What is the primary concern when designing a foundation on expansive clay?
Practice Questions
Q1
What is the primary concern when designing a foundation on expansive clay?
Shear strength
Settlement
Bearing capacity
Permeability
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What is the primary concern when designing a foundation on expansive clay?
Step 1: Understand what expansive clay is. It is a type of clay that can change its size when it gets wet or dry.
Step 2: Recognize that when expansive clay gets wet, it expands, and when it dries, it shrinks.
Step 3: Realize that this change in size can cause the ground to move up and down.
Step 4: Know that if a building's foundation is built on this type of clay, it can settle unevenly as the clay expands and shrinks.
Step 5: Understand that this uneven settling can lead to cracks in the building and other structural problems.
Step 6: Conclude that the primary concern when designing a foundation on expansive clay is to manage this settlement caused by the clay's volume changes.
