Viable basement and foundation scheme
Given that the proposed structure is a steel building, the foundations will be driven piles supplemented by ground beams also driven into the basement walls. On the other hand, the basement will be built from steel sheets since these are highly cost effective and most ideal to retain the structure. In such a case, a viable foundation scheme is proposed.
Foundation scheme and justification.
First of all, a pile foundation is essential since it is capable of supporting heavy concentrated loads compared to spread footings. End-bearing driven piles are preferred instead of friction piles since they will be pushed into the ground using special percussion drivers until their bottom ends rest on a layer of strong soil or bedrock thus the building’s load is transferred via the pile onto the strong soli/rock layer. The pile thus acts as a column as shown in Figure 1 below.
Figure 1 Driven steel pile illustration (Source: UnderstandConstruction.com, 2016).
After the pile has been built, the ground beams can then be created. The ground beams will be driven into the basement walls and their main purpose will be to link the pile columns together and avail a platform for further construction of the building’s superstructure i.e. brick/concrete/blockwork for the walls. The amount of ground beam reinforcement introduced into this design will be highly dependent on the specified loading requirements, and in this case, the beams will be placed in such a way that they withstand ground heave forces that could interfere with the structure’s stability. The piles are then tied to the ground beams to form a structure similar to the sketch in Figure 2 below.
Figure 2 Driven pile and Ground beams foundation sketch for a basement.
Finally, to further reinforce the foundation, the basement will be built using steel sheets to help retain the structure. The steel plates will line the basement walls and their main purpose will be to stabilize the basement wall and prevent the foundation from buckling under soil pressure mainly due to heave forces from swollen soil during winter, or when the soil in the area is unstable and moves.
References:
Day, R. (2010). Foundation engineering handbook. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Micropilinggroup.com, (2016). Ground Beams, Ground works, Foundations, The Micropiling Group, Micropiling Southern, Micro Piling Herts Hertfordshire London. [online] Micropilinggroup.com. Available at: http://www.micropilinggroup.com/ground_beams.php [Accessed 24 Aug. 2016].
Understandconstruction.com, (2016). Types of Foundations in Building Construction. [online] Understand Building Construction. Available at: http://www.understandconstruction.com/types-of-foundations.html [Accessed 24 Aug. 2016].
