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Structure > Footings & Foundation > Flashcards

Footings & Foundation Flashcards

1
Q

What are the two functions of the foundation?

A
  1. Transfer live & dead loads over a large enough area so the structure doesn’t move
  2. Avoid frost causing movement in structure
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2
Q

What are live loads?

A
  • Varied load
  • Examples: people furniture, wind, soil
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3
Q

What are dead loads?

A
  • Fixed loads
  • Weight of building material + soil around foundation
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4
Q

What are the 10 components of a foundation?

A
  • Collar tie
  • Roof rafter
  • Ceiling joist
  • Floor joist
  • Bearing wall
  • Bearing beam
  • Column
  • Exterior wal
  • Foundation wall
  • Footing
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5
Q

What are the three configurations of a foundation?

A
  1. Basement
  2. Crawlspace
  3. Slab on grade
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6
Q

What are the three different arrangements for a slab on grade foundation?

A
  1. Floating
  2. Supported
  3. Monolithic
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7
Q

What material can a foundation be made of?

A
  • Concrete
  • Wood
  • Brick
  • Stone
  • Hollow clay
  • Cinder block
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8
Q

What are the 7 types of soil in order of strength?

A
  1. Bedrock
  2. Gravel
  3. Coarse sand
  4. Fine sand
  5. Clay
  6. Silt
  7. Organic material
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9
Q

Why must footings be below the frost line?

A

This prevents frost from reaching the bottom of the foundation resulting in frost heaving

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10
Q

What are the measurement requirements for step footings?

A

Steps should be 2 ft apart & no > 16 - 24 inches high

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11
Q

What can be used to lower basement floors?

A
  1. bench footing
  2. underpinning
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12
Q

When are piles used?

A

Used instead of footings when soil is poor

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13
Q

What is the purpose of a pilaster?

A
  • Support a concentrated load
  • Prevent wall from bowing
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14
Q

What are caissons?

A

Foundation system created by drilling holes & filling them with concrete

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15
Q

What is a cold joint?

A

2 separate foundation pours

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16
Q

What is honeycombing?

A

Occurs when air pockets are not vibrated out during foundation pour

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17
Q

What are the 4 different types of cracks?

A
  1. Shrinkage cracks
  2. Settlement cracks
  3. Heaving cracks
  4. Horizontal force cracks
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18
Q

What is the cause of shrinkage cracks?

A

Natural curing

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19
Q

What are the 3 types of settlement cracks?

A
  1. Differential settlement cracks
  2. Uniform settlement cracks
  3. Tipping
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20
Q

What is a differential settlement crack?

A

When one part of the house settles at a diff rate than the rest

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21
Q

What is the maximum lot slope?

A

1 in 2. Every 2 ft of horizontal distance = ground should not rise/fall no > 1 ft

22
Q

What are cut & fill lots?

A

To create a flat building pad, the hill is cut back to form the pad. This results in the uphill half built in undisturbed soil & the downhill half built on backfill

23
Q

What indicates more movement, a house with one large crack, or with many small cracks?

A

A house with many small cracks

24
Q

What are the 3 planes of differential movement?

A
  1. Rotational
  2. Vertical shear
  3. Into/out of the wall space
25
Q

What are pyramid cracks?

A
  • If 2 cracks form a pyramid, inside the triangle may be dropping.
  • Related to differential settlement.
26
Q

What are V-shaped cracks?

A
  • Not related to differential settlement.
  • Potentially related to heaving, shrinkage, rotation
27
Q

What are the 5 repair strategies to stop building movement?

A
  1. Mud jacking
  2. Underpinning
  3. Foundation irrigation systems
  4. Remove & replace footings/foundations
  5. Use steel rods, cables, channels
28
Q

What are clues to indicate cracks may be active?

A
  • Cracks have been patch & opened again.
  • Crack is on a painted wall & there is no paint inside the crack.
  • No dirt / debris inside the crack.
  • Corners of cracks are sharp
29
Q

What are the 3 implications of lowering a basement floor?

A
  1. Bench footing may undermine existing footing
  2. When underpinning is used, differential settlement cracks may form as the concrete shrinks & cures.
  3. Become closer to the water table where the exterior perimeter drainage tile me be ineffective
30
Q

What are the 4 causes of heaving?

A
  1. Frost heave
  2. Adfreezing
  3. Expansive soils
  4. Hydrostatic pressure
31
Q

What does soil need to cause heaving?

A

Moisture

32
Q

What are the 5 common causes of frost heaving?

A
  1. Saturated soils
  2. Leaving the house unheated during winter
  3. Adding basement walkouts
  4. Insulated basements
  5. Shallow footings
33
Q

What is adfreezing?

A

Where ground beside the foundation freezes, attaching itself to the foundation. As the ground heave upward, it picks up the house with it

34
Q

How do you identify heaving cracks?

A
  • If cracks are open = moving apart
  • If driveways, sidewalks, patios around the house slope upward
  • If floor slab has lots of cracks around columns
  • If original soil line on house is higher
35
Q

When can you build without frost footings?

A
  • Building on bedrock
  • Building on dry soils (free-draining & never get wet)
  • Insulating the soil around the building to prevent frost penetration
36
Q

Which is worse: horizontal, vertical, or diagonal cracks?

A

Horizontal cracks

37
Q

Why are horizontal cracks a serious structural issue?

A

Foundation walls may no longer be able to carry their load

38
Q

What are 3 characteristics of horizontal cracks?

A
  1. Bulging
  2. Bowing
  3. Leaning
39
Q

Where do foundation walls receive their support?

A
  • Footings
  • Floors
  • Walls
40
Q

What will the height of the backfill determine for a foundation wall?

A
  • How thick foundation walls should be.
  • Refer to building code for specs
41
Q

What is stronger: poured concrete or masonry?

A

Poured concrete

42
Q

What does rising damp mean?

A

Water drawn up via capillary action

43
Q

What is spalling?

A

Splitting, chipping, crumbling, splintering of concrete/masonry

44
Q

What causes spalling?

A
  • Low quality / poor install
  • Masonry not intended for below grade use
  • Freeze / thaw cycles
45
Q

Are cinder blocks intended for below grade use?

A

No

46
Q

Why is spalling more serious on concrete blocks than brick walls?

A
  • Brick wall = 3 bricks thick
  • Concrete block wall = single thickness
47
Q

How do you identify pier movement?

A
  • Check if its plumb
  • Look for a gap at the top of the pier
  • Look for a sag in the floor above
  • Look for crushing at the top of the pier or underside of the floor
48
Q

What is a cold joint?

A

Occurs when concrete is poured at two different times

49
Q

What is honeycombing?

A

Large voids / bubbles in poured concrete walls

50
Q

What are short foundation walls?

A

When the exterior foundation wall has < 6 inches clearance above grade

51
Q

What is an implication of short foundation walls?

A

This can lead to potential water ingress into the wood foundation

Structure (2 decks)

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