Anglų referatas - Foundation

As the name suggests, this is the amount of weight per unit area the soil can bear.  For example, the safe bearing capacity(SBC) at a location could be 20 T/m2, or tonnes per square metre.This capacity also changes at different depths of soil. In general, the deeper one digs, the greater the SBC, unless there are pockets of weak soil in the earth. To properly support a building, the soil must be very firm and strong.  It is common for the soil near the surface of the earth to be loose and weak.  If a building is rested on this soil, it will sink into the earth like a ship in water.  Building contractors will usually dig until they reach very firm, strong, soil that cannot be dug up easily before constructing a foundation.To study the properties of the soil before designing foundations, engineers will ask for a soil investigation to be done.