Foundation Recommendation for Lightweight Structures (A Case of Legetafo Town)
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Date
2019-05
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The selection of safe and economical types of reinforced concrete foundation is one of the challenges for professionals in current designing practice, and this issue is more complex for foundation design for different buildings that are intended to be constructed on expansive soils of Legetafo.
In this project work, an attempt is to made investigate some of the engineering properties of Legetafo soil and to recommend the feasible type of foundation for lightweight structures constructed in the Legetafo town (Chemese). To achieve this objective, soil samples were collected at some remote locations around Chemese and the grain size analysis test, Atterberg limit test, specific gravity test, unconfined compression test, consolidation tests, and swelling pressure test has been carried out.
Laboratory test based on ASTM standard were conducted to characterize the soil at the specified location.
Analysis based on laboratory test result helps to tackle the problem related to expansive soil witnessed in this area and remedial measures has been set by researcher. This include providing Styrofoam at expansion joint between grade beam with ground slab, replacing masonry wall foundation by grade beam noising having maximum diameter 8 reinforcement with maximum embedment depth of one meter below natural ground level, avoiding garden sprinkler and providing micropile in areas where the swelling pressure escape the 310 kPa range.
Finally the compatibility of the recommended methods using Styrofoam between grade beam with slab, and the replacement of masonry wall by grade beam nosing with superstructure shall be checked for other type of foundation in the future.
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Keywords
Lightweight Structures, Legetafo Town, Foundation