What is Building Footing?
Building footing is a part of the foundation. It supports the foundation of the structure so that it does not get settled. It is generally cast in RCC. It is made with concrete structure with rebar steel. Dimensions of the footings are depended on the type of soil, type, and the load of the structure, type of material, etc.
Basically, Footing is the base of a column. It is enlarged to support the load of the structure. If you want to know the Types of footings then you can click on the link given below.
Precautions before Footing casting
Here is a list of precautions should be taken before Footing casting-
- PCC- Check if PCC casting is properly done or not. Use drawing for PCC dimensions and depth check. PCC should be in Level and curing of PCC should be properly done.
- Check Center of Footing- Check the center of Footing using boundary or Total Station. Don’t forget to check orientation of the footing and column.
- Shuttering Check- Check Shuttering box sizes. Check width, length, and Depth properly using Drawings. Check supports of the shuttering or formwork is firm and strongly supported.
- Reinforcement check- Use RCC designer drawing for Steel check. Check Bar sizes, Spacing, Cutting length. Check if steel bars are well bonded using Binding wire. Check Column steel as well, check no of bars, sizes and stirrups using RCC Drawing.
- Check material availibility- After all technical check-up, Insure that enough material, Equipment and labors are available for casting work. if all is good then go for concrete execution.
Footing casting
Here are some basic and important points everyone should follow at the time of footing casting,
- Clean the footing base- Clean it with the water and make sure there is no debris or loose material on the PCC top. Clean it just before the casting.
- Concrete Check- If you are using Readymix concrete then check batch report well, do a plum test for fresh concrete. If manual concerning is going on then make sure proper mixing and water use are perfect while concrete formation.
- Casting- Cast footing in layers if the depth of the footing is high. Try to cast 300mm in every pour. Use proper vibration using vibrator-like equipment. Don’t forget to keep watch on the shuttering while casting. If you find any dislocation in formwork, stop the concrete work.
- Other- Don’t forget to cast concrete cubes for quality checks. Excessive vibration may lead to bleeding process so avoid it. Don’t pour concrete from more than 900mm height. It may lead to segregation.
Post Casting Precautions of Footing
Post casting work is equally important so don’t forget to check below points after casting of the footing,
- Deshuttering- Deshuttering of the footing can be done after 18 hours of the casting. If the temperature is low then ask the respective consultants. Otherwise, remove it soon after 18 hours.
- Curing- Start curing of the footing top after 4 hours of casting. After Deshuttering cure concrete properly. USe Kiltan or curing chemicals if the temperature is high. The footing is mass concrete work. So the heat of hydration is high. Curing is very important for footing. Pour water 4 times a day at least.
- Plinth Backfilling- At the time of backfilling, avoid riding heavy vehicle directly on a footing, It may damage footing. Avoid throwing heavy stones directly on a footing.
