method, pile method, needle beam method, jet grouting.
- Strengthening Existing Foundations: Reinforcing techniques for existing structures under heavy loads or due to settlement.
14. Raft (Mat) Foundations
- Types of Raft Foundations: Solid slab, beam-slab raft, cellular raft.
- Load Distribution: How loads are distributed in raft foundations, influence of soil-structure interaction.
- Design Considerations: Factors affecting raft foundation design (soil conditions, load intensity, settlement).
- Advantages and Limitations: Situations where raft foundations are preferable over isolated footings or pile foundations.
15. Well Foundations
- Definition and Application: Used in bridges, piers, and other heavy structures.
- Construction Process: Sinking methods, handling of tilt and shift during construction.
- Stability Considerations: Issues of scouring and how they are mitigated in well foundations.
General Knowledge and Practical Considerations:
- Foundation Construction Practices: Excavation, dewatering, shoring and formwork, concreting, and curing techniques.
- Codes and Standards: Understanding of relevant standards such as IS Codes (India), Eurocode, or ASTM standards in foundation engineering.
- Project Case Studies: Real-world examples of foundation engineering projects, problems faced, and how they were solved.
- Software Tools: Awareness of software like STAAD Pro, SAFE, PLAXIS for foundation analysis and design.
By covering these detailed topics, you'll have a strong foundation for performing well in your viva, ensuring you're prepared to answer both theoretical questions and practical problems encountered in foundation engineering.
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