Foundation Engineering Topics - GATE CE Syllabus

1

Sub-surface investigations

1m3/10

2

Drilling bore holes

1m2/10

3

Sampling

1m3/10

4

Plate load test

1m3/10

📌 Key FormulaBearing capacity scaling

5

Standard penetration

1m3/10

📌 Key FormulaN-value correction

6

Cone penetration tests

1m3/10

📌 Key Formulaqc, fs

7

Earth pressure theories - Rankine and Coulomb

1m4/10

📌 Key FormulaKa = (1-sinφ)/(1+sinφ), Kp = 1/Ka

8

Stability of slopes

1m4/10

📌 Key FormulaFOS = resisting / driving moments

9

Finite and infinite slopes

1m4/10

📌 Key FormulaFor infinite: FOS = (c' + γ z cos²β tanφ') / (γ z sinβ cosβ)

10

Bishop’s method

1m4/10

📌 Key FormulaIterative FOS equation

11

Stress distribution in soils

1m3/10

📌 Key FormulaBoussinesq, Westergaard

12

Boussinesq’s theory

1m3/10

📌 Key FormulaΔσ_z = (3Q / 2π z²) / (1 + (r/z)²)^{5/2}

13

Pressure bulbs

1m3/10

14

Shallow foundations – Terzaghi’s and Meyerhoff’s bearing capacity theories

1m4/10

📌 Key Formulaqu = c Nc + γ Df Nq + 0.5 γ B Nγ

15

Effect of water table

1m3/10

📌 Key FormulaCorrection factors for γ

16

Combined footing and raft foundation

1m4/10

📌 Key FormulaArea for uniform pressure

17

Contact pressure

1m3/10

18

Settlement analysis in sands and clays

1m4/10

📌 Key FormulaImmediate + primary + secondary

19

Deep foundations – dynamic and static formulae

1m3/10

📌 Key FormulaEngineering News, Hiley formula

20

Axial load capacity of piles in sands and clays

1m4/10

📌 Key FormulaQp = qp Ap, Qs = fs As

21

Pile load test

1m3/10

📌 Key FormulaSettlement criteria

22

Pile under lateral loading

1m4/10

📌 Key FormulaBroms method or p-y curves

23

Pile group efficiency

1m3/10

📌 Key Formulaη = Q_group / (n Q_single)

24

Negative skin friction

1m3/10

📌 Key FormulaDownward drag force