What are the Basics of Concrete Footings?
Concrete footings exist to transfer the structural loads from the building (snow load, live load, dead load, wind load, earthquake load, etc.) to the Earth. Obviously, the foundations on a building are critical from a structural standpoint. However, since they are usually unseen after backfilling, too many times the foundations are not built without enough attention to detail. It’s often said that any building project that doesn’t come out of the ground well will be difficult to ever get back on track. It’s important for the Construction Supervisor to understand both the function and the acceptable tolerances on foundations. In order to understand the function, some terms need defined: • Concrete spread footing under a single column: this footing typically has the column in the middle of the footing. As the force acts downward from the column, the spread footing distributes that force to the soil. The bottom of the spread footing is in tension from the bending moment created by the col
