Foundation Engineering: A Public-Domain Reference¶
About this reference
This is an original, open technical reference on foundation engineering, written in plain engineering language. Unlike the other books in this section, it is built entirely from public-domain sources — the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineering Manuals and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) National Highway Institute (NHI) geotechnical manuals, all of which are U.S. Government works in the public domain. No copyrighted textbook is reproduced. It is provided for education and field use; every project is unique and this reference is meant to build engineering judgment, not to set minimum standards. The underlying manuals are indexed in the GTI Doctor AI assistant for deeper queries.
Foundation engineering is the discipline of designing the interface between a structure and the ground: spread footings and mats, deep foundations, retaining structures, and the earth that supports and presses against them. It rests on soil mechanics, but its practice is governed by design manuals — and the two most authoritative, freely available, and legally reusable bodies of guidance in the English-speaking world are the USACE Engineering Manuals and the FHWA NHI manuals.
This reference consolidates that public-domain guidance into a single, chapter-by-chapter treatment: how to explore a site; how shallow foundations carry load and settle; how deep foundations transfer load; how retaining walls, sheet piles, and braced excavations resist earth pressure; how slopes are analysed; and how ground improvement and instrumentation support the design.
Scope of this reference¶
| # | Chapter | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction and Sources | What foundation engineering is; the public-domain corpus behind it |
| 2 | Subsurface Exploration & Site Characterization | Borings, in-situ tests, groundwater, and the design profile |
| 3 | Shallow Foundations: Bearing Capacity | Failure modes, Terzaghi/Meyerhof, water table, eccentricity |
| 4 | Shallow Foundations: Settlement | Elastic and consolidation settlement; allowable bearing pressure |
| 5 | Spread Footings & Mats | Proportioning, eccentricity, mats, and construction |
| 6 | Deep Foundations: Types & Load Transfer | Pile classification and how load moves into the ground |
| 7 | Deep Foundations: Axial Capacity | Static analysis methods, end bearing, skin friction, load tests |
| 8 | Deep Foundations: Lateral Loads, Groups & Settlement | Lateral capacity, group effects, negative skin friction, settlement |
| 9 | Drilled Shafts & Caissons | Construction, capacity, and special considerations |
| 10 | Lateral Earth Pressure | At-rest, active, and passive pressure; Rankine and Coulomb |
| 11 | Retaining Walls & MSE Walls | Gravity, cantilever, and mechanically stabilized earth walls |
| 12 | Sheet Pile Walls & Braced Excavations | Cantilever, anchored, and braced systems; stability |
| 13 | Slope Stability | Infinite and finite slopes, method of slices, stabilization |
| 14 | Ground Improvement & Foundation Instrumentation | Densification, reinforcement, grouting, and monitoring |
The public-domain sources¶
This reference is an independent adaptation of the scope and structure of these public-domain manuals (U.S. Government works):
| Source | Title | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| USACE EM 1110-1-1905 | Geotechnical Design of Shallow Foundations on Soils (formerly Bearing Capacity of Soils) | Bearing capacity of shallow and deep foundations |
| USACE EM 1110-1-1904 | Settlement Analysis | Elastic and consolidation settlement |
| USACE EM 1110-2-2906 | Design of Pile Foundations | Pile capacity, negative skin friction, lateral loads |
| USACE EM 1110-2-2502 | Retaining and Flood Walls | Retaining-wall design and stability |
| USACE EM 1110-2-2504 | Design of Sheet Pile Walls | Cantilever and anchored sheet pile walls |
| USACE EM 1110-2-1902 | Slope Stability | Slope stability analysis and stabilization |
| FHWA-NHI-16-009/-010 (GEC-12) | Design and Construction of Driven Pile Foundations | Driven piles, analysis, and construction |
| FHWA-NHI-10-024/-025 (GEC-11) | MSE Walls and Reinforced Soil Slopes | Mechanically stabilized earth |
| FHWA-NHI-14-007 (GEC-7) | Soil Nail Walls | Soil nailing design and construction |
| FHWA-IF-99-025 | Ground Improvement Technical Summaries | Densification, reinforcement, grouting |
Public domain means reusable. USACE and FHWA manuals are works of the U.S. federal government and are not subject to copyright in the United States. This reference nevertheless presents them as an original synthesis, not a verbatim copy, so that it can be translated, adapted, and applied freely.
How to use this reference¶
- Start with Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 for shallow foundations, and Chapter 6–8 for deep foundations — these are the two halves of the discipline.
- Use it with the rest of the knowledge base. The instrument chapters cross-reference the Dunnicliff, FHWA, and dam books for monitoring-specific detail.
- Ask the GTI Doctor for the underlying manual text.
Design is site-specific. No reference replaces a proper site investigation, and no chart replaces the judgment of a qualified geotechnical engineer.
Featured Video & Practical Resources¶
Featured Field Practice Video (RST Instruments): Data Logger Hardware Connections for Deep Foundation Instrumentation, Load Cells, and Strain Gauges.
Complementary Practical Field Resources from RST Instruments & Measurand (Terra Insights)
- RST Instruments (@RSTgeotechnical): Connecting Instruments to Data Loggers
Field datalogger wiring and channel configuration for vibrating wire piezometers, load cells, and earth pressure cells in deep foundation elements. - Measurand (@MeasurandVideos): SAAV Cyclical Installation
Installing ShapeArray in cyclical borehole monitoring casing for bored piles and deep shaft deflection profiling.