Concrete Foundation Systems and Footings

This paper discusses a list of information and issues that causes of structural failure in the foundations and footings of a building. When a load is gradually applied on a foundation, settlement occurs which is almost elastic to begin with. At the ultimate load, general shear failure occurs when a plastic yield surface develops under the footing, extending outward and upward to the ground surface, and catastrophic settlement or rotation of the foundation occurs. Foundation failure is caused by multiple reasons such as poor soil preparation, water problems, dry heat, large trees and plumbing issues Foundation failure is where the foundation settles below level of original construction to a point where damages has occurred such as veneer cracking, interior sheetrock cracking, separations in the veneer and misaligning doors to name a few common symptoms