ABSTRACT
Strip footings are the most common type of foundations used for many structures, specifically buildings. The settlement of a foundation is generally estimated by Terzaghi's theory of one-dimensional consolidation for clay and by performing plate load test for sand. This chapter describes the general procedure for obtaining the pressure-settlement characteristics of footings using non-linear constitutive laws of soils. It deals with two cases, namely footings resting on homogeneous isotropic material, and footings resisting on non-homogeneous an-isotropic material. In practice, footings are rigid with a rough base. It was found that the average settlement of a flexible footing for the same average pressure intensity is almost same as for the rigid footing; the difference in the two being less than 4 per cent. The pressure settlement characteristics of smooth strip footings resting on Ranipur sand were investigated by Sharan for footing widths of 50 mm, 100 mm, 150 mm, 600 mm and 2000 mm.
