What is slab foundation failure? It is not what you think – then again, maybe it is
Here is the standard definition of failure as applied to engineered products including foundations: any engineered product has failed when it does not meet expectations.
That sounds simple and clear, but consider this: expectations are subjective. they depend on each person’s education, training, and past experience. Concerning slab foundation performance, the expectations of a person who have lived their entire life in an area where the soils are stable are going to differ from the expectations of a Professional Structural Engineer who has:
- designed numerous slab foundations
- understands the strengths and weakness of the design methodology
- made tens of thousands of foundation performance assessments
- understands how slab foundations are built
- understands how they work
- understands how they interact with the supporting soil
- understands how slab foundations interact with the frame structure
- how the frame structure interacts with the finish materials such as brick veneer, drywall and floor tile
