Bearing capacity problem. A continuous footing is designed to support a bearing wall with a load of 300 kN∕m. The groundwater table is 1.0 m below the ground surface. The subsoil is silty sand with effective cohesion of 15 kN∕m² and effective internal friction angle of 35∘. The bulk unit weight above the groundwater table is 17.5 kN∕m³; the sat-urated unit weight below the groundwater table is 18.5 kN∕m³. Use Terzaghi’s bearing capacity theory and assume local shear failure.
(1) Determine the embedment depth and the dimensions of the wall footing. The factor of safety for bearing capacity is 3.0.
(2) Choose the foundation dimensions that are acceptable in the construction, and then calculate the allowable bearing capacity on the basis of these dimensions.
