Foundations

The course aims to provide fundamental and advanced knowledge regarding the behavior of all types of structural and infrastructural foundations and the soil interacting with them. The goal is to enable comprehensive static and dynamic foundation design in compliance with the Technical Standards for Construction (NTC 2018) and the Eurocodes. Significant emphasis will be placed on the design of actual shallow and/or piled foundations, innovative and eco-sustainable design solutions, and the effects of static and dynamic soil-structure interaction.

Specifically, the expected learning outcomes according to the Dublin Descriptors are:

DD1: Knowledge and understanding:

Students will acquire:

- knowledge and understanding of the main types of shallow, piled, and mixed foundations, as well as the geometric, functional, and economic aspects that characterise them.

- knowledge and understanding of deformation phenomena and ultimate limit state conditions that may develop in the foundations and surrounding soils, impacting the overlying structures/infrastructures.

- knowledge and understanding of static and dynamic soil-foundation-superstructure interaction phenomena and their effects on the built and natural environments.

- knowledge and understanding of new eco-sustainable design solutions aimed at minimising costs and resource consumption.

- knowledge and understanding of design solutions aimed at the static strengthening and/or seismic retrofitting of existing foundations.

- knowledge and understanding of the requirements of the Technical Standards for Construction (NTC 2018) and the Eurocodes regarding the design of new foundations and the retrofitting of existing ones. 

DD2: Applying knowledge and understanding

Students will develop the ability to apply acquired knowledge by designing new foundations for real structures/infrastructures and by planning reinforcement or seismic retrofitting solutions for existing foundations, using geotechnical parameters appropriate to the specific case history. Students will also develop this ability through seminars with engineers presenting real-world cases and through technical site visits. Students will carry out the design work using various software tools, with support from the teachers.

DD3: Making judgements

Students will develop the ability to critically evaluate the pros and cons of various design solutions in order to arrive at an optimal design that balances safety, efficiency, and economic and environmental sustainability. This will be achieved through an individual project and classroom exercises in which each student presents their design ideas, highlighting critical aspects and advantages.

DD4: Communication skills

Students will develop written communication skills by preparing a comprehensive written report on a foundation design project. Students will develop oral communication skills through active participation in lectures, classroom exercises, seminars, and technical site visits, as well as during consultation hours dedicated to presenting their individual projects and discussing design solutions with other students.

DD5: Learning skills

Students will acquire and assess their learning capabilities through independent study based on lecture notes, course handouts, textbooks listed in the syllabus, and relevant scientific literature—either recommended by instructors or independently sourced online—which they will critically evaluate and synthesise in their own words. During the course, students will also have the opportunity to assess their learning progress through optional interim tests. Finally, they will further develop and evaluate their learning capabilities by comparing various individual projects during practical sessions and group meetings with the teachers.

Frontal (traditional) teaching

Risultati della tra

2. SURFACE FOUNDATIONS: Introduction (Definition of surface foundation, Choice of laying surface, Partially or totally compensated surface foundations, Underpinning of existing buildings). Foundations on plinths (Isolated plinths, plinths with connecting beams). Foundations on inverted beams and on slabs (simple inverted beams, slabs with constant thickness, slabs with increased thickness under the pillars, box slabs, etc.). Embankment foundation. Bearing capacity: Failure mechanisms (General failure, local failure, punching failure). Simplified scheme (Factors affecting the bearing capacity and estimation of the depth of the sliding surface). Bearing capacity calculation methods: Terzaghi solution (1943), Brinch-Hansen (1970) formulation for incoherent and cohesive soils, Richard et al. (1993) approach, Paolucci and Pecker approach (1997), Maugeri and Novità approach (2004). The formulations for non-general failure mechanisms. The load-bearing capacity for foundations on stratified soils. Methods for the calculation of induced stresses in the ground. Settlements: Introduction (Absolute settlements, differential settlements, rigid rotation, relative rotations, angular deformations, deflection, curvature, Effects of foundation settlements on elevated structures, depth of influence for the calculation of foundation settlements). Methods for calculating settlements in static conditions for non-cohesive soils (The theory of elasticity; the Burland and Burbidge method, 1985; the Schmertmann method, 1970; the Berardi and Lancellotta method, 1991) and for cohesive soils (The course of settlements over time; instantaneous settlement; primary consolidation settlement according to the Skempton and Bjerrum Method, 1957; secondary consolidation settlement). Settlements due to seismic events. Settlements due to vibro-driving of piles. Settlements near excavation fronts. Admissibility of settlements (Permissible values ​​of foundation movements according to the geotechnical literature, EC1, EC7 (1994) and the indications provided by the NTC, 2018. Methods for reducing distortions in the foundation). Geotechnical and structural design of shallow foundations according to Italian Technical Regulations (NTC, 2018).

