Raft Foundations: - A Raft Foundation Is A Continuous Slab of Concrete Usually

Raft foundations
• A raft foundation is a continuous slab of concrete usually

covering an area equal to or greater than the base of a
building or structure to provide support for walls or
lightly loaded columns and serve as a base for the ground
floor.
• The word raft is used in the sense that the slab of concrete
floats on the surface as a raft does on water. Raft
foundations are used for lightly loaded structures on soils
with poor bearing capacity and where variations in soil
conditions necessitate a considerable spread of loads.
• Beam and raft and cellular raft foundations are used for
more heavily loaded structures, where the beams or
cells of a raft are used to provide wide spread of loads.
• The three types of reinforced concrete raft
foundations are:
• (1) Solid slab raft
• (2) Beam and slab raft
Solid slab raft foundation
• solid reinforced concrete slab generally of uniform
thickness (Figure 3.29a), cast on subsoils of poor or
variable bearing capacity, so that the loads from walls or
columns of lightly loaded structures are spread over the
whole area of the building.
• Concrete rafts are reinforced with mild steel rods to
provide tensile strength against the upward or negative
bending and resistance to shear stress due to the loads
from walls or columns that are raised off the raft. For
additional strength under the load of walls, rafts are
commonly cast with downstand edge beams, as illustrated
in Figure 3.29b, and downstand beams under loadbearing
internal walls.
• The solid slab raft foundation illustrated in Figure 3.29c
is cast with a wide toe to the beam under external walls
so that the concrete does not show above ground solely
for appearance sake.
1' 1
1:
'1 IU
·
n
r---
-
1.
11 1•
1
Salid slab raft foundation

Reinforcement runs in
both directions
Reinforced ,con,crete· raft

40L50 concn:!te blli nding sea.lis surface and
(a) provides level pllaHorm to fabrkate the
reinforoement matt and cag,es
· w ell-compact ed hardcore
1
Figure .3..29· (a) Soliid sl ab iraft foundation. (b) Soll i d slab raft founda11i on with
downstand beam" , (e) Raft foundation wi·tlh ext ended toe ·to ,can y briiclk:work.,
1 1
Reiníomement cages are
constructed to act s é
beams within the raft

foundation
... .,..,,_...,,. ". B!.- -

b............................................................................... <- -:-- ....,,:;,,-· '"-- Rei forced concrete raft
Q -- :_,·
F
Downstand bec ms or edge thickenings ca11 be 40-50 1co11cre, te blínding seaIs smface
and
used to add rigidity and stabilíty to the raft provides level pié tfonn to fab riic
ate ,he
frn.mdation. Where brick or bllock walls sit reinforceme11t matt and cages
on ,he raft, the extra [loadca11 be
accommodated by a ,beam wíthin tihe raft.
Toe cast i11to the slab to
canry bir1ckwork daddiing;
hídes the
concre, teraft below füe ground
Edge beam and rei11forceme11t extended

e) to carry bríckwonk dadding
• To provide a level bed for the concrete, a layer of
blinding is spread either on a hardcore bed or
directly on levelled soil to a thickness of 50mm.
The purpose of the blinding is to provide a level
bed, which will prevent wet concrete running
through it.
• The necessary reinforcement is placed and
supported
• (with concrete spacers) to provide the necessary
cover and the concrete spread, consolidated
and finished level
Beam and slab raft foundation
• As a foundation to support the heavier loads of walls or
columns, a solid slab raft would require considerable
thickness. To make the most economical use of reinforced
concrete in a raft foundation supporting heavier loads, it
is usual practice to form a beam and slab raft.
• This raft consists of upstand or downstand beams that
take the loads of walls or columns and spread them to the
monolithically cast slab, which bears on natural subsoil.
• Figure 3.31 is an illustration of an upstand beam raft
and Figure 3.32 shows a section through a downstand
beam raft.
CoIun1ns
bear on
Junct'i:on of
bea1ms
ieoncrete
slab
Figure 3 31 IR einforcedconcrete lbeam and sl ab 1raft

Raised timber o · con, crete : 1 Slab reinforced top
floor fiJ1 m ed on raf_t , _ _
1 , l db H, •
il _a.n .. llo1 in
1
1 both
1
• d11rec
1
1
.. .r .
- ,1. 1 1 -
1t10ns
11.. .
......,
Constru
cfion
jo'ínt
Re' nforced concrete
beams
Figure 3.32 Beam and slab raft wilh downsland beams1 ,

Raft Foundations: - A Raft Foundation Is A Continuous Slab of Concrete Usually

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Raft Foundations: - A Raft Foundation Is A Continuous Slab of Concrete Usually

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Raft Foundations: - A Raft Foundation Is A Continuous Slab of Concrete Usually

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Raft foundations

• A raft foundation is a continuous slab of concrete usually

Salid slab raft foundation

Reinforced ,con,crete· raft

beams within the raft

... .,..,,_...,,. ". B!.- -

Edge beam and rei11forceme11t extended

Figure 3 31 IR einforcedconcrete lbeam and sl ab 1raft

Figure 3.32 Beam and slab raft wilh downsland beams1 ,

You might also like