Civil Engineering and Architecture Vol. 12(5), pp. 3402 - 3413
DOI: 10.13189/cea.2024.120520
Reprint (PDF) (2689Kb)

A Comparative Study of Real-World vs. Small-Scale Mat Foundations on Expansive Clay Soils for Low-Cost Housing

Dirk M. Bester ^1,*, Elizabeth Theron ², Philip R. Stott ², Jacques Snyman ^1
1 Department of Civil Engineering, Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa
² Department of Civil Engineering, Central University of Technology, South Africa

ABSTRACT

The South African Government is committed to providing affordable and sustainable housing solutions for its underserved population. However, constructing low-cost housing (LCH) on active clay soils, particularly in regions dominated by expansive clay soils such as the Karoo Supergroup geological formation, has presented significant challenges. These LCH, known for their lightweight construction, have faced significant foundation failures due to clay soil heaving. It is, therefore, essential to employ raft foundation designs with enough stiffness. The design of raft foundations requires understanding the moisture-induced heave patterns underneath the foundation. Current methods of designing raft foundations in South Africa rely on assumptions about moisture-induced heave patterns underneath the foundation. These often prove inaccurate, especially with expansive clay soils. The problem comes from past research using ground sheets or foundations without a superstructure, failing to replicate accurate conditions and the cost associated with instrumenting large amounts of LCH foundations to monitor their behaviour. The study aims to bridge the division by evaluating and comparing a real-world scenario LCH instrumented and monitored with a small-scale raft foundation in a laboratory setting. Moisture monitoring instruments were used underneath the LCH in South Africa's Free State region while constructing a small-scale model on expansive clay soils inside a laboratory. The research intends to provide a cost-effective methodology for evaluating raft foundations within a laboratory environment. By doing so, these small-scale models serve as tools to advance the understanding of moisture variations underneath raft foundations in real-life conditions. The research hopes to facilitate more reliable raft foundation characteristics and patterns on expansive clay soils, contributing to the sustainability and durability of LCH projects in South Africa.

KEYWORDS
Low-Cost Housing, Heave, Raft Foundation, Expansive Clay, Small-Scale Models

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Dirk M. Bester , Elizabeth Theron , Philip R. Stott , Jacques Snyman , "A Comparative Study of Real-World vs. Small-Scale Mat Foundations on Expansive Clay Soils for Low-Cost Housing," Civil Engineering and Architecture, Vol. 12, No. 5, pp. 3402 - 3413, 2024. DOI: 10.13189/cea.2024.120520.

(b). APA Format:
Dirk M. Bester , Elizabeth Theron , Philip R. Stott , Jacques Snyman (2024). A Comparative Study of Real-World vs. Small-Scale Mat Foundations on Expansive Clay Soils for Low-Cost Housing. Civil Engineering and Architecture, 12(5), 3402 - 3413. DOI: 10.13189/cea.2024.120520.