3. PILE FOUNDATIONS / MIXED FOUNDATIONS: Piles subject to vertical loads: Executive typologies (PIles realised without removing soil or removing soil, intermediate piles, micropiles). Bearing capacity (Lateral bearing capacity, end bearing capacity, correlation with the results of in-site tests). Settlements (Method of Poulos and Davis, 1980), simplified non-linear model. Piles in a group (Edge effect, group effect, bearing capacity, settlements). Negative friction (Physical phenomenon, modelling, determination of the neutral point). Vertical load tests and non-destructive tests (Test equipment, execution method, instrumentation, interpretation of results; non-destructive tests: cross-hole tests in piles, mechanical admittance method). Piles subject to horizontal forces: General considerations. Evaluation of the pile shear forces and bending moments for the ultimate limit state condition. Evaluation of the pile horizontal displacement, rotation, shear forces and bending moments for the serviceability limit state condition. Mixed foundations. General considerations.. CSBD (Capacity Settlement Based Design), SBD (Settlement Based Design), DSBD (Differential Settlement Based Design) approaches. Geotechnical and structural design of pile foundations and mixed foundations according to Italian Technical Regulations, NTC, 2018.

4. SOIL-STRUCTURE INTERACTION: Soil-structure interaction with surface foundations (Static conditions: Winkler's method; Dynamic conditions: vibrating table tests; impedance method, calculation codes, Standards). Soil-structure interaction with pile foundations (kinematic and inertial interaction; pseudo-static analyzes, simplified and complete dynamic analyzes, Technical Regulations).

5. INNOVATIVE AND GREEN TECHNOLOGIES: geothermal piles; soil-waste material mixtures, to reduce the seismic risk of structures/infrastructures.

1) Ongoing evaluations (not mandatory)

2) Design of a shallow foundation and of a shallow foundation or a pile foundation

3) Oral exam

Please note that to access the oral exam, it is necessary to have the project approved in writing by the teacher at least 5 days before the date of the oral exam.

What produces the group effect in a piling? How can it be reduced?

In the Gazetas impedance method, what stiffness is the surface foundation supposed to have?

In which sections of the pile should we expect the maximum kinematic moment?

With what approaches is it possible to study the dynamic pile-soil interaction?

At what depth from the pile head can we consider the moment of inertia to be negligible?

Illustrate how an energy pile.

What geotechnical solutions do you know to reduce the seismic risk?

What instrumentation is needed to monitor the settlements of a foundation?

If you want to maintain surface foundations in a building that requires seismic retrofitting, what interventions can / must be done in the foundation?

Illustrate how the ultimate geotechnical limit state check is carried out for a surface foundation.

What is the substantial novelty introduced in the formula of Paolucci and Pecker, 1997 for the calculation of qlim with respect to the formula of Brinch-Hansen, 1970?

With which theory do I calculate the tension induced in the soil by a load spread uniformly distributed over a square area?

Explain the criterion with which the structural design of a surface foundation with inverted beams is carried out.

 Illustrate the Berardi and Lancellotta (1991) method for calculating the settlements of a surface foundation. 

What in situ tests need to be done to use the method of Schmertmann et al., 1978 and that of Berardi and Lancellotta, 1991?

What does the secondary consolidation settlement indicate and what parameters do we need to be able to calculate it?

According to the Eurocodes, what are the admissible values ​​of absolute settlements for a foundation?

What do we mean by a partially compensated foundation and a fully compensated foundation?

When are micropiles used?

What kind of mixture are Tubfix micropiles made of?

In what range does the efficiency of a pile group fluctuate?

How is the ULS verification set up in the event of a pile immersed in two layers, one of which is in negative friction?

Illustrate the criteria by which the reinforcement of a foundation pile is chosen.

How do we define the Winkler constant?

What is the behavior of the soil reaction under a superficial foundation with the Winkler approach? And how does it differ from a real soil reaction?

Does the acceleration expected on the soil surface change or not if we consider the free field condition or the presence of a structure on the surface?

What does the inertial interaction depend on?