Details of Mat Foundation and it’s benefits

A mat foundation stands for a compact reinforced concrete slab that supports placing of columns or walls in a row or rows as well as transferring the loads to the underlying soil.

It is suitable to provide support to the storage tanks, industrial equipment, silos, chimneys and several tower structures.

The mat foundation is arranged for the following reasons :-

a. The spread footings encompass 50% of the foundation area due to immense column loads.
b. The soil is weak and contains a low bearing strength.
c. If the expense of deep foundation is greater as compared to raft foundation.
d. The possibility of overlapping for individual footing since the walls of the structure are nearer to each other.

The construction procedures for mat foundation :-

Mat foundation is built up as a large slab that functions as the base for the building. The building is supported on this foundation and does not have any contact with the land and thus add more strength and firmness.

The Mat foundation is also reinforced with several bars within it which remain perpendicular to each other. These types of reinforcements produce a very strong base and it is mostly recommended for large buildings.

The mat foundation is always greater than the structure itself. Initially, the proposed site for the structure should be excavated. As soon as the site is leveled and dried up, the slab of the mat foundation is set up. It makes the foundation for the building strong and long lasting and the construction is commenced on the slab.

Benefits of a mat foundation - Given below the reasons why mat foundation is very effective for difficult areas :

1. Mat foundation is ideal for uneven and difficult land areas. Sometimes the soil contains a poor bearing strength even as other times, creating individual footing is unachievable. A mat foundation can resolve all these issues.

2. Another benefit of mat foundation is that it is cost-effective than other foundations. The cost of developing mat foundation for floor slab, is considerably lower than other more complicated foundations.

3. The excavation required for the mat foundation is significantly less than what is needed for other foundation. It saves resources, labor and money.

4. Mat foundation is suitable for the soil that is subjected to subsidence. As for instance clay belongs to a type of soil that is prone to contracting and expanding when the temperature fluctuates, because of this, constructing a structure directly on the soil can be harmful.

A mat foundation conversely will create a strong base on which the building can be developed. The mat foundation is not affected with the changes in temperature.