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ISTRUCTE / SHORT EXERCISE / calculation

Exercise ca-ex-17

Check bearing and estimate settlement.

In this guide
PRACTICE PROMPT

Use this fictional setting to practise clear reasoning. It is not an assessment or institution paper.

The setting

A raft foundation 20 m × 15 m under a four-storey building on soft clay.

Your task

Check bearing and estimate settlement.

What a useful response would show

Net bearing pressure, and settlement estimated rather than ignored.

Reflect afterwards

  1. What assumption mattered most?
  2. What would you check before using this on a real project?
  3. Could another engineer follow your recommendation?