DETERMINATION OF POSSIBLE CAUSES OF FOUNDATION FAILURE AND ITS EFFECTS ON BUILDING USING GEOTECHNICAL ANALYSIS OF SOIL SAMPLE FROM THE NATIONAL MUSEUM, RING ROAD, BENIN CITY, EDO STATE, NIGERIA.

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the occurrence of foundation failure, causes and its consequential effects on the building using the geotechnical analysis carried on sample collected at building site National Museum, Ring Road, Benin City, Edo State. Foundation issues in buildings are a common concern in construction and can have far-reaching implications on structural integrity, safety, and financial burdens. The samples were collected from a drilled borehole at depths 1m. These samples were subjected to geotechnical tests such as Particle size analysis, Moisture content, Atterberg limit, Triaxial test, Compaction test and Specific gravity test. The analysis of these soils revealed the following results, the particle size analysis the soil is rich in clays having more than 50% fines, atterberg limit having a plasticity of medium to high with plastic index of 16.81% to 30.60%, liquid limit of 41.11% to 59.43% and plastic limit 21.58% to 28.83%, Specific gravity between 2.50 to 2.63 and cohension values between 16.0KN/m² and 25.0KN/m². The results of the soil examination shows that the clay content is high at depth of 1m which is an ideal for construction. The types of structure, type and depth of foundation would differ due to the soil strength and these soil properties should be consider to avoid Foundation Failure. xii