Stiff Foundation Mat

A mat foundation is a thick reinforced concrete slab supporting arrangements of columns or walls in a row or rows and transmitting the loads to the soil.

Stiff foundation mat.

A mat foundation is in essence a stiff slab that acts as a single foundation element that covers the entire plan area of the structure. Loads on raft or mat foundation. It is a continuous thick concrete slab on the soil that extends the entire footprint of the building and increases the soil bearing capacity power. As any shallow foundation a mat foundation has to be checked against bearing capacity failure and excessive total average settlement.

It is used to support storage tanks industrial equipment silos chimneys and. Strip rafts and grid foundations are also generally designed on the same principles as mat foundation. A mat foundation is used when the subsoil is weak and column loads are so heavy that the conventional spread footings cover more than 50 of the building area. Mat foundation is also known as the raft foundation.

Mat foundation can be subjected to vertical loads horizontal loads and also to moments from column members. It is common to use mat foundation or deep basements. Ive always thought of strip footing under the wall whoes 45 degree disperse load line doesnt pass thru the bootom as a stiff foundation.