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GATE 2018 CE (CE2) – Question 19

Geotechnical Engineering · Shallow foundations: bearing capacity, combined footing, raft, settlement · 1 mark · Multiple choice

The contact-pressure and settlement distributions shown correspond to ______.

Diagram for GATE 2018 CE (CE2) question 19
  1. rigid footing on granular soil
  2. flexible footing on granular soil
  3. flexible footing on saturated clay
  4. rigid footing on cohesive soil

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Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: (A) rigid footing on granular soil

Explanation

The footing settles as a rigid plane, while contact pressure is greatest near the centre and decreases toward the edges. This is the conventional distribution for a **rigid footing on granular soil, A**. Cohesive-soil idealizations instead show larger edge pressures for a rigid footing.