Bearing Capacity of Soils

The purpose of this manual is to provide guidelines for calculation of the bearing capacity of soil under shallow and deep foundations supporting various types of structures and embankments. This manual is intended as a guide for determining allowable and ultimate bearing capacity. It is not intended to replace the judgment of the design engineer on a particular project.

Principles for evaluating bearing capacity presented in this manual are applicable to numerous types of structures such as buildings and houses, towers and storage tanks, fills, embankments and dams. These guidelines may be helpful in determining soils that will lead to bearing capacity failure or excessive settlements for given foundations and loads.