Soil Structure

All tests (Mechanical Analysis, Atterberg limit test (Liquid and Plastic limit test), Shear strength test, Bulk density, Moisture content etc.) were performed according to the British standard specification 1377 methods of testing soil for Engineering purposes.

The results of the Mechanical Analysis and Atterberg limit tests revealed that the soil could be classified as clayey sand from depth 0.5m down to depth 1.8m at each location. Such soils are prone to volume change.  It is also of medium compressibility.  The liquid limit of the soil is between 35% and 50%.

The shear strength parameters of soil samples considered showed that angle of internal friction Ø of between 12 and 15 and cohesion © of between 24 and 30 KN/m²were as follows:

The safe bearing capacities of the soil samples at different locations ranged from 93KN/m² to 113KN/m² for strip foundation and 112 KN/m² to 136 KN/m² for square footing at the depth of 1.8m.

The average safe bearing capacity of the soil could be found to be 102.4KN/m2 for strip foundation and 123.5KN/m² for square footing at the depth of 1.8m.