Water Table Effect on Bearing Capacity
Easygroundwaterbearing capacity
For a footing on granular soil, a rise in the groundwater table to near the footing generally causes the bearing capacity to:
- AIncrease, because total unit weight increases
- BRemain unchanged
- CDecrease, because effective unit weight decreases
- DBecome independent of soil friction
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Answer: C. Decrease, because effective unit weight decreases
Below the water table, soil unit weight drops to the buoyant value γ′ = γsat − γw. That reduces both the overburden and the Nγ terms, so bearing capacity decreases.
